THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer

Part 1 of 2

Intro
Thunder From Sinai

Today many concepts about God abound, most of them individually conceived in our own minds according to our own liking. When people stop worshipping the true God, they do not stop worshipping; it is just that they change the object of their worship. Thus, we live in a day of many gods; people are free to believe in whatever god they wish and many are taking full advantage of their freedom. No one, it seems, has the presence of mind to ask: is your belief true? Does the God you worship actually correspond to the God that exists? Moses, who spent 40 days on the top of Mount Sinai, would say that if your belief does not affect the way you live, you have believed in the wrong god! If there is no need to tremble in the presence of your god, then you can be sure that you are standing before an idol of your own making.

“Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace...” (Exodus 19:18). There, on the top of this quaking mountain, the Lord gave the Ten Commandments. He let it be known that He is a God whose standards are based on His own nature, a God who demands strict obedience, a God who must have a proper sacrifice in order to be appeased.

What did Moses and Aaron learn about God in this terrifying and humiliating experience?

God’s Holiness Was Revealed

Holiness means otherness. It means that God goes beyond all that we are able to imagine. God insisted that everyone step back from the mountain. Indeed, if an animal or man touched Sinai, they were not to be retrieved, but from a distance shot through with an arrow or stoned (Exodus 19:12,13).

This physical distance symbolized the moral and spiritual distance between man and God. God was saying, “Stay back or be killed!” Mankind is decidedly unholy.

Later in Israel’s history, two priests named Nadab and Abihu went into the tabernacle and were instantly struck down because they offered “strange fire” unto the Lord (Leviticus 10:1,2). Apparently they didn’t think that their violation was serious. Sure, they didn’t follow procedures, but everyone has his own rules and serves God in his own way.

Uzzah, you might recall, was also struck down by God when he touched the ark of God while trying to prevent it from toppling to the ground during its return to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:6,7). This wooden chest, which symbolized the presence of God, had been put on a new cart pulled by oxen rather than being carried as God had proscribed: on poles, through rings, carried by priests (Exodus 25:10-15). It was not to be touched by the hands of sinful man. God had proscribed the necessary procedure, but Uzzah, believed his good intentions sufficient to break the rules. He believed the soil of the earth to be more offensive than his sinful hands. He found out differently.

Did God overreact? No. When He gives clear commands He expects them to be followed—followed without discussion, without explanation. And God has not mellowed over time. He is the same yesterday and today, yes, and forever. The old liberal notion, that the God of the Old Testament is angry, whereas the God of the New Testament is loving, finds no support in Scripture. Many passages in the New Testament, particularly in the book of Revelation, contain terrifying pictures of the Almighty judging the earth.

We can approach Him without fear only because Christ has come; His blood provides the means by which we are able to come into His presence. His standards have not been lowered, His attitude toward sin remains unchanged. The author of Hebrews points out that there are two mountains, Sinai and Calvary. At Sinai the law was given, declaring us to be sinners. At Calvary, Someone took our place that we might be freed from the demands of the law. That does not mean that we become lawbreakers; it simply means that Christ meets our requirements for us. Now, already having accepted His grace, we keep the law as best we can with God’s strength and power.

But along with these greater privileges come greater responsibilities. “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven” (Hebrews 12:25). God’s patience is often misinterpreted as God’s leniency. The God of Sinai is the God of Calvary.

Imagine the audacity of those who presume to come into God’s presence without a mediator, without a prescribed sacrifice and without blood. This Modern Age claims that anyone can approach God in his or her own way. “God can be found in all the different religions of the world” we are told. I don’t imagine such insults were uttered by the people when Sinai shook and lightning and thunder came from heaven.

Our age is one of rampant idolatry. God is refashioned to fit our attitudes and expectations. Thus, some people think that God can be contacted through angels; others think that He can be accessed through mediums or meditation. But apart from the right sacrifice, everyone who approaches the Almighty will be turned away, no matter how sincere they might be.

At Sinai God’s holiness was on display.

God’s Expectations Were Revealed

Now that God had the attention of His people, He revealed the Ten Commandments. These moral laws reflect God’s own character. As we shall see, He began with, “You shall not have other gods before Me.” What follows is the behavior He prescribes for His people, Israel.

There is a story about a boy who broke an antique vase his father asked him not to touch. There was little remorse on the boy’s face as it lay shattered on the floor. The reason for his indifference is that he thought it was worth but a few dollars. When it was explained to him, that it was worth $25,000, the enormity of his disobedience became clear.

As long as we don’t see ourselves as “commandment breakers,” we think that our offense against God is not very great. We compare ourselves to others, thinking that we are at least as good as they or not as bad as still others. Sure, we have our weaknesses; we have our faults. We might even have our “sins,” but these can be quite easily overlooked.

But when we truly see God for the truly Awesome and Holy God that He is, everything changes; every rationalization, every comparison fades into oblivion. Suddenly we are overwhelmed with the realization that we have flaunted His laws and spurned His holiness. We are brought low with the prophet Isaiah who cried out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).

A businessman called his pastor and was sobbing so violently that the pastor thought for certain that tragedy had befallen the family. As the pastor stood in the man’s office, he was slumped over his desk, crying to God for mercy. When the man regained his composure, he said, “God has just shown me my heart and it was as if I were looking into the pit of hell.”

What had this man done that was so wicked? He had adjusted some expense accounts in his favor, a small infraction done routinely by businessmen. But in the presence of God, even small sins become great ones. The size of our God determines the size of our sins.

According to one survey, only 13% of Americans believe in all ten of the Ten Commandments. Perhaps as many as 50% believe in five of the ten, and his right to pick and choose those to which he would be held accountable. Ted Koppel says that most people think God said, “Here are the Ten Suggestions.” Clearly, we are witnessing a catastrophic moral breakdown, and the results are all around us.

We must return to Sinai. Here we shall see that the Ten Commandments are not optional; we have no right to decide which of God’s laws we will keep and which we will disregard. In the presence of God, discussions about right and wrong come to an end. In His presence, all that we can do is to agree completely with our Creator. Then, and only then, will we flee to Christ for refuge; we will seek Him to save us, because we will know how lost we really are.

This booklet is offered with the hope that we will return to God’s laws so that we will better understand how truly bad off we are. We must understand the law before can understand grace. We must know we are lost before we are saved; and God quickens us so that we might know that we’ve been dead before we are made alive.

Let us listen to what God has to say!

Chapter 1
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
In Competition With God

I have seen a god.

Back in 1968, I studied in Israel with Wheaton College and we visited Baalbaak, in the heart of Lebanon. We were astounded by the acres of ruins all dedicated to the ancient god, Baal. And at the end of the tour we saw him for ourselves: he was chiseled out of stone and standing about 4 feet high, sporting a smirk on his face. He had nothing to say.

Idolatry, as it was seen in ancient times, seems far removed from those of us who live in the 20th century. But let’s remember that the Hindus have 330,000,000 gods, and the Japanese worship their ancestors. Idolatry, that is, worshipping some god other than Jehovah, takes place all over the world. And, as we shall see, it also takes place within our own hearts. We too are idolaters, though of a different kind. Indeed, “Our mind,” said the great theologian, Calvin, “is an idol factory, manufacturing as many different gods as the heart desires.”

On Mount Sinai, God made it clear to Moses that He was not amused by the proliferation of gods. Indeed, such idols were not to be tolerated. The God of Moses is a jealous God who will have no rivals. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:2,3).

Why this command? Was God afraid of the competition? Was He threatened because someone else might steal His glory? There are at least three reasons for this command.

The Nature of God

God has, what could be called, intrinsic existence. Every other being or thing in the universe is caused; the entire creation is dependent on God. Study the universe how we will, and it does not have within itself the cause for its own existence. It is unthinkable that the universe could have come from nothing. Nor can we believe it has always existed, since its supply of energy is decreasing, leading us to believe that it must have had a beginning.

God had no beginning, but is self-existent. He has within Himself the reason and the source of His own existence. His source of energy is not being depleted. When He said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” (Exodus 3:14) He in effect was saying, “I exist because I exist.”

It follows that God has intrinsic worth. He is in and of Himself, wholly worthy and of infinite value. He is the source of His own existence, and all else that exists. There is no other being upon which He is dependent. That is why it is impossible for God to be jealous or to sin by being prideful.

But, you say, “I’m valuable too.” Yes, but our value is derived. We are valuable because we are God’s creation; our worth is inherited, it is conferred. It’s wrong for us to be jealous, because that assumes that we have certain inherent rights that belong to us. Jealousy is sin precisely because we have no such inherent rights. We have nothing that we did not receive, therefore it is not, strictly speaking, ours. But God has every right to be insistent that His honor be guarded and that the allegiance of His creatures be undivided. The difference is that of Creator and creature.

What I’ve said about jealously also applies to pride. Again, we must say that pride is wrong for us because it seeks recognition and power that we do not deserve. But God can seek recognition and power simply because He is altogether worthy. Because He is the cause of His own existence, He need not pass on our worship to a being that is higher than Himself. To put it clearly: idolatry violates the unique and deserved position of God.

