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He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Exodus 34.28 NRSV)
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The commandments have been divided into two sections. The first through the fourth are concerned with religious duties: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image . . . You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain . . . Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. . . ."
The fifth through the tenth commandments are concerned with moral duties. "Honor your father and mother . . . You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or his maidservant . . . or anything that is your neighbor's." In other words, the first section deals with our personal relationship with God, and the second section our relationships with one another.
These ten commandments are the foundation of civilized behavior. We could not live in a society where people were allowed to kill one another or steal from one another. Even the prohibition against adultery serves a societal interest--in order to maintain a viable family life--as does "honor your father and mother." The reason the Ten Commandments have remained with us so long is that no society can function well where they are ignored.
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Dear Jesus, help me to follow our Father's commands. Amen.
Ron Newhouse
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The commandments have been divided into two sections. The first through the fourth are concerned with religious duties: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image . . . You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain . . . Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. . . ."
The fifth through the tenth commandments are concerned with moral duties. "Honor your father and mother . . . You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or his maidservant . . . or anything that is your neighbor's." In other words, the first section deals with our personal relationship with God, and the second section our relationships with one another.
These ten commandments are the foundation of civilized behavior. We could not live in a society where people were allowed to kill one another or steal from one another. Even the prohibition against adultery serves a societal interest--in order to maintain a viable family life--as does "honor your father and mother." The reason the Ten Commandments have remained with us so long is that no society can function well where they are ignored.
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Dear Jesus, help me to follow our Father's commands. Amen.
Ron Newhouse