Number Six

“Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13

This commandment seems straightforward; morally, ethically, logically, and legally obvious. However, as with all of God’s utterances, because our minds are clouded by sin, there are some things that we miss. The obvious part of this command is that we are not to take the life of another person. Some versions of the Bible translate this “You shall not murder” (NKJV). This particular translation seems limited due to the varied definitions our society has for different types of killing. All killing is bad whether justified or not. Taking the life of a fellow human being takes a toll on a person. Ask anyone who has served on a battlefield or committed manslaughter. Something in their mind changes. However, I would like to focus on a few aspects of killing that people tend to overlook: self-murder by fork, murder by words, and does God really kill?

Suicide by fork: In church this past week the speaker gave testimony of her healing from cancer when she changed her diet and mindset. The Bible clearly states how God originally expected us to eat, scientific research has been done demonstrating that this is the ideal diet for the human body, and yet we disregard it. The speaker used the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-14) to emphasize the point that the simple acts of eating well and living by faith we think hard to do yet we’d rather take medication or endure some extreme procedure to get well. Everyday we disregard the laws of nutrition, exercise, hydration, temperance, rest, and faith in God yet still expect to maintain good health. This is an affront to God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17). God promised that if we would adhere to His commands He would protect us from the diseases He placed on the Egyptians (Exodus 15:26). As we now know many of the diseases we face are diseases archaeologists have identified in ancient Egyptian mummies. It is time for us to think and make a conscious change to a simpler, faithful way of life.

Death by words: Growing up there was a chant we use to say as children – “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Oh how wrong and misguided this statement is! The rampant increase in suicides among teens, and young people, associated with social media, is clear evidence of the fallacy of this sentiment. 'The pen is actually mightier than the sword.' While on Earth Jesus amplified the Law explaining that the thoughts and attitudes we have are forms of violating these Laws (Matthew 5:21, 22). Gossiping and slander are clearly identified in Scripture as a source of death and God will judge those that spread death with their tongues (Ezekiel 22:9, Leviticus 19:16; James 4:11).

Does God really kill? There is a new theory going around that God doesn’t really kill anyone. The first time I heard it I had a visceral reaction, then I started to think about it. It sat in the back of my mind for a few years then I heard it again from another source. As Bible believers our source of answers to all questions is Scripture. Scripture says that God is the Creator. The fourth commandment clearly identifies this as such and that this is the reason He is deserving of obedience (Exodus 20:8-11). Through the bible we also come to understand that God’s Law is a rendering of His character (Psalms 18:30; 19:7; Galatians 5:14; 1John 4:8, 16), by this some are of the opinion that He will not kill.

However, as one preacher said, ‘God has a track record’. The flood (Genesis 7), Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), the firstborns of Egypt (Exodus 11), the destruction of the Amalekites (1Samuel 15), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) all are examples of God, himself, or through angels or His human servants killing. So if we believe the Bible is truth why is it so had to accept that the Creator can and will destroy? This brings us back to definitions, generalized killing and specific murder. Murder is a premeditated act borne of malice. Throughout the Bible we see that this is were God takes offense. Jesus compared ‘being angry with our brother without a cause’ to killing. In the time of ancient Israel there was recourse for those that killed accidentally, or in defence of oneself or another (Numbers 35:11-34).

The fact is, this idea that God will not kill is a dangerous lie. Zephaniah 1:12 warns of judgement on those that adopt the complacent belief that God is disinterested and innocuous. The Lord is our Judge. Built into His law are consequences and the consequence of breaking His Law is death, plain and simple (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). And as Judge and the One against Whom sin is committed He is the only One with the right and the power to ultimately kill. His word is sure, His track record is real, and He is not to be trifled with. Scripture declares that He will perform what is termed "His strange act" (Isaiah 28:21). The final death will be done in defence of all creation, because sin cannot rise a second time.

In Love

Number Five

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12

This command is the first that addresses our relationship with other human beings. Fittingly it addresses our relationship with the first human beings we’ll ever know – our parents. Many people have – what is termed – “complicated relationships” with their parents. However, let’s explore what the parent-child relationship ought to be. God gave us parents, who, through their wisdom of prior experience and years of greater knowledge should, in kindness, teach us truth and duty and to remove foolishness and indolence from us. (Deuteronomy 6:6,7; 11:18,19; Proverbs 22:6, 15; Ephesians 6:4). As children we are to obey them, because our care has been entrusted to them by God (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20).