No wonder He said, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

The Nature of Man

Man is in rebellion against God. It all began with Lucifer, who said, “I will be like the Most High.” He began to challenge God’s supremacy. A drop of Lucifer’s rebellion has fallen on every human heart. Consequently, we as a race, are also in rebellion against God. We share in that tragedy called sin.

When Satan appeared to Adam and Eve in the Garden, the bait He used was, “You will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). He was inviting Adam and Eve to be one with God. Ever since The Fall, man who was created in the image of God, desires to take God’s place, not as creator but as an independent being. Our sin makes us desire to put ourselves on the throne and take God’s place. It causes us to stand against God.

Please note this: when man ceases to worship the true God, he does not cease worshipping. He just changes the object of his worship. He faces a dilemma: on the one hand he desires God, for he was created in God’s image, but on the other hand, he resents God’s intrusion into his life. He wants a God who is predictable, a God he can understand and eventually control. He wants a God whom he can see, touch and feel. He wants a God who is obligated towards him because of the rituals he (man) performs. The clay pot would like to give instructions to the potter.

When Julian Huxly was on television some time ago, he said, “We accepted Darwinianism without proof because we didn’t want God to interfere with our sexual morals.” There you have it; an admission that the evolutionary view of reality was accepted, not so much because of the evidence, but because of the desire to escape the conclusions of living in a universe with a personal, but supreme, God. Man has always tried to escape from God, and yet he remains “incurably religious.”

In Habakkuk 1, we find that the Chaldeans used nets to capture “fish,” that is, the Hebrew armies. It goes on to say, they “burn incense to their fishing net” (Habakkuk 1:16). Very interesting! Rather than give all the glory to God, they could see no farther than their “net.” Man would rather thank his government, his parents, his employer, or even the sweat of his own brow, rather than God from whom all blessings flow.

Every sin has its origin in breaking this first commandment. Indeed, it is not possible to violate any of the other commandments without breaking this one first. Sin is not just committing adultery, lying or killing; these are the result of breaking the first and greatest commandment.

This commandment can not only be stated negatively, but positively. A scribe who disputed with Christ asked, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28-30).

Here then is our great failure. We do not love the Lord our God with all that is within us. We see sin primarily as a violation of the other commandments. Let me repeat: it is because we do not keep the first commandment that we break all the others. Every person who believes he is a “good person” and “ought to go to heaven,” should ponder this command. We cannot make it to the finish line, since we have already stumbled at the starting line.

The Nature of Idolatry

An idol is anything that competes for our allegiance; it is whatever we exalt above God. Idolatry insults God because we try to find meaning somewhere, other than in our Creator. The contrast between God and idols is thus described:
“But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 115:3-8).

Just think of how God must feel when people forsake Him for idols that cannot answer prayer or supply so much as one loaf of bread. When we turn our back on God and embrace idols, we insult the Almighty. The origin of idolatry is given in Romans 1:21-32. “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over...” What follows is a litany of sexual sins along with thirty-two other evils too numerous to mention. Idolatry is not a primitive form of religion that has been refined throughout the centuries; idolatry follows a turning away from the true and living God.

In our culture, we worship at the shrine of the goddess of pleasure. But as we have noticed, she makes horrendous demands: she destroys our truthfulness, purity of character, and faithfulness. All of these must be sacrificed to her. The result is disconnected relationships, an inability to express genuine love, destroyed marriages, and like the ancient god Molech, she demands human sacrifice too. So 1.5 million babies are aborted each year to mop up after the mess left in the wake of this goddess. Give yourself to her and she will demand that you pay with your life.

There is the goddess of materialism. She will demand: anxiety, the sacrifice of relationships, and an obsession with greed. This goddess will insist that you give her every waking moment. She is however, very subtle; those who are ensnared by her often are unaware of it. She exists under the rubric, “You have to earn a living...” Or we say, “It’s mine because I worked for it.”

Then there is the “pride of life” which lies at the heart of all sinful choices. Here again, this idol exists largely undetected until revealed to us by God. We can serve ourselves, but be convinced that we are really serving God. Remember the mind can rationalize anything the heart wants to do. Pride makes keeping the first commandment difficult, perhaps impossible.

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

Three truisms can summarize this discussion.

Everyone has a god. Either it is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, or it will be some idol of the mind or heart. But a god we will have. If you want to discover your god, simply ask yourself two questions. First, what occupies my thoughts during my free time? And second, whom do I wish to please? That will soon help you see whether you have elevated something else in your mind above God.

Every god demands obedience. Whether it be the idols of Baal that demanded child sacrifice, or whether it is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, submission is expected. Paul wrote that in light of the mercies of God his readers should, “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1). God does not demand a dead sacrifice (as the lambs in Old Testament times), but rather He desires that we be a “living sacrifice.”

Obedience always results in slavery. Once we choose our god, we will be enslaved to him. The false gods bring about slavery of the worst sort. The true God invites us to a kind of slavery that brings about a true freedom. That’s why Paul began his letter to the Romans, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle..” (Romans 1:1).

To be a slave of Christ means that we are free from sin’s grasp; we are free to live fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. To bow before any other god is to feel the crushing weight of sin’s power.

Here, now, we come to a choice: will we, or will we not, with the help of the Holy Spirit, decide to love God and pluck up our idols by the roots? Are we willing to have our idols exposed so that we might repent and find mercy? Do we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?

Someone has written:

The dearest idol I have known
What er’e that idol be
Help me to tear it from the throne
And worship only Thee.

Yes, Lord!

Chapter 2
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
Ensnared By Images

When Christ met a woman at the well He reminded her, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

We know that we simply cannot approach God directly. Our fellowship must be mediated through Christ our Lord. We have to learn the importance of following instructions as we come into the presence of the King.

Satan desires to distract us in our worship. He wants something to be inserted between us and the Almighty. His preference is that we focus on something tangible: something we can visualize and touch. We might think that these worship helpers are actually for our benefit, but in point of fact, they misrepresent God and lead us astray.

Early in the history of the Church, the idea of having representations of Christ and God developed as an aid to worship. Even today, in the Eastern Orthodox churches there are icons, flat surfaced objects that are used in prayers and meditation. In the Roman Catholic Church there are statues of saints, Mary and the apostles. There are also a myriad of beads, crucifixes and diverse objects used by the faithful.

Is this Scriptural?

The second commandment reads, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6).

The first commandment emphasizes that we shall not worship a false God. Nor are we to worship the true God in a false manner.

When God says that we are not to make any representations of animals or birds or any other creature, does that mean that there should be no sculptures at all? Does the Bible forbid all forms of art?

No. Indeed, even within the tabernacle there were many artistic forms including a representation of angels above the mercy seat. Let’s not overlook the connection between verses 4 and 5. These artistic representations were not to be used in worship, “You shall not worship them or serve them.” The point is this: no objects are to be made that are used in worship.

There is no use protesting, as some have, that worship helpers are never worshipped, only venerated. Human nature being what it is, we all have a tendency to think of these objects as good luck charms, or as rituals that will bring us into the presence of God. God says be done with them.

There is a danger in using icons, images and statues in worship. There is really no place for objects such as crucifixes or rosaries used in prayer and meditation.

Later I shall point out that Protestants have their worship helpers too. We all can fall into the error of worshipping the true God in the wrong way. We can insert our own “image” between us and God.

Interestingly, when the Israelites made the golden calf, they did not, in their minds, worship another God. Aaron told Moses that they did it to have a “feast to the Lord,” that is Jehovah (Exodus 32:5). They thought that this representation, borrowed from the pagan Egyptians, could be invested with a new meaning. In their minds, the calf did not represent an Egyptian god, but rather the God who had led them to Sinai. God, however, was not pleased.

You say, “The use of such images is quite innocent; no one worships the images, rather the images remind us of God...” No. Such rationalizations miss the intended meaning of the text.

Why does God say that there should be no such representations? There are reasons.

Images Distort Our Concept of God

Any image of necessity misrepresents God because no aspect of God can be captured by it. Notice the warning the Lord gave through Moses, “So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire.” (Deuteronomy 4:15). God did not show a “form” because all physical representations give only an incomplete picture of Him.

Let’s even consider the crucifix. It shows a picture of Christ in agony on the cross; it is a picture of Christ, defeated and helpless. But that, taken by itself, does not represent Christ’s person and work. Christ was buried, and then rose again and later ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. The problem is not in owning a crucifix, but it should not be used as a good luck charm, nor used in worship.

Of course as Protestants, we are inclined to wear an empty cross, or to build one on the steeple of a church. But an empty cross is also an incomplete picture. Why not just the empty tomb? Or the manger of Bethlehem? The point is simply that each of these is not the whole picture of who Christ is. So the question would be: which representation shall we use and which shall we leave out?

Again, I emphasize that there is nothing wrong with any one of these representations as a simple work of art. It becomes a stumbling block when it is used in worship. Or when we believe that it has special power because it has been “blessed” by some religious authority.

