THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

Proclamation:

“I am The Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before Me … You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  Exodus 20:2-17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the Israelites had crossed the wilderness and come to the mountain of God, they camped near it. (Exodus 18:5 and 19:1)  Moses went up into the mountain of God and came back down with messages for the people several times. (Exodus 19:3-7, 19:8, 19:14, and 19:20-22)  In addition to the Ten Commandments, The Lord God gave Moses instructions and laws for the Israelites regarding idols and alters (Exodus 20:22-26), Hebrew servants (Exodus 21:1-11), personal injuries (Exodus 21:12-36), protection of property (Exodus 22:1-15), social responsibility (Exodus 22:16-31), justice and mercy (Exodus 23:1-9), and the Sabbath (Exodus 23:10-13)  The Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone. (Exodus 24:12)  The last time that Moses went up into the mountain of God, he stayed for forty days. (Exodus 24:15-18)

Application:

When The Lord God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He knew that the people then and now would not be able to keep them.  We were to use them as a mirror to show ourselves that we were sinners who fell short of God’s Word. (Romans 3:23)  We sin with our actions and words, and even when we have sinful thoughts we have committed a sin. (Matthew 5:28)  Additionally, The Bible teaches us that if we have broken one of these commandments, we are just as sinful as if we had broken all of them. (James 2:10)  The Ten Commandments are that we should: have no other gods (Exodus 20:2-3), not make any images of God (Exodus 20:4-6), not use God’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7), remember to keep the Sabbath day holy (Exodus 20:8-11), honor our father and mother (Exodus 20:12), and that we should not kill (Exodus 20:13), should not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14), should not steal (Exodus 20:15), should not lie (Exodus 20:16), and should not covet anything that belongs to our neighbor. (Exodus 20:17)  We needed the Ten Commandments because we had to be shown that we were lost sinners and that we needed a savior.

Some Blessings Are Based Upon Our Choices

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of The LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night."  Psalms 1:1-2 (NIV)

The author of this psalm clearly states that some blessings are based upon individual choices.   Blessings come to those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand with sinners, or sit with those who mock The Truth.  Blessed is he who delights in The Word of God, and who meditates on it day and night.

Some blessings we receive just because God is who He is and He chooses to bless us even though we do not deserve to be blessed.  Each heart beat, each breath, each thought, and each of our bodily functions is a blessing.  However, there are some blessing we receive based upon what we choose to do or not to do.  Hanging around the people that we choose to be with, when we know that they are up to no good, can cause us to miss out on some blessings that God had prepared for us.  Reading, studying, and reflecting on The Word of God twice each day will result in special blessing for us.  Let us pray that we will make better choices in the upcoming year, and that we will spend more time reading the Bible.

God's Promise To Believers

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares The Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know The Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. By calling this covenant 'new,' He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." Hebrews 8:10-13 (NIV)

Here the unknown author is quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 regarding the "new covenant." This covenant was made with the people of God. It is a promise which is based upon a spiritual change within the believer. The new covenant bring with it the forgiveness of sins. The first covenant was written in stone and failed because the people turned away from God. The new covenant will be written in the hearts and minds of believers and is not dependent upon human
behavior.

The new covenant promises us forgiveness of our sins. Once we confess our sins, and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and accept Christ as our personal savior, we are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Our wickedness and sins are forgiven. (1 John 1:9) Once saved, we will be judged based upon what we did that gave God glory and that will determine our rewards. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 states, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved." Believers will be saved and rewarded based upon their works.