Simply put, parents are to provide for their children and children are to respect their parents. (2 Corinthians 12:4; Proverbs 30:17) However, in our sinful world interpersonal relationships are never simple, especially the parent-child relationship. This initial human interaction defines to a great extent our understanding of God and dictates how we interact with other people. Parents are sinful human beings and therefore, if they are not in constant communication with our Heavenly Father, inconsistencies will arise in their actions. Enoch’s walk with God began after Methuselah was born. The love he had for his child made clear the love God has for us and this inspired the close connection he maintained with God until God took him. (Genesis 5:21-24)

Our Saviour came to this world as a baby and grew up like all of us do. At a very early age He knew who He was and what His purpose was on Earth. However, He did not attempt to hasten the process He lived obediently with His Earthly parents until He was fully grown (Luke 2:46-52). Which then brings us to our relationship with our parents in adulthood. The dynamic shifts slightly and yet not that much. We are still subject to our parents just not in the same way. At this point some of us are parents ourselves. So how do we honour our parents in adulthood?

This brings us back to the, so-called, “complicated” parent-child relationship. Some parents did such a thorough job of influencing their children that in adulthood the child can’t make a decision without the parent’s approval. Others are so lax and free that the child can’t depend on them for advice. When properly raised, an adult child should be able to stand on their own two feet, making wise choices and knowing when to ask for and how to receive advice (Proverbs 22:6; 1 Kings 2:1-4; 3:7-9). They will also be firm in their convictions and committed to their purpose not allowing themselves to be distracted or controlled by the desire to please their parents (Matthew 12:47-50; Mark 3:32-35; John 2:1-5).

While parents are no longer to have full control of their adult children, these children do still have a responsibility to care for their aging parents. An unholy practice carried out by the ancient Jews, known as Corban, allowed individuals to shirk this responsibility of caring for their parents because their money was promised to the temple (Mark 7:9-13). As Mary’s eldest child, Jesus was primarily responsible for her care. While hanging on the cross He did not shirk this responsibility. He made provision for her by charging her care to John, the beloved disciple (John 19:26, 27). In our childhood our parents change their entire way of living to care and provide for us, it is only right that when they become dependent that we care for them.

Because we live in a sinful world some individuals don’t have the blessing of living parents, or committed parents, or even caring parents. How do we cope with those existences? Sometimes we are provided guardians who act as parents. They require the same honour as if they gave us life. But, what of those with the unkind, ungodly parents? Scripture tells us to obey our parents in the Lord: because it right (Ephesians 6:1). Therefore, when you are a child do as your parents command as far as it is pleasing to God and trust in Him to work our your circumstances for good (Romans 8:28). In Ephesians 6:2 we learn that honouring our parents is the first commandment with a promise attached to it. The promise is long life in the Land God has prepared for us in this life and in the life to come.

Despite the varied flawed experiences we have with our Earthly parents we have the assurance that we have a dependable, Heavenly Father who cares for and provides for us. Who, if we would yield to Him, will provide us with the knowledge, wisdom and discipline we need to have long life with Him in this life and in His kingdom (Matthew 6:1-13; Hebrews 12:5-11).

In Love

If it Were Possible

Given the current social, political and moral climate in which we live, there is a quote, attributed to Nelson Mandela, making the rounds. “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Taken as it was meant this is a lovely quote with a positive message to inspire better behaviour. However, when we take a closer look at it this is a very dangerous sentiment for a Christian to buy into.

Truth: Human beings are not born hating each other. This can be seen in the way most children play with each other. They share everything they take people as they come without probing deeply into differences. ‘We’re all 5-years old let’s run through the yard until we pass out’. As human beings we learn differences as we grow and the adults in our lives teach us how to value each difference. This is either done overtly by the use negative speech in describing different groups of people or subliminally by physical or reflex reactions to individuals of different groups.

Truth: Human beings can learn to love. This is a word I have taken great issue with, as you have read in the past, and on which I am focused on trekking through the 10 Commandments. It has been used, misused and abused to the point that most people have no understanding of the true meaning. As Christians we know this is why Jesus came to Earth and died, so that we would have the example and opportunity to learn what is and how to love. The wishy washy sentimentality we attribute to love does not hold water. Love, while positive and uplifting requires hard choices and difficult experiences in this world of sin.