No image can capture God. No image can have special power from God. No image should be used to approach God.

Images Divert Our Allegiance From God

The minute you use a worship helper you begin to venerate it. An icon will be revered as the means by which blessings come; it will be the means of healing or answered prayer. Statues will begin to cry; suddenly these items are more than stone, wood and paint. They become good luck charms and the faithful acquire them or make pilgrimages to where they are located.

One day, the Israelites were inflicted with poisonous serpents because of their incessant complaining to the Lord. When they cried for deliverance, God asked Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. Those who looked at the serpent were healed from their disease. So far, so good.

The problem soon developed that the Israelites began to venerate the object. When Hezekiah became king the “cult of the serpent” was alive and well. But he was a wise king, so we read, “He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan [translated: a piece of bronze]” (2 Kings 18:4). People find it difficult to worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). They always want an object, just the kind that God says we should not have.

This, I believe, explains why there are no original manuscripts of the Bible. There are no surviving artifacts from the days of the disciples; no garments, locks of hair or bones of Saint Peter. If such existed you would have people paying to see them, touch them and “venerate” them. If you are not convinced, just go to Rome and see the superstitions that still abound even in our day. Supposedly there are pieces from the true cross, clothes worn by Christ, chains used to keep Peter in jail, and yes, the bones of Peter himself! I’ve heard it said that there are two skulls of John the Baptist, one when he was a child and another when he was an adult!

The curse of breaking the second commandment is simply this: people develop a false allegiance. They begin to think that God is on their side because they have touched the right object, kissed the right toe or observed the right statue. The objects take on special significance.

I’ve been to the shrine of Guadeloupe in Mexico and seen mothers, with babies in their arms, inching along for hundreds of yards on their knees, hoping to earn some merit from the virgin. The blood on the pavement is a silent witness to their suffering and determination. All for naught, of course, since Mary is in heaven, and knows nothing of what her followers are doing. It is a pagan ritual.

If you want to know the power that worship helpers exert over people, just ask them to burn them as Hezekiah burned the bronze serpent. You will find that the attachment is so direct, so magical that many people find it impossible to part company with these artifacts.

God had a reason for the second commandment.

Images Reflect a Wrong Attitude

Remember that man’s sinful desire is to be like God. He wants to be able to manipulate God, to get benefits through the use of sacramental objects. He can control the objects, so in some way, he can control God.

This leads to a false sense of security, a feeling that the right way has been found through sacred water, sacred relics and sacred prayer helpers. Perhaps this is the most damaging result: the worshipper feels that he has done something that pleases God. Pagans always have a feeling of satisfaction after they have performed their rituals.

In the New Testament, Paul speaks some straightforward words about idolatry: “What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons” (1 Corinthians 10:19,20). Behind the statue is an evil spirit who will do all within his power to make sure that the prayers of the worshipper will be answered. After all, if Satan can mislead the worshipper and give the impression that this is the right way to worship, he will do so.

Perhaps only now we understand why objects used for worship have such a stronghold on those who use them.

The curse of idolatry goes on to future generations. To break this commandment invites a curse, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations...” (Exodus 20:5). Remember that a child’s concept of God is derived from his earthly father. Even if a father is passive, absent or abusive, that will impact the life of his son or daughter. If the father is an idolater, his impact on the children will be enormous.

This does not mean that children of idolatrous families have to collapse into hopelessness. For one thing, not all the children might be affected; for another, it seems that the curse, if it be such, continues only to those children who continue in the idolatrous practices of the father. The iniquity is visited “on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,” (v.5 emphasis added).

What is also clear in the New Testament is that children who come to saving faith in Christ have a new identity, “The old things passed away; behold new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Satan has no right to exploit parental influence in the lives of the children of idolaters.

What is the bottom line of this commandment? Don’t have anything to do with objects of worship, whether Christian or pagan. Don’t think it is possible to make any distinctions between veneration and worship. The history of the church is replete with examples of how religious objects have been a stumbling block in the lives of those who use them.

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

If you are accustomed to using worship helpers—stop the practice, because you are allowing something destructive to come between you and God. God takes the violation of this commandment very seriously.

Keep in mind that this commandment can also be broken by the use of mental images, such as in visualization. It might be harmless to visualize Christ at the right hand of God the Father, seated above all things. But if these objects of the mind become a crutch to worship; if it is necessary to bring them to mind in order to either pray or trust, then they can be a stumbling block just like the worship helpers that mislead so many.

This commandment can also be broken by having concepts of God that are unworthy of Him. A pagan might fashion a god according to his liking; we can do the same thing by thinking wrongly about the Almighty. Those who say, “My God would not send anyone to hell...or my God is tolerant of other religions..” That, my friend, is just another form of fashioning God according to our own likeness.

Only when we worship the Biblical God in all of His majesty and glory; only when we come through the right Mediator who provided the right sacrifice, only then, are we offering worship which God accepts.

Let us choose to worship the right God and to do it in the right way.

Chapter 3
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
The Misuse Of God's Name

What name is most often used in any given day in the United States? Perhaps more than the name of the President, is the name God, or Jesus Christ. Just recently, my daughter had some of her friends over to our home, and I was surprised at how often these children used the word God thoughtlessly. Of course, they learn it from their parents who say, “Oh my God!” in every other sentence. Yet, here is the third commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

In what different ways can this commandment be broken?

Careless Vows

From earliest times, vows included God as a witness. Even in the wedding ceremony, we speak of taking the vows “in the presence of God and these witnesses.” Is it wrong to swear in God’s name? No. In fact, in Deuteronomy 10:20, we read, “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.” Swearing in the name of God was actually commanded! Or think of Paul’s words in Romans 9:1, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit...”

Christ in effect, was put under an oath by the high priest when He said, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). And Jesus responded, “You have said it yourself” (v. 64). No, it is not wrong to swear in God’s name. Doing this affirms the fact that we realize that God is a witness to what is said. Even if we are able to deceive others, there is One who knows the whole truth. During the days of the Soviet Union, Marxists expressed concern because there is really no reason for anyone to tell the truth in an atheistic society. If a person is lying, only he knows it; there is no God who is an independent witness.

During Christ’s time, the Pharisees were so filled with deceit that they often appealed to God for anything and everything. They were constantly swearing in God’s name, or at least by something, because their word could not be believed.

The Pharisees were well aware that they should not tell a lie in God’s name. So they figured out ways by which they could evasively “swear in God’s name.” They thought, if they swore by something that was less than God, then they wouldn’t have to keep their vows. So they had various rules. “Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold in the temple is obligated” (Matthew 23:16). Or “Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated (v. 18).” It’s this practice that angered Christ. He said, “You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?” (v.17) . . . Or “which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? (v. 19)”.

Christ later explains it this way: If you swear by the temple, you are swearing by the Person who dwells in the temple. And if you swear by heaven, you are swearing by God who created the heavens. And if you swear by Jerusalem, you are also swearing by God because it is His footstool. Christ’s point is that you can’t swear by something less than God in order to evade responsibility for your vows! The moment you swear, God is being brought into the situation because He is the Creator of anything else that you might happen to choose to swear by.

So, the Pharisees were wrong in making vows that they knew they would never keep. They could not evade responsibility by swearing by something less than God. To swear by anything is to swear by God. That’s why He taught them that if they were upright of character, they should simply let their “yes be yes, and their no be no.”

I know a man who was accused of adultery. He put up his hand and said, “If I am lying, may God strike me dead!” But as subsequent events revealed, he was lying. Isn’t God merciful to withhold the judgment that men so richly deserve? Here was a man who hid under the shelter of God’s name while speaking a lie. Whenever we swear, and don’t keep our vows, we are taking God’s name in vain.

Careless Speech

Here I’m thinking of two different kinds of people. The first person swears defiantly; he deliberately uses God’s name in vain because he wants everyone to know that he is standing against God. It’s like the teenager who smokes in front of his parents for the first time. Before that, he has been doing it in the car, or in a back alley, but now he comes into the living room, takes a long drag, then blows a column of smoke from the couch to the kitchen door. It’s his way of saying, “Mom and Dad, you have no authority over me any more. I can do whatever I like.” Some people swear like that. They do it in deliberate defiance of God, advertising their rebellion.

But perhaps the second kind of swearing is more popular. That is to swear by using flippant words; that is, using God’s name thoughtlessly. When it is pointed out to such a person he will probably say, “I’m not even aware of it . . . it’s not serious. How could God be offended when I’m not even conscious that I do it?” And if he grew up in a home where God’s name was used carelessly, he might not be aware of it.

But does this absolve people of responsibility? Such a flippant use of God’s name is insulting to the Almighty. What it means is that the person thinks so lightly of God that he can use His name without even being aware of it! Just to think, the word God rolls off your tongue without the slightest thought. At least the person who uses God’s name defiantly is conscious of what he is doing. The person who uses it carelessly may not be consciously rebelling against God, but he is demeaning God, nonetheless.

