For My Good - Ten Commandments

There are some unique qualities about the Ten Commandments that set them apart from other Near Eastern social and law codes. In the Old Testament, social and religious behaviors are intertwined. God makes it clear that my relationship to Him will affect every area of my life.

It will affect how I spend my money. My relationship with God will affect what I do in my free time. My relationship with God will affect how I parent my children. All Ten Commandments, whether the four initial spiritual or the remaining six with human relationships, all are interrelated.

Although the commandments appear prohibitive, they are not negative. They offer the boundaries and parameters of expressing true love. How many volumes would have been required to state every non-loving act? Some lawyers and law students are still discovering that fact. Rather, the Ten Commandments told us that love could never include taking someone else’s belongings, their life, their wife, their reputation, or their future. They told us that abuse of the physical life or the sexual life, and the desire for the possessions of those around us, violates our covenant relationship with God.

In the English language, the Ten Commandments are just a little more than fifty words, but they speak immeasurably about the character of the God who crafted them. They also speak about the worth of individuals at all stages of life. To God, the boundaries around each one of us are sacred. Each one of us is a unique combination of physical life, sexual identity, possessions and reputation.

The laws also make a statement about man’s dependence upon God. God created us in a way that we would need him in order to feel and truly be complete. Apart from God, our lives are shortsighted and less than He intended. People, who set themselves up as the center of their universe, have already broken the first two commandments. As we understand that we are not the suppliers of every need, we become able to respond to God at a different and more profound level.

Reflection:

1) Think of a time when someone invaded your personal space and violated your boundary.

2) Consider the importance of boundaries and lines of separation for relationships, peace, and stability.

3) Are there any relationships you need to restore as a result of honoring God's principles?

Thank you for reading, reflecting, and revising your life

Boyd