Fallacy: “…love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” This statement is categorically untrue and followed to its logical end, is very dangerous. This statement assumes that human beings, at our roots, are basically good and will choose to do good if left to our own devices. This has been demonstrated, in millennia of human activity and corroborated by God, in His word to be categorically false. The Bible makes it clear that the we are “shaped in iniquity”, the human heart is “desperately wicked” our natural inclinations are to be “children of wrath”, and especially in these times when human existence becomes like the days of Noah again (Luke 17:26), our minds are set on evil continually (Psalms 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:3; Genesis 6:5).

With this understanding we know that we cannot depend on ourselves to do what is right. Our ‘righteousness are as filthy rags’ (Isaiah 64:6). This is why we required a Saviour. This is why we need the Holy Spirit to guide us constantly. Our natural inclinations are toward evil and hate, not good and love. As Bible believers we need to be hyper-cautious in these last days. The Bible says that the deception of these days will be so great ‘if it were possible the very elect would be deceived’ (Matthew 24:24). We need to be sober and vigilant at all times (1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8). Let us not be like the 5 foolish virgins, let us allow the Holy Spirit to fill us that we may be able to discern pure complete truth from grievous error (John 16:13).

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Number Four

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11

This is a loaded commandment encompassing many related aspects of our lives. This is the longest of the commandments and the only one urging us to “remember”. The imperative to remember implies that it is possible to forget this day. God has asked us to “Remember the Sabbath day” informing us that there is only one. Then it goes on to describe this day so that we may be able to successfully identify “the day”.

The narrative of the command them shifts to bring us the description of this day. We are instructed to do all our work for six days. Then on the seventh day we are to rest because it is our Lord’s Sabbath. If the God of this commandment is my ruler, commander and Lord then I’ll keep His Sabbath Holy. Then the passage goes on to list all who are not to work making it expressly clear that as His servants we nor anyone nor anything under our power is to work on this day.

Finally, the commandment lets us know why. God will always tell us why. God created this earth in six days (Genesis 1). After His six days of creation He carved out one more twenty-four-hour period in which He did no more work. He blessed that period of time and He declared the day to be holy. Because of who God is He wants to share this time with us. So He asked us to remember this time, forget all our labours and cares, on that day, and spend the time with Him.

With that breakdown of the fourth how do we remember this day? Well on the basic front all work is to stop, if you are employed you don’t go to work on this day, and if you are a student you put away the books on this day. If that is where it ended this would be the easiest commandment to keep – you just don’t do anything. But there is more, a state of mind is involved. We are to keep the day “holy”. But as sinful beings we lack the capacity to do so. This is where we must learn to submit ourselves to God that He will give us the ability to keep the day Holy (1 Peter 1:16).

As a professed Sabbath-keeper, fellowshipping with other professed Sabbath-keepers, I have found that though we have identified the seventh-day and are committed to the seventh-day that we are notorious for trampling on the seventh-day Sabbath. Jesus declared that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day (Matthew 12:12). And with that instruction we seem to have opted to all our good works on the Sabbath only. With that the Sabbath then ceases to be a day of rest and by the end we are tired and the Sabbath is no longer a blessing to us but a day burdened by “good deeds”. We ought not ignore someone in need on this day, but we ought not plan to do every good deed, we neglected during the week, on the Sabbath day either. We have six days to do all our work and that is not limited to self-serving work but includes Christ serving work as well. Every day we are to have joy in doing the things of God and all we do should be done to His glory (Psalms 1:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 7:22).

Another major shortcoming we have, regarding the Sabbath, is how we view it. Some of us have come to regard the Sabbath as a day of amusement and selfish pleasure. In Isaiah we learn that God did not design the Sabbath for this purpose (Isaiah 58:13, 14). We are not to turn the day into a self-gratifying pleasure seeking day. For those of us who limit or activity on the Sabbath day and find ourselves, as we ought, in church (Leviticus 23:3) there is another subtle plague. We participate in the planned service then we come together in fellowship and start talking. And our conversation may begin innocently on the sermon we just heard and then drift to all the things that are happening at work, in the news, and in the lives of the people around us. None of it is said to bring glory to God. As Bible believing commandment keeping people we need to ever vigilant about how we treat God’s holy day.