Incidentally, I might point out that there are some euphemisms for God that also misuse His name. For example, one of the meanings of the word ‘gee’ is a short form for Jesus. You’ll find in your dictionary that the word ‘gosh’ is a euphemism for God. Many Christians use these terms not realizing that these words are substitutes for God.

A Careless Life

If people claim to be Christians, but live inconsistently, they also use God’s name in vain. For example, in the Old Testament, David committed murder and adultery. Then God came to him through Nathan, the prophet, and said that the child that Bathsheba was bearing would die, and the reason is because ... “you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14). How did David discredit God’s name among the heathen? He was so closely identified with God as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). And then when he sinned and tried to cover it, he was in effect acting like the people of the world. Through David’s inconsistency, God’s name was being maligned by a godless world.

A student at Dallas Seminary told about working as a salesman for a large company and meeting a girl named Liz who was in charge of phone solicitation. She was an attractive young woman, but used profanity that would embarrass any sailor, smoked one cigarette after another, and lied to the customers. One day she stopped this young man and asked, “You go to Dallas Seminary, don’t you?” He said, “I was shocked! And then she really dropped the bomb. “I guess you’re surprised that I would know about the Seminary. Well, I’m a Christian, too -- I go to a Bible Church and one of your professors is the pastor.”

By this time, the young man was ready to be peeled off the floor. And the girl continued, “I guess you wonder why I don’t act like a Christian.” Then she explained, “The reason is because of the bad witness I would be if these people (other employees) knew I was one. It’s better that they not know!”

The behavior of this woman is reprehensible, but she does have a point: If she is a Christian, and swears and lies, then it is much better that the employees around her not know that she is one! She is a dishonor to Christ. If she identified herself with God, without changing her lifestyle, she would be “taking His name in vain.”

I heard a sales motivator, by the name of Charlie Jones, make a remark on television that I would never make, but he did have a point. He looked into the camera and said, “If there is a couple out there, and both of you are Christians, and you are planning to get a divorce, I suggest you help the cause of Christ by telling people that you are atheists.” Harsh words. Perhaps even unfair . . . but isn’t it true that when Christians live like the world they do harm to the name of Christ? It’s a way of taking God’s name in vain.

What does God think of those who take His name in vain? Since it happens so often, we might think He is starting to get used to it. In the book of Leviticus, two men were fighting in the camp. And one of them, in anger, “blasphemed the Name and cursed.” (Leviticus 24:11) And what did the Lord say to Moses? “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregation stone him. You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he shall bear his sin. Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death’” (vv. 14 - 16). Is this serious or not?

“Surely God has changed his mind!” you say. No, the Lord’s opinion of those who take His name in vain has not changed. It is blasphemous to think that He has mellowed throughout the centuries and that His opinion of wickedness varies from one age to another. Remember, God has decided that civil authorities will not inflict punishment for these sins in this era. In His own time He will personally punish those who take His name in vain. The commandment has a warning, “The Lord will not leave him unpunished who take His name in vain.”

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

What then is the cure for breaking this commandment? I’m constantly amazed by how the Bible is able to pinpoint the real cause of a problem. Self-help books might say that if you want to stop swearing you should penalize yourself, or try to condition yourself to speak properly. But Jesus says that the problem is the human heart. “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil” (Matthew 12:34,35).

The cure for a dirty mouth is a clean heart. In fact, one of the characteristics of people who are demonized is a desire to curse God. There are children who swear, using foul language that they have never even heard before. When that happens, you can be sure that a wicked spirit is actually speaking through their vocal chords. Some people think that they have to swear to get the anger out of their heart. Actually, swearing does not relieve anger, but rather inflames it. The anger that fuels your temper, which in turn controls your words, can only be dissolved by accepting God’s forgiveness and forgiving those who have wronged you.

Ask Christ to cleanse your heart. When you become one of His, and when your conscience is purged, you might revert to your old habit of swearing, but the Holy Spirit will soon remind you of this sin. Soon you will discover that careless words no longer flow easily from your mouth. Instead, you will speak wholesome words that edify, help and encourage. I have often had to say, as did David, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle, While the wicked are in my presence” (Psalm 39:1).

Do you remember that story about Alexander the Great, as he angrily blasted a soldier who was a coward? Alexander berated the man for deserting the army when the going got tough. In anger, the famous general asked, “By the way, what is your name?” “Alexander, sir,” came the reply. With this, Alexander the Great became even more enraged, took the soldier and shook him, saying, “Either change your character, or change your name.”

Do you claim to belong to God? Do you say that your great desire is to walk with God, in the office or in your neighborhood, and among the members of your family? Then you’d better watch your words. If not, change your name. For we take God’s name in vain when the words we speak or the life we live is inconsistent with the God we claim to love and to serve.

Chapter 4
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
What Sunday Should Mean To You

If you saw the film Chariots of Fire, you will remember that the qualifying race was held on a Sunday, and Eric Liddell fervently believed that Sunday was a day of rest and worship. For him to run a race would be compromising his convictions. Even though the Prince of Wales tried to persuade him to change his mind, he never wavered. Eventually, someone else traded races with him and he did make it into the Olympics. But the film’s popularity rests on the fact that there still are some people in the world who will not surrender their convictions at any price.

What would you have done? The fourth commandment reads, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Obviously, Christian athletes today do not have the same convictions as Eric Liddell. Professional football and baseball players play on Sunday without any qualm of conscience.

Christians have often been puzzled as to what rules should be observed on Sunday. The Puritans believed that the regulations of the Sabbath should be transferred to Sunday. So they forbad shaving and even combing one’s hair on the Lord’s day. I recall a story, which may be apocryphal, in which a young pastor in New England skated to church on Sunday. The Elders weren’t quite sure whether this was appropriate for a pastor to do, so they met to decide what their response would be. According to the story, their verdict was, “You can skate to church on Sunday, just as long as you don’t enjoy it!”

What is the Sabbath for us today? And how shall we observe it?

A Day Of Rest

To begin, we must understand the purpose of the Sabbath in the Old Testament. Above all, it was a day of rest. In Genesis 2, we read that the Lord created the heavens and the earth . . . “and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Genesis 2:2,3). Was God actually tired after speaking the worlds into existence? Remember that no scientist has created so much as a single molecule out of nothing, yet God created billions of tons of matter in a short period of time. Certainly, we would understand if He were weary!

However, it is unlikely that God was actually tired! Apparently, He wanted to introduce a principle that was so important that He used Himself as an example. By putting His own reputation on the line, He emphasized that one day in seven was to be a day of rest from the routine of work.

The other side of this commandment is that God does expect us to work the other days of the week. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9). Some people think that work was introduced as a result of The Fall. Not so. In Genesis 2:15, we read that the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden “to cultivate it and keep it.” That was before The Fall. Work is important to man’s health and general well-being. Parents who pass large sums of money to their children should remember that wealth that absolves one from work is a curse, not a blessing.

But along with the work, God says we must rest. Usually we think people are lazy, and many are. But, quite frankly, if given half a chance, many would work themselves to death. As William Barklay says, “This commandment is one of the most important cornerstones of social legislation.” Along with work, there must be rest.

During the French revolution, the goddess of reason was introduced to French society. The revolutionists wanted to rid the country of every vestige of Christian influence. So they planned a calendar that would be based on the decimal system. One day in ten, not one day in seven, would be given as a day of rest. But the plan failed. They found that people were unproductive, and the human body was unable to endure the strain. Thus one French social scientist said, “Let us observe Sunday in the name of hygiene if not in the name of religion.” Interestingly, Marxists, who argue for one day in seven of rest for the working man, are unwittingly giving ascent to a Judeo-Christian principle.

God worked six days and rested for one; He says we must do the same. Because He worked, we do. Because He rested, we follow that example too.

A Day Of Reflection

In Deuteronomy, the Lord reiterates the fourth commandment but gives this added detail, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:15). The day was to be one of rest, but also they were to remember the way in which the Lord led them. They were to think back to Egypt and the redemption God brought about by bringing them through the desert into the Promised Land. Back in Egypt, they were in bondage, working under the heel of an oppressive dictator. God used signs and wonders to deliver them and they were to never forget it.

For us today, the application is also clear: we ought to contemplate the wonder of our redemption. The day was a day of rest which was a physical necessity; it was also a day of reflection, which was a spiritual necessity.

What was Christ’s relationship to the Sabbath? At least six times in the Gospels, He was criticized by the Pharisees for not observing Sabbath rituals. He would allow His disciples to walk through a field of grain and rub the heads in their hand to eat. Then He healed on the Sabbath, and that, according to the Jews, was considered work. In reply, Christ reminded them that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28). Some scholars actually teach that Jesus did break the Sabbath regulations. But it is doubtful that our Lord, who came to fulfill the Law, would have abrogated a commandment of the Old Testament.

What is more likely is that Christ was critical of the added laws and regulations that the Pharisees used to interpret the Sabbath commandment. In 1964, Time magazine reported that in some hotels in Tel Aviv, the elevators go up and down automatically on the Sabbath, stopping at every floor because the Orthodox Jews believe it is sinful to press a button on Sunday. It’s these kinds of regulations that irritated Jesus. He felt that the detailed laws that were added to the commandment actually nullified the very reason why God gave it. So Christ replied by saying that it was legitimate to do certain necessary acts of mercy on the Sabbath day. If your ox fell into the well, you would pull him out (Luke 14:5). If you could do good on the Sabbath day, you should (Matthew 12:12).

