Exodus 20:1-7 (I am the Lord your God..."
Exodus 20:1-7
Then God gave the people all these instructions:
“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
“You must not have any other god but me.
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
The Ten Commandments; Those great rules that God gave His people in the wilderness. The rules that Moses carried down from the mountain to find half the people worshipping a gold calf. In fact, because of his anger, he had to carry the tablets down twice (Exodus 32:19)!
When I first was told about the ten commandments, I thought they were a bunch or rules that were just there as a way of God wagging his finger in disappointment. However, as I looked further into them and their meaning, I came to a realisation that they deal with relationships.
This week I'll focus on our relationship with God.The first three commandments are all about how we maintain our relationship with God.
Commandment one: You must not have any other god but me.
At first blush, this one seems easy. One God and that's it. Simple really. Or maybe not...
In a way anything that we put before God acts as a god. For some it's money, others work, others gadgets etc.
Suddenly it doesn't seem so simple. What this commandment is prompting us to do is put Him first in all things. Even in the midst of a busy day, He needs to come first. That is easier said than done.
Putting God first doesn't mean we have to give up on all the things we do or want. It simply means that we need to seek Him before engaging in our day-to-day lives. Seek His guidance in all we do and remember that we should thank Him in the good and bad times as well as ask for His guidance whether things seem easy or hard.
Commandment two: You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind...
Again, this expands on the previous point. For some people that idol is a tangible object; Think Leonardo DiCaprio and an Oscar. More often than not, it's less tangible. Be it an aspiration to a high paying job, a sports team or even a relationship with a person.
The penalties for this are quite harsh: the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
Conversely, the rewards are great: But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Both sobering and exciting in the same verse.
Commandment three: “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
For a fuller discussion of this commandment, read my entry titled "In Vain".
The ten commandments are about relationships and next week I'll look at the next commandment. This deals with our relationship to our time and how it's spent.
Then God gave the people all these instructions:
“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
“You must not have any other god but me.
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
The Ten Commandments; Those great rules that God gave His people in the wilderness. The rules that Moses carried down from the mountain to find half the people worshipping a gold calf. In fact, because of his anger, he had to carry the tablets down twice (Exodus 32:19)!When I first was told about the ten commandments, I thought they were a bunch or rules that were just there as a way of God wagging his finger in disappointment. However, as I looked further into them and their meaning, I came to a realisation that they deal with relationships.
This week I'll focus on our relationship with God.The first three commandments are all about how we maintain our relationship with God.
Commandment one: You must not have any other god but me.
At first blush, this one seems easy. One God and that's it. Simple really. Or maybe not...
In a way anything that we put before God acts as a god. For some it's money, others work, others gadgets etc.
Suddenly it doesn't seem so simple. What this commandment is prompting us to do is put Him first in all things. Even in the midst of a busy day, He needs to come first. That is easier said than done.
Putting God first doesn't mean we have to give up on all the things we do or want. It simply means that we need to seek Him before engaging in our day-to-day lives. Seek His guidance in all we do and remember that we should thank Him in the good and bad times as well as ask for His guidance whether things seem easy or hard.
Commandment two: You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind...
Again, this expands on the previous point. For some people that idol is a tangible object; Think Leonardo DiCaprio and an Oscar. More often than not, it's less tangible. Be it an aspiration to a high paying job, a sports team or even a relationship with a person.
The penalties for this are quite harsh: the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
Conversely, the rewards are great: But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
Both sobering and exciting in the same verse.
Commandment three: “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
For a fuller discussion of this commandment, read my entry titled "In Vain".
The ten commandments are about relationships and next week I'll look at the next commandment. This deals with our relationship to our time and how it's spent.
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