This commandment is of particular importance as we come to the end of the world. This commandment declares who God is, the reason for His claim of authority, and His dominion. The fact that the vast majority of the God’s creation has been made to forget His day will be of particular importance as we proceed to the culmination of this earth’s final struggle. Therefore, as Sabbath-keepers it has never been more vital for us to be intentional in how we fulfill this command.

In Love  

Number Three

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

This is another commandment that people tend to gloss over. Most relegate it to not using bad language or using God’s names simple to express exclamation. While these are accurate it goes beyond that. To probe this, we must have a functioning definition of the word ‘vain’. The book of Ecclesiastes expounds greatly all the things that are vanity but today I will choose Merriam’s and Webster’s definition. For our purposes the dictionary defines vain as an adjective denoting something as “having no real value”, “marked by futility or ineffectualness” or “foolish, silly”. Apply these definitions to Solomon’s plight in Ecclesiastes and we understand why he is described as being depressed. But that’s a topic for another day. Today we are looking at the commandment.

Working with these definitions of the word vain let’s see how that would or could apply to our daily use of God’s name. We know God as many names: Jehovah, Jesus, Holy Spirit, The Almighty, Alpha & Omega, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, etc. I could go one and on. My favorite, because I think it encompasses all is attributes is, “I AM”. How do we use God’s name every day? The two major ways we are expected to use God’s is in prayer and in how we identify ourselves. We pray to God the Father in Jesus’ name (Matthew 6:9-13). We identify ourselves as Christians – followers of Christ (Acts 11:26).

Now how could we possibly take God’s name in vain by praying? Jesus gave us instructions on how to pray, we ask of the Father and we call on His name as our reason for asking. But are there other instructions on how we should pray? One major flaw in the way we pray is highlighted in Mark 11:24. Jesus said: “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” When we pray do we genuinely believe that God will fulfill our request? Or do we doubt and go out and do things in our own strength? Another point in this passage ‘whatsoever things we desire’ does this mean that if I desire something detrimental to myself that God will give it to me? As was said in the previous post, God will not contradict Himself. So what desires are these that we should be requesting of Him? Psalms 37:4, 5 instructs us to ‘take delight in God and commit all we do to Him and He will give us the desires of our hearts and bring us success’. Therefore, when we pray in opposition to God’s will or if we pray and don’t believe that He will supply we take His name in vain because we then render Him ‘ineffectual’.

We live in this world and classify ourselves as Christians – followers of Christ – but do we genuinely know what this name entails. To be a follower of Christ means that we live our lives the way He did. He is the pattern by which we make our choices. What would this look like? Well as previously stated Jesus came to this earth to be our example. The example He left was that He kept His Father’s commandments and He admonished us to do the same having love for each other despite the response we would surely receive (John 15:10-27). But in this world people carry the name Christian but choose to blend in with God’s enemies in the name of ‘peace’. For centuries, albeit millennia, God’s people have fallen prey to this deceptive desire for peace. Living in opposition to the “prince of this world” (John 12:31; 16:11) and our propensity to sin will result in strife (Matthew 10:34). However, God’s people, because of a desire to fit in (1 Samuel 8:5) and bring ‘peace’ through human means, have repeatedly caused us to give in to actions that are not of God misrepresenting His Name. By this, rendering His Name as “having no real value”, or “foolish”.

The bible tells us that a good name is rather to be chosen than gold or riches and we also learn that God’s name alone is excellent (Proverbs 22:1; Psalms 148:13). God responds when His name is called by His people (Genesis 4:9-12; Exodus 6:5; Judges 3:9; Revelation 6:9, 10). The things God speaks will be accomplished (Isaiah 55:11) because His excellent name is being challenged in this life. We are to respect His name because the power that is behind it is far beyond anything we can imagine.

Love

Number Two

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20: 4-6)

This is quite a curious commandment for current times. Some churches have dropped it completely from their Decalogue and others don’t see much application in their own existence. Most people don’t make idols for worship any more, do they? And what of the section that says “any likeness of any thing”; we make likenesses all the time. This is now especially proliferative with the introduction of the “selfie stick”. The command begins “Thou shalt not make”. Does this prohibit artistic sculptures, painting, photography, videography, and other forms of art?