Christ did not break the Sabbath as specified in the Old Testament, but He paid no attention to the scruples of the Jews. But the question we have to answer is: why don’t we observe the Sabbath day? Why do we worship and rest on the first day of the week? As you know, this question is controversial. Groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists firmly believe that we are under the regulation of the Old Testament Sabbath laws.

However, what we do know is that the early church observed the first day of the week as a time of worship. For example, in John 20:19, we have the disciples gathering on the first day of the week. The same is true of Paul and his congregations as mentioned in Acts 20:7; and in 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul indicated that it was on the first day of the week that believers would gather to give their gifts and to worship.

If Christians were expected to observe the Sabbath as outlined in the Old Testament, it is strange that no where does Paul mention such a mandate in his Epistles. Surely, among all the churches to whom he wrote, there would have been one that would have had some believers who were Sabbath breakers. But instead of commanding people to keep it, he actually does the opposite: in several passages, Paul explicitly states that no person should judge another by their response to the Sabbath. For example, in Colossians 2:16, he taught that no Christian should judge another by whether or not they keep the feasts and Sabbath days. And in Romans 14:5 he speaks of those who have a conviction that one day is exalted above another, and those who may think every day is alike, and he allows every believer to make his own decision.

A Day of Rejoicing

The early church took a day of rest and reflection, and to it they added the third purpose, and that is rejoicing. This was a time to commemorate what Christ had done; it was a time of blessing and the meeting together of God’s people.

The regulations of the Old Testament Sabbath are not transferred to Sunday. Exodus 35:3 teaches that there should be no fire lit on the Sabbath. That would be very difficult to carry out in Western cultures. But there were other regulations as well -- they could not gather manna (Exodus 16:26), they could only travel a certain distance (16:29), etc. These cannot be transferred to us today. Should Eric Liddell have run on Sunday? Obviously, he felt that God did not want him to, for him it would have been sin. But for another believer, it might not be. Paul’s response would be that we should not judge each other in these matters. And what about that young pastor who wondered whether or not he could skate to church? Obviously the Elders should have approved of his skating, and instead of prohibiting his enjoying it, how much better if they had commanded him to enjoy it!

The principle of one day in seven is grafted into the fabric of the universe. Long before the Law was given, God spoke of His own rest and the children of Israel already knew of the Sabbath. Therefore, it is our responsibility to remember the “Lord’s Day.” And what should characterize it? It should be a time of rest, reflection, but also rejoicing. It’s that time when we gather together as God’s people to celebrate our Lord’s victory on the cross. Such a day is a physical and spiritual necessity.

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

God wants us to set aside one day a week to honor Him and recoup our energy. This means that we must be good stewards of the time the Lord has given to us. Sunday is also a reminder of grace. It’s been pointed out that the Sabbath and Sunday can be contrasted. In the Old Testament, the people worked and then as a reward they rested. In the New Testament, we are given rest first. Even before work is done, we rest in what God has done. We are not saved as the result of hard work. But we are saved because a free gift is given to us, and then we begin to serve Christ. It’s that rest that enables us to face our routines with confidence. The Hebrew word Sabbath means rest.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Christ, then, is the true Sabbath. For those who come, weary with heavy burdens and problems, He gives to them His own sweet rest. There is a rest for the people of God. And it is given freely to those who believe. Let us enter into that rest.

Chapter 5
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
Honor Your Father And Your Mother

When I was growing up in Canada, there was a farmer who decided to put duck eggs under a chicken to get them hatched. The mother hen sat on the eggs until the little ducklings were hatched, then took care of them by finding food and shelter. But after several weeks, the ducklings came to some water and hopped in, swimming to the other side of the pond. The mother hen experienced an identity crisis! She raced back and forth along the shore, cackling and flapping her wings. Occasionally she had enough courage to dip her foot into the water, but then immediately pulled back. Her better judgment told her that if she did what the ducklings were doing, she would drown. She couldn’t believe these were her children!

Many parents think they are raising chickens, but find out that they are raising ducks. When the children come of age, they leave their parent’s values and go in the opposite direction. The parents scratch their heads in profound grief, wondering what happened. Yes, they may have raised their children as committed Christians, but now the children have thrown it all overboard in exchange for a different life or different religion. The bewildered parents ask: “are these really our children?”

God said, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Exodus 20:12). He established a basic axiom that should govern every home. God vested parents with awesome responsibility — just to think, their children should honor them. And, those parents should earn that honor.

Why was this commandment given? It’s because God appoints parents to take His place in the life of a child. The parents are a child’s first contact with authority. The way he relates to them will ultimately determine how he relates to God. And the child’s concept of God will primarily be based on his concept of his father. The mother plays an equally important role in the life of a child, though perhaps in a different way.

Yes, the father packs power in the lives of his children. That’s why there are adults who are fifty years old and who still have never overcome their father’s influence. They may still be reacting to the harsh words of a father who has already died; or they may be still trying to prove their worth because their father rejected them decades ago. Even if a parent doesn’t see himself as God’s representative, this doesn’t change the facts. He might be a poor representative, even a destructive one, but God has vested authority in him, nonetheless.

How do we honor our father and mother?

By Our Obedience

In a simple word, we honor our father and mother by obedience. In Ephesians 6:1, we read, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Children should obey their parents even when it hurts. Even when their parents may give advice that conflicts with the child’s desires — mother and father should be obeyed.

In marriage counseling, I sometimes ask a couple whose marriage is in trouble, “Did you get married with your parents approval?” Often, the answer is, “No, we thought we knew better than our mom and dad.” But parents often have insight that children lack. A mother may have an intuition that her daughter is marrying the wrong man; a father may dislike his daughter’s boyfriend, even if he can’t give a rational reason for it. The opinion of the parents may be God’s way of sparing the child from a life of conflict and hurt. Mark Twain said that his parents learned a great deal after he turned 20! What he meant was that as he grew older, he began to realize that his parents were wiser than he originally thought.

There is a promise connected with obedience: “that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2). If it isn’t well with us, it may be because we have turned against our parents and tried to prove them wrong. Children who walk away from their parents influence often discover that a rebellious life has hidden consequences that are destructive.

Children should obey their parents even when the parents are wrong. The text doesn’t say, “Children obey your parents in the Lord . . . unless, of course, they are wrong.” Sometimes parents are inconsistent, they may even mislead a child, or seem to be unreasonable. But blessed is the child who obeys regardless -- just as Christ did. “And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them . . . “ (Luke 2:51).

Yes, there are times when a child should disobey. When they are asked to do something that is contrary to the Bible. If they ask a child to lie, to steal or to dishonor Christ -- these are instances where disobedience is legitimate. I have a friend whose parents were opposed to his faith in Christ and reacted strongly to his decision to become an evangelical pastor. Though he continued to honor them as best he could, he did disobey them. Our allegiance to God stands above our allegiance to our parents.

And if a child is being abused, or knows that his siblings are being abused? He or she has the responsibility of going to a teacher, relative or trusted friend to get help. As I write, there is a story in the newspaper about an eleven year old boy who went barefoot to a police station to report that his nine year old sister was being held in a cage. Who can even begin to calculate the amount of pain and the buckets of tears that have been shed because of cruel, insensitive parents.

Thankfully, most parents do not ask their children to do immoral or criminal things. Most parents do not abuse their children. Often, however, they do make demands that are contrary to the desires of the child. Today, we desperately need to teach principles of obedience to our children. When the Duke of Windsor was asked what impressed him most about America, he said, “The way parents obey their children.” But for God, it’s to be the other way around: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

By Our Attitude

We all know the story of the child who was asked by his mother to sit on a chair. He said, “I’m sitting down, but inside I’m still standing up.” There is such a thing as outward obedience but inward rebellion. Some children obey simply because their father is stronger than they are -- and they can hardly wait until that situation is reversed! I know a boy who was spanked by his father for taking chocolates, and during the spanking reached out and took another one!

Our obedience should be characterized by an attitude of thanksgiving. Often, we fail to thank our parents despite the hardship that they have endured to bring us into the world and to take care of all of our needs. An obedient child is one who thanks his parents, while he still can, for all that they have done. In Chicago, some time ago, a young boy was killed in a car accident. And while he lay in the coffin, his father wrote a note on a piece of paper, “Son, I love you,” and pushed it gently under the dead boy’s body. Don’t wait until it is too late to say “thank you!”

Also, children can honor their parents by honesty. Often children or teenagers develop secret lives. They may tell mom and dad that they are going over to John’s house, but what they don’t say is that that is but one step to somewhere else. Thus, there are half-truths, deceptions and often outright lies. And then they wonder why their parents don’t trust them!

“But my parents are so harsh,” someone says. But perhaps God knows that you need parents who keep a tight reign on you -- perhaps that’s necessary to keep you from evil. God may be protecting you from ruin. Or maybe He wants you to learn obedience even when it is difficult because He is anxious to teach you the need for submission in His own presence.

Parents who want to raise children who follow God’s ways, must keep in touch with them emotionally, physically, and verbally. When there is a breakdown of communication, it’s then that the child becomes exasperated and pulls away from parental influence. Soon the parents are as surprised as the mother hen who sees her offspring swim!

In the Old Testament, God says, “If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 20:9). God’s opinion of obedience has not changed. In this age, He has not asked us to carry out all of the punishments associated with the breaking of commandments in the Old Testament. But a child that goes his own way with a hardened heart, comes under the condemnation of God.

By Our Attention

Yes, we can obey by our actions, and attitudes, but also by the attention we give our parents. Here, I’m thinking particularly of the responsibility of older children to take care of their parents in old age. In Leviticus 19:32, God tells us to “honor the aged, and you shall revere your God.” Please notice that God combines honor for those who are gray-headed with reverence for the Almighty.

In our society, those who are aged are often not honored. Some time ago, I asked a woman in charge of a retirement home how many of the residents had friends and relatives who visited them at least occasionally? She answered, “About 30 percent.” Just think of what it must be like to have reared children who neglect you.

Christ became indignant with the Pharisees who were constantly trying to circumvent the Old Testament laws to their own financial advantage. He quotes the Old Testament commandment, “Honor your father and mother,” and then explains their tradition, “Whoever shall say to his father or mother, ‘Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God”’ (Matthew 15:5). The meaning is this; the Jews had a tradition that if they willed their property to the temple, they could use it without having to give it to their needy parents. So what they are saying, in effect, is, “The money I might have helped you with has been dedicated to God.” And since God wants His money invested, this meant that the Jews could keep it for themselves without using it for their parents. Christ accused them of nullifying the Word of God by their traditions.

What can we do to help our aging parents? Obviously, if they need economic assistance, we should give it to them. If they need a place to live, we should do all within our power to help them. I’m not saying that grandparents should always move in with the family, although most of the time they become a tremendous blessing, particularly to their grandchildren. When Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever,” he wasn’t merely referring to a man’s responsibility to take care of his wife and children. In context, Paul is also thinking of the extended family; parents would be included in that command.

Parents are dishonored when they are neglected. They must be included within the family even though it may be inconvenient. Under some conditions it is appropriate to place them in a retirement home or nursing center, but our commitment to them must never waiver. As long as they are alive, they must be our priority.

Several years ago, there was a vignette on television that showed a grandfather, a father and son eating together. The grandfather’s hands were shaky and as he tried to steady the bowl, it slipped out of his hands and dropped to the floor. The father became angry, incensed that an expensive piece of china had been broken, so he banished his father to his room and gave him a wooden bowl. A few days later, he noticed his son was busy carving an object in the backyard. The boy held up a wooden bowl. “Dad, I’m making this for you.”

We may be treated by our children in the same way as we treated our parents. It’s sobering to think that many of us, within the next twenty years, will be eligible for retirement. Soon our hands will shake and our mobility will be impaired. How will we feel if we are neglected, pushed aside, or confined to a nursing home with minimal acceptance?

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

I urge you to honor your parents.

For some, this means taking care of them in their old age. It means including them in family functions and blessing them with gifts of remembrance and your presence. It means being willing to go beyond the call of duty on their behalf. Don’t wait for them to take the initiative, you do all that you can to give them the honor that God demands.

For others, it means that you must make peace with your parents by forgiving them for the way they treated you. If God has forgiven you, you must in turn forgive.

What about those who may not have had a family? Perhaps you grew up with parents who abused you, rejected you, or made you feel unworthy? Does this mean that you have to be an emotional cripple? No, the vacuum in your life can be filled.

For one thing, the family of God, the body of Christ, has a responsibility to befriend those who have emotional needs. For another, God takes special interest in those who have not had the benefits of a family. That’s why He says He will be a Father to the orphan (Psalm 146:9); He will be the Protector of the widow. And David said, “For my father and mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up” (Psalm 27:10). In other words, God will help you make peace with your past.

Many of us remember Ethel Waters as the woman who sang, “His eye is on the sparrow,” at Billy Graham crusades. Ethel was the product of a rape relationship. A fourteen year old girl was raped, and Ethel was conceived. She said that every child should have a lap to sit on, but she did not have that. It was her way of saying that she was a burden to her family, she experienced rejection. But after she accepted Christ as her Savior, she spent so much time praising the Lord that, in her words, “I didn’t have time to be depressed.” Although today such conceptions often end in an abortion, she found meaning and fulfillment within the family of God. You can be sure that His eye was on that sparrow!

“Honor thy father and thy mother.” That’s God’s command for those who want life to go well for them. It is, said Paul, “the first commandment with a promise” (Ephesians 6:2). I challenge you to prove this promise to be true.

Chapter 6
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
The Value Of Life

One afternoon, a twelve-year-old boy was watching a Western on television. His mother, who was strongly opposed to drinking, came in just as the villain walked into the saloon. The boy knew he was in trouble, so he said to his mother, “Don’t worry, Mom, he’s not going into the saloon to drink anything -he’s just going in to shoot someone!”

Given the violence on television, we shouldn’t be surprised that human life is often devalued in our society. The command, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) is constantly being broken both in the movies and in real life. Yet there it stands, as a constant reminder that God has put His imprint on every human being. God values human life.

Evolutionists devalue human life. They think that man came up through the animal world, therefore he is not very special. He differs from animals not because he is different in kind, but different in degree. Man is simply an intelligent animal and no more. Abortionists argue that we should destroy deformed humans just as we destroy deformed piglets. After all, both are simply the product of the blind forces of evolution.

Christians see it differently. Animals can be killed, though they should not be treated with wanton cruelty. But man stands above the animals on the other side of a deep chasm. For man alone is created in the image of God and has special status. Not even angels will have the privilege of ruling with Christ in the future kingdom. Humankind is special.

Recently, I saw an advertisement for an “animal rights” seminar. It is just another attempt to bridge the gap between man and animal. Probably many of those who sponsored the seminar believed in the right to “abort” humans. Yes, animals have some “rights” but according to these opinion makers, unborn humans do not. Just another one of those inconsistencies that humanists are so fond of embracing.

Animals are beneath man in the biblical creation story. They cannot think conceptually and enter into a relationship with God. They bear no special resemblance to the Almighty. Therefore, though animals can be killed for food and clothing, God says that among us as humans, “You shall not murder.”

Does this mean that all killing is wrong? Should no one go to war? No, in Exodus 21, just after the Ten Commandments are given, we have a list of offenses that merit the death penalty (Exodus 21:12, 15, etc.). The Bible allows for killing in the case of self-defense and war. There is a difference between killing and murder, the latter is the malicious taking of life for personal vengeance. God says, “You shall not murder.”

There are various ways in which this command can be broken.

Murder with the Hand

Here I speak about actual killing, the wanton taking of human life. We’re talking about someone who poisons or shoots another individual to “rub him out.” It’s like Cain who killed Abel. There are thousands of such killings in the United States each year. What is most disturbing is that children are now killing children. Recently, there have been several stories in the news about children gunning down other children. They are acting out their anger; they are doing what they see every day on television and in their own neighborhoods.

We can also break this command by killing a fetus. In Exodus 21:22, it’s apparent that a fetus also comes under the protection of the law of retaliation. “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, (that is, the unborn infant dies), you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot...” Further evidence that a preborn infant is a baby is found in Luke 1:44, where the unborn baby, John the Baptist, is called a baby. Incredibly, 4,500 infants are aborted every day in the United States.

This command can also be broken by killing yourself -- suicide. People often think that suicide is an easy way out; they don’t realize the devastation that they leave behind. In the end, it’s a selfish act that appears to be a way of escape, but it places a tremendous burden on the distraught family members. And the way of escape just might be the way to eternal damnation.

Yes, it’s possible for a Christian to commit suicide. I recall a friend who had received Christ and was a good witness for Him. But because of the ridicule of a peer group, he became so depressed that he ended his own life. I expect to see him in heaven, even though his final act was murder. Yes, I agree that the sin is unconfessed, but many Christians die with some kind of unconfessed sin on their conscience. They are received and welcomed by God the Father because they are “in Christ.” Suicide, however, should never be an option. There is always another path we can follow, there is a way out. Many people who commit suicide and expect to be in heaven, might discover that they were unprepared to enter the pearly gates.

We can also break this commandment in less obvious ways. Smoking, gluttony, and a host of other misuses of the body shorten human life. We can also mention over-work, lack of exercise and an improper diet. Of course these habits are not murder in the usual sense of the word. My point is simply that God wants us to take care of the body He has given us and we should live until He calls our name.

Some people think that human life is so valuable that no crime should be a capital offense. They would say that man, created in the image of God, is so special that no human being ever has the right to take the life of another. The Bible argues differently: a human life is so valuable that anyone who murders deserves to die for the crime.