Let’s think back to an event recorded in the Bible. The children of Israel were on their sojourn through the desert and they began complaining against God and Moses about not having bread and water. As punishment God sent fiery serpents among them that bit them and killed many. The people realizing their sin came to Moses begging for God’s forgiveness and interception. Moses went to God with the people’s request and God instructed Moses to make a graven image of a serpent and place it on a pole. When the people looked at the image of the serpent they would live (Numbers 21:5-9). Now did God instruct Moses to break His commandment in making this image of a serpent? James 1:13 reminds us that God cannot be tempted with evil and neither does He tempt us to do evil.

So how does this event jibe with the Law? When reading this command, we realize that the issue is worship: ‘bowing down and serving’. God did not instruct the people to worship the serpent, only to look at it (as an act of faith in God’s healing power). Earlier in the Israelite’s journey through the desert they made a golden calf and were bowing down to it and worshiping it and engaging in all manner of degradation and evil in service to the calf. This ignited God’s anger resulting in severe punishment (Exodus 32:1-8). And what of the brass serpent Moses made? Well, as is human nature we like tangible things and over the years the people began to worship the serpent. So during one of Judah’s times of reformation king Hezekiah destroyed the serpent (2 Kings 18: 1-4). God made a point of not showing any likeness of anything when He delivered the commandments, orally, so as to ensure no one would make the mistake of creating any thing to worship as Him (Deuteronomy 4:14-24).

In our lives we prostrate ourselves and live is service to various things: blocking out hours of our lives for TV programmes, movies and other forms of amusement, spending exorbitant amounts of money on art, music, entertainment, fashion, etc., we worship at the shrines of knowledge, power and influence. Our self-manufactured achievements have become our graven images. The primary focus of our time, finances and physical strength are the ways most of us ‘bow down to and serve’ likenesses of things in our world we’ve created for ourselves.

In this commandment we learn something about the nature of God. He identifies Himself as being jealous. Typically, we identify jealousy as a negative emotion, mostly because we confuse it with envy. Envy is wanting something that belongs to someone else. Jealousy is desiring something that is your own. God created us for the explicit purpose of worshiping Him. All worship belongs to Him because he is the I AM – The self-existent One, He has all power, knowledge, wisdom and is all things to all people all the time. As a result, this is a particularly serious commandment due to the consequences directly associated with it. The consequences transcend generations. That alone ought to inform our choices but along with the consequences there is hope. God always gives us hope. If we choose to obey Him, no matter what happened in the past and what our inherited tendencies are, He will show us mercy.

In Love

Number One

“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:2, 3)

When the average person thinks about the first commandment we automatically go straight to the, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”, leaving out the why. However, I have found the ‘why’ to be the anchor of this command. God has asked us to obey His commands and understanding that He made us to be logical creatures, He knows that in order to obey we need a motive. The purpose for ancient Israel to have only one God is that this is the God who freed them from slavery. He heard their cry in Egypt, chose a messenger, performed great miracles on their behalf and set them free. (Exodus 1-14).

So the question now is, ‘why should I have only one God?’ This is the beauty and the genius of God; the answer remains the same: He is the God that has brought us out of bondage. To this you may ask ‘when was I in bondage? I’ve never been a slave to anyone’. Some of your ancestors may have been, but short of being a victim of modern day slavery (human trafficking) not many of us know what it is to physically be in bondage. However, God transcends the physical into the spiritual and the fact is we are all in spiritual bondage (Romans 6:20). After the fall of our first parents, every human being is under the chains of sin. We know that sin is the breaking of the Law (1 John 3:4) and the consequences for breaking the law is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). We are, in ourselves, incapable of doing what is right (Psalms 51:5; Lamentations 5:7). If we of our own strength do something considered right, it remains inadequate (Isaiah 64:6).

But hope came in the form of Jesus Christ (Luke 2:10). God came to earth in human form and lived the perfect life as an example for us (John 15:10), then sacrificed Himself in our behalf (John 10:15-18) to free us from the desire to (Romans 6:18) and the condemnation of (Romans 6:23) sin. Thus, we can now live lives of joy, free from the bondage of being chained to sins that hurt and destroy and with the faith that our debts have been paid (Romans 8:1).

As a result, we can personalize the first commandment to say ‘He is the Lord my God, who freed me from sin and saved me from eternal death, I will have no other gods before Him.’

With Love