In other words, those who do not believe in capital punishment are unwittingly reducing the value of human life, and not increasing it. In Genesis 9:6, we read, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” In other words, the Bible sees no contradiction in believing that human life is valuable and also that man has the responsibility of taking the life of a murderer. If not, the land will be polluted with blood.

Of course there are often extenuating circumstances. A murder might take place because of self-defense; or an abusive husband might drive his wife to her breaking point. A wise judge will take all of these matters into account. But wanton, deliberate killing of human life is so heinous, that God commanded Israel to take the life of the perpetrator.

In the Old Testament, there were many capital crimes. It was possible to have a ransom for some of these, but not for murder. “Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death” (Numbers 35:31). Why is murder such a serious offense? Because human beings are created in the image of God; to murder someone is to kill God in effigy.

Murder with the Heart

In I John 3:15, we read, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Does this verse teach that whoever hates his brother is not a Christian? Some interpret it that way. However, this would be contrary to experience. All of us have met Christians who have had hatred and resentment in their hearts toward someone. John seems to be speaking about Christians here when he says, “If anyone hates his brother.” That’s a reference to one believer hating another. Such a person does not have “eternal life abiding in him” because the life of God is not manifested in him. Hatred is contrary to the eternal life that resides in us.

Why might one person hate another? People tend to get in our way. And when they become a threat, or when they are a barrier to achieving our own ends, it’s easy to hate. Just think of King Herod who told the wise men that he himself wished to go to Jerusalem to worship Christ (Matthew 2:16). He lied, of course; he wanted to kill a baby who had done him no harm. Hatred led to the murder of infants in the environs of Bethlehem.

Business men and women know that the rule of thumb is “dog eat dog.” There are all kinds of people plotting and scheming to make someone else look bad so by doing they can, themselves, look good. When someone is stepping on you en route to the top, hatred is a rather normal human reaction.

Hatred often erupts against people who hurt us. If you had a mother who neglected you or a father who beat you, you will be tempted to nurse resentment. Or, if your wife has cheated on you, or your husband betrayed you -- all of that can lead to bitterness.

The cure for such hatred? “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay’, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). God desires faith; we must believe that He is the Judge of all the earth who will do right by us. As long as we are taking vengeance, we are living in unbelief. It’s easy to think that God might forget to “even the score.” But let’s remember He is our attorney; He’s the One who will settle the matter in the end.

If someone does evil, and then asks for forgiveness, how are they judged? Let me assure you that justice will be brought to every single situation of life. In the end, justice will triumph. Either the penalty will be endured by the person who committed the crime, or if he should receive God’s forgiveness, then Christ absorbs the eternal penalty for Him. Either way, every single wrong committed on this earth must in some way be avenged. That’s why you can forgive the person who has wronged you. You can do it, knowing full well that the matter will someday be rightfully dealt with.

Murder by Conscience

I’m talking about those who oppress the poor to earn money; those who take advantage of others for greedy gain. If you withhold something when it is within your power to do it, you are actually participating in a sin. The priest and the Levite who passed by on the other side of the wounded man were in some sense accomplices with the robber who wounded the innocent traveler (Luke 10:25-37). Callous disregard for human need is also a form of murder. Though we might not be tried in a human court for such negligence, there’s no doubt that these matters will be fully aired in the coming Judgment Day.

Here is an important word for those of us who are reluctant to get involved in the plight of others, “Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, ‘See, we did not know this,’ Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:11, 12).

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

Human life is not supremely valuable. My life is of less value than yours. John says, “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). If push comes to shove, I should be willing to die for you. But of course, you should be willing to die for me, too!

God honors us when we honor the lives of others. In a tragic shooting in a school yard, a teacher acted as a shield for one of her students, and took the bullet instead. She had valued another more than herself. Just as Christ died for us, we should die, if need be, for one another.

If we don’t have the opportunity to die for someone else, are we willing to live for them? The spirit of this commandment is respect for human life, respect for others. Are we willing to help the young woman with an unwanted pregnancy? Are we willing to help those who need our financial and emotional assistance? My life should not be of more worth to me than yours.

Just so, our lives, are of less value than our devotion to God. Martyrs are singled out for recognition because they died for Christ, even though they could have spared their lives by denying Him. They are heroes because “they loved not their lives unto death” (Revelation 12:11 KJV). That means, they were willing to give up their lives for the cause of the Gospel and love for the Almighty.

God is the Author of life. If I take someone else’s life, I am taking the place of God who gave it. If I give my life to save the life of another, I have done a deed of charity. If I hate someone, I am already a murderer for I am assuming God’s prerogative to avenge a crime.

“You shall not murder” has important implications for all of our lives.

Chapter 7
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
Living With Your Passions

In his book, The Myth of the Greener Grass, J. Allan Peterson tells the story of a woman who was at lunch with eleven others. They had been studying French together while their children were in a nursery school. One woman asked the group, “How many of you have been faithful to your husbands throughout your marriage?” Only one woman at the table raised her hand. That evening, this woman told her husband the story and added that she, herself, had not raised her hand. “But I have been faithful,” she assured him. “Well, why then did you not raise your hand?” “I was ashamed.”

Ashamed of fidelity! In the past, the burden of shame fell on those who broke their vows — but in our society that has changed. We’ve all seen television interviews where people freely admit to having “an affair.” Modern, sophisticated people do these things, we are told. Only the kill-joys are the ones who still believe in fidelity.

Pornography sends out a not-so-subtle message to our society: have as many relationships as you want, with anyone you want, just as long as they are pleasurable and “don’t hurt anybody.” Most of the sex in movies is not between married people. The impression is that those who know what life is all about, live in the fast-lane; they can prove they are “trendier than thou!” The rest are out of step with society.

One man who writes scripts for television says that his goal is to get people to laugh at adultery, homosexuality and incest. “If you can get them to laugh at these things, it breaks down their resistance to them.”

Yet, the Bible still says, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

Why should we obey this commandment? Is God unrealistic?

God Said It

I can already hear a chorus of objections to the idea that we should do something just because “God says so.” We live in an educated age where people are qualified to make their own decisions about such matters.

But God has His reasons. First, He knew that fidelity was best for the stability of the family. Every child grows up wanting parents who love each other; there is nothing as debilitating in the life of a child than to know that his father has found someone more attractive. Recent studies indicate that children whose parents are divorced experience much more hurt than originally realized. In fact, the death of a parent is easier for a child to accept than the unfaithfulness of a parent.

Second, God gave this commandment for our own mental and emotional stability. We are created in such a way that sex outside of marriage always exacts a toll from us. As it says in Proverbs, “Adultery destroys the soul” (6:32 KJV). It brings about an inner death. Sexual bonds outside of marriage result in all kinds of lasting repercussions.

God regards the sex act so sacred that it joins two people body, soul and spirit. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:16, “the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her.” Even a casual sexual relationship, with a prostitute means that there is more than just the joining of two bodies. Because sex is more than a biological act, the soul and the spirit have also been joined. Consequently, when this is done outside of the protection of a marriage covenant, there is inevitably hurt and a rupture of one’s emotional nature.

A person’s first sexual experience often determines his/her attitude about sex from then on. Since sex outside of marriage is attended with guilt and often rejection, pre-marital sex makes sexual fulfillment in marriage much more difficult. I counseled a young woman who had been seduced by an older man who was married with several children. When the affair, which lasted several months, was discovered, he blamed it on her. This sixteen year old had been betrayed by the sweet, deceptive words of an older man. Who can understand the hurt and rejections she felt when it all blew up, and he refused to take any responsibility for it? Yet, for all the hurt, she said, “That happened three years ago and I still can’t get him out of my mind. I’d go to bed with him today if he were to ask me to.” Why would she still feel such an attachment to a man who had betrayed her? Psychologically, she was feeling the effects of the “one flesh” relationship. That’s the nature of illicit sexuality.

Breaking Other Commandments

Of course, we’ve all met people who tell us that they have a “loving affair.” One woman told me that she lived with an alcoholic husband and if it were not for an affair she had going, she would have lost her sanity. One man questioned, “I have found an oasis, and now you’re telling me to go back to the desert?” Let’s not question whether or not there can be loving adulterous relationships — I’m sure there can be. People have often found each other and discovered levels of communication that they’ve not had in their own marriage. But an adulterer has to break at least five of the ten commandments to have his meaningful relationship.

For example, the first commandment says, One: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” An adulterer says that there is a relationship that is more important to him than his relationship with God. Two: We also read, “You shall not bear false witness.” Yet an adulterer breaks his vow to his wife; or possibly helps break the vow of his partner. What is more he/she usually lies to cover the sin. Three: Then there is “you shall not steal.” When David sinned with Bathsheba, Nathan the prophet said to him, “You have stolen another man’s wife.” Four: And finally, the last commandment says, “You shall not covet.” Adultery begins with a covetous heart - that commandment is broken as well. Here are five commandments, all broken, in addition to the seventh commandment, “You shall not commit adultery!”

Perhaps, now, we can understand why adultery is such a serious sin. It’s because one must shake his fist in God’s face in order to have the relationship.

Yes, we should obey it because God said it, but as always, He is right! And that is because of the consequences of illicit sexuality. Sexual sin is the most deceptive temptation we can ever face. It promises so much, but in the end, it is so bitter. All of us have experienced the awesome power of sexual temptation. Our desires tell us they should be fulfilled regardless of the cost. “I’ll fulfill my passions today and deal with the devil tomorrow. I’ll have this relationship at any cost.” Like one man said, “I’d rather go to hell with my mistress, than to heaven with my wife.”

The Continuing Consequences

Certain consequences always follow adulterous relationships. First of all, there is an inner destruction. No matter how well the sin is hidden, there is still always the nagging guilt that accompanies it. One girl who was a virgin until the age of twenty-nine, but became angry at God because He didn’t give her a husband, decided to have a relationship with a man she didn’t even respect. After it was over, she heard a voice in her mind saying, “Now you are defiled.”

Those who practice immorality are caught in between conflicting emotions. On the one hand, there may be exhilarating pleasure, but on the other, there is the nagging knowledge that they are living a lie. For some, the guilt is overwhelming. No matter how well the affair is concealed; no matter how many precautions are taken that it will never be discovered, it always is there in the mind. When the telephone rings, the adulterer wonders, “Does someone know?” And when visitors arrive unexpectedly, they wonder if they’ve been found out. As David said, “My sin is ever before me.” Even in the most holy moments, the memory of his sin appears in his mind.

But there is also the outer destruction - I mean, the hurt when the affair is finally discovered. The sense of rejection experienced by the partner who has been betrayed is unbelievable. Many people find it difficult to regain their own sense of self-worth when they know that their partner has found pleasure somewhere else. In one sense, adultery is one of the most selfish sins that one could commit. However gratifying it may be to the adulterer, to those around him, and to his family in particular, the hurt not only is deep, but it lasts forever.

On a talk show, I was asked, “Don’t you think that someone whose wife is in a wheelchair, and therefore unable to have sexual relations, ... don’t you think that in a case like that, it would be all right for a man to have an affair?” The hidden presupposition behind this question is that all the passions that we have must be fulfilled. Controlling one’s passions is considered a vice. Every sensual desire of the body that screams for gratification must be obeyed.

Of course, the answer is no -- that person should not think that he is free to engage in illicit sexuality. If you make such exceptions, then what about singles, widows, and the divorced? Our passions lie -- it is not true that they need the kind of fulfillment that we think they do. There are thousands of Christians sitting in jails today, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, who have no opportunity for intimacy with wives or husbands. Yet, they are able to manage in the midst of such repressive circumstances. Henry Bowman said, “No really intelligent person will burn down a cathedral to fry an egg, even if he is ravenously hungry.” The point: the cathedral of marriage is so special, no one has the right to burn it down just because he happens to have some unmet needs in his life.

But does anyone ever get by? The answer, of course, is no. God is the final judge. Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

A Tough Decision That Pleases God

Jesus gave a new twist to this commandment. “You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall not commit adultery’ but I say to you, that every one who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27,28). He goes on to say that we should be willing to tear out our eye or cut off our hand if these parts of the body make us stumble (vv. 29,30). He uses the parts of the body that are often involved in sexual arousal. The first is the eye which, particularly for men, causes sexual desire. The second is the hand; women are often stimulated with tender caresses usually coupled with sweet words. Jesus Christ teaches in no uncertain terms: whatever you have to do to take away the stumbling blocks -- do it!

He says, “It is better.” In other words, what He is saying is, “It is better to be frustrated -- handicapped, in fact -- than to stumble into sexual sin. It is better to be frustrated, unfulfilled, and experiencing the unfulfilled desire of sexual intimacy, than to be disobedient to God.”

We are commanded by our Lord to live sexually pure. When Potifar’s wife harassed Joseph “day after day” trying to persuade him to go to bed with him, Joseph told her, “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Joseph was able to resist temptation because he had a right view of God. He knew, that even if the relationship was pleasurable, God would be watching. And it is the thought that God would be grieved that enabled Joseph to say no to the temptation.

We all struggle with sexual desires that refuse to listen to logic and reason. Our responsibility is to “put to death” the deeds of the body by practicing the disciplines of the Christian life. Through yieldedness, faith, and Scriptural meditation we are able to say no to powerful temptations.

All sin is destructive, but sexual sin especially hardens the conscience and drives us away from fellowship with God. We must return to Him as David did, acknowledging our sin. We must come without excuses, and without an agenda. We must come to the only one who is able to forgive us and keep us pure in this sinful world. Let us pray that God will “not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).

“You shall not commit adultery.”

Chapter 8
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
Playing By The Rules

Karl Marx taught that the source of all evil was private property. He believed that personal ownership created greed and exploitation. The answer was for the State to own everything. If so, the vast economic differences between people could be rectified. Equality and justice would prevail.

To bring about a broad redistribution of wealth, a revolution would be needed to forcefully confiscate property for the State. In the case of China, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung unified the Communist Party and killed perhaps 30 million Chinese to win the Communist revolution. Then we think of the former Soviet Union’s Lenin and Stalin who exterminated vast numbers of people. Unfortunately, in addition to this brutality there is repression and disregard for human rights. Individuals are stripped of dignity and personal rights. Communism, has proved to be a gigantic failure. We can be thankful that Marxism has collapsed in many countries of the world.

When God said, “You shall not steal,” (Exodus 20:15), it was a tacit affirmation of the right of private property. In Exodus 22, when this commandment is applied to specific situations, God warns that personal property such as oxen, sheep and cornfields should not be stolen. There must be a respect for what our neighbors own. Private ownership is an important principle in Scripture.

There are four ways that wealth can be legitimately accumulated. (1) Work; this is the most common way. The Bible says that if you don’t work you shouldn’t eat. Then (2) a gift of love. Most of us wish we had friends who would remember us in our time of need. Also, (3) you can receive an inheritance, that is, being remembered in someone’s will. (Although, it is, a curse to inherit so much wealth that one does not personally have to work, earning a living is part of finding fulfillment and wholeness in life). Finally, (4) there are investments, putting money in various enterprises that will give a rate of return.

God said, “You shall not steal.”

How many different ways can this commandment be broken?

By What We Take

The most obvious way to break this commandment is thievery, taking what does not belong to us. This may involve grand theft, perhaps by embezzlement. Recently, Wall Street has been shook by revelations that one of its own top financiers has stolen 12 million dollars in an elaborate embezzlement scheme. If he had not been caught, I’m sure he would have continued his exploits, given the fact that human greed is insatiable.

There is also petty theft, the casual taking of smaller items from an office or factory. Many employees take quarts of oil from the garage where they work, or they use the copier in the office for their own personal benefit. Shoplifting is a 2 - 3 billion dollar enterprise in America. In New York, one hotel reported that it lost 37,000 spoons, 355 silver coffee pots, 15,000 finger bowls, and 100 Bibles in one year!

Greed is so powerful that insurance companies say that 75 percent of all claims are, at least in some respect, fraudulent. Interestingly, education does not stop thievery; just witness the strict security that is needed in college libraries.

Does someone ever have the right to steal? We can feel compassionate towards the person who steals because he does not have enough to eat. But even here, the mature Christian knows that stealing always shows a distrust for God. As believers we should know that God is able to furnish a table in the wilderness and therefore we do not have to break the eighth commandment in order to live. But while thievery among the poor may be more understandable, what is surprising is that the rich also continue in theft, often displaying a cruelty not even found among the less fortunate.

God’s Word says, “You shall not steal.”

By What We Neglect

Here I’m thinking of employers who fail to pay a just wage for those that help them. In the book of James, there is a comment about those who exploit the poor. Speaking about the rich, he says, “Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth” (James 5:4). Employers who refuse to pay a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work attract the attention of God. The outcries of the exploited reach the ears of the Lord of hosts.

We can be thankful for the labor movement because it has insisted that there be a fair wage paid for a fair day’s work. Karl Marx predicted that the rich would always become richer and the poorer always become poorer in a capitalistic society. What he couldn’t predict is the rise of a large middle class, largely because of the insistence of labor that management not be permitted to exploit the working class. That’s not to say that the labor movement has always been fair; often they have demanded excessive wages which has fueled inflation, but we should be grateful that they have kept management from gross exploitation.

Employees should be warned that they can steal by neglecting to give a fair day’s work for the pay they receive. Often employees use time on the job for their own private projects, and loaf without any sense of accountability. We are told that people should sleep eight hours and work eight hours, but for some they happen to be the same eight hours! Employers sometimes complain that people should organize work breaks just like they do coffee breaks!

Employees often rationalize, arguing that they are being underpaid, so they have a right to use company time or supplies for themselves. That might make sense to a man of the world, but not to the Christian who actually works for Christ. To the slaves of his day, Paul wrote, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling...With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Ephesians 6:5,7). You might not want to work hard for your boss, but you would if he were Christ. And, according to Scripture, He is!

Just think of how society would be transformed if this commandment were universally app