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Best Resources on the
Ten Commandments
 Matt 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that Yahshua had silenced the Sadducees,
they came together. 35. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a
question, to test him. 36. "Rabbi, which is the great commandment in
the Torah?" 37. And he said to him, "You shall love Yahweh Elohenu with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38.
This is the great and first commandment. 39. And a second is
like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40. On these two
commandments depend all the Torah and the prophets."
Have you ever been
asked, “Do you know the exact day and hour you were saved?”
How about, “Do you believe in the
rapture?” “Do you believe once
 saved
always saved?” “Do you believe in
Christian Perfection?” “Do you believe
in speaking in tongues?” “Do you
believe in Halloween?” These kinds of test
questions are often formulated to start a friendly argument. Other questions test what you know. Somebody recently asked me, “Can you name
all Ten Commandments?” Another: “Can you name the twelve tribes of Israel?” How
about these: “Who married Adam and Eve?”
“Where did Cain get his wife?”
“Was Elijah abducted by aliens?” “Are you a Trinitarian?” Someone once asked me, “Are you a
prelapsarian, an arminian or a double predestinarian?” I answered, “I’m a Buckeye from Ohio.”
Here’s a really
good question, “Did Jesus ever catch a cold?”
The old missionary lady said with absolute assurance that it was
impossible for Jesus to catch a cold.
What do you think? Here’s a
trick question, “Did Jesus ever laugh?”
It’s a trick because some say that if Jesus didn’t do it in the Bible,
then he didn’t do it. The Bible didn’t
record Jesus laughing, so the answer is no.
If we take such literalistic positions, there are a lot of things that
people do every day that Jesus didn’t do.
We know Jesus ate, but did he burp?
Here’s the most
loaded question of all, “If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven or
Hell?”
This one’s always a
set-up. You only have two choices. Nobody’s going to say ‘Hell,’ so when they
answer ‘Heaven,’ the next question is, “Why will you go to Heaven?” There’s the trap. You’re now obligated to play the game. Seven out of ten times the answer is, “Well, I’m a good person,
as good as anybody else. I don’t smoke or drink or carouse much and I go to
church sometimes, so I think I’ll go to Heaven.” That’s just what the religious expert wants
to hear, because he’s all set for your lecture.
When they get in
my face and ask me, ‘If you died tonight, would you go to Heaven or Hell?” I
usually answer, “Fishin’.” That usually
confuses them enough for me to escape.
If I’m feeling particularly nasty, I say, “None of your business.” Some use evangelism as an excuse for acting
obnoxious.
The Religious Sadducee
An obnoxious guy
from the Sadducee denomination had just tested Jesus with a trick question.
`We had a case involving seven brothers; the first
married and then died without children, leaving his wife to his brother; the
same thing happened with the second and third and so on to the seventh, and
then last of all the woman herself died. Now at the resurrection, whose wife
will she be, since she had been married to them all?’
The Sadducees didn’t believe in the supernatural, in angels
or life in the resurrection. That’s
why they were so Sadd, U Cee. No future
hope. They asked Jesus the question to
trap him, because Jesus openly preached the resurrection of the dead. Their question proposes a sticky situation
for we who believe in the afterlife.
Some people ask
themselves this same question formed a little differently. One elderly man was born again at 75. He’d been married four times and all his
ex-wives were still living. In
reviewing his life, he decided that all his wives were rotten, but the second
wife was the least horrible, so he was now going to remarry her so
they could be married in Heaven. He
sure didn’t want to get stuck with any of the other three, or worse, with all
four at once. So he thought, now that
he was a Christian, he’d plan for eternity.
Jesus didn’t fall
for the trick. “You know neither the
Scriptures nor the power of God,” he chided them as they disappeared. As for the answer to which brother the wife
will be married in the resurrection, the answer is, ‘to none of them.”
The Religious Pharisee is Next
Next the guy from
the Pharisees comes along to test Jesus.
Pharisees were the holiness crowd – they believed in the resurrection,
but to get there meant to do it their way -- if you grew a beard and joined up
with them, then you’d be saved. If you
were a woman, you might make it if you put a sack on your head, stayed at home
and kept your mouth shut. That sounds
like some denominations today, doesn’t it?
Anyway, the Pharisee asks a question about
the Ten Commandments. His bunch
believed that breaking ONE Commandment was the same as BREAKING THEM ALL. When the Pharisee asked which ONE
commandment was the greatest, he wanted to hear Jesus say, “ALL OF THEM.” But Jesus doesn’t comply because he knew
what was in his heart.
He throws the
Pharisee a red herring by saying that the greatest commandment is to love
Yahweh. Jesus packs the first
four of the Ten Commandments into one great commandment, like a
sandwich. A sandwich is just ONE
thing, but it contains many things, like “two all-beef patties, special sauce,
lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.”
The Great Commandment
What was in the
Great Commandment sandwich? What does it
mean to love Yahweh with all your heart?
Let’s find out from Yahweh himself in the first four commandments from
Exodus 20:
I. 2.
"I am Yahweh your god… 3. You
shall have no other gods to rival me.”
If you have a correct translation, then your god herein reveals
his name. His name is Yahweh. He will have no rivals any more than your
husband or wife will. He is jealous because
he loves.
II. 4. You
shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything … You shall
not bow down to them or serve them.
We Christians
don’t carve gods, do we? We certainly
do. “I won’t be worshiping with the
rest of you this week because I have to go on my boat, in my camper, to my
cabin, on my vacation.” One lady told
me she couldn’t make it to worship services because she had to wash the
windows! She may have been an
idolater, but she certainly wasn’t a liar!
When something comes between a Christian and his participation in
corporate worship, he carves an idol.
You can wash the windows anytime, but doing so in lieu of corporate
worship makes your windows your god for at least an hour.
III. 7. You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your
god, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name.
Not Jehovah or Allah
His name is not
Allah, Jehovah, El Shaddai or God.
“God” isn’t even a name – it’s a title with a capital letter. There are millions of gods. Have you seen books written by famous
evangelists titled, The Names of God?
He has only one name and he told us what it is. His name is Yahweh. That is the only name he has revealed to
us and it is sacred.
I’ve heard people
say they don’t know anything about this Yahweh; they don’t know what language
the preacher’s speaking in. But no
matter what you’ve been taught, in 2001 you are privileged to learn the
sacred name of your god, and just at the time of his coming. Yahweh sent me out here to tell you his
name. You are very special to have
received his revelation. Will you then
continue to misuse his name?
Others say they’re
not comfortable using the name Yahweh.
I’m not comfortable in new shoes, but after I wear them a while, they
just become a part of me. Friends,
there is power in his real name, because his is the name above all names. Use his name and it will become a comfort!
Anyway, he will
punish you in love for the misusing his name, or taking his name in
vain. If his name is really Yahweh and
you call him some other name, aren’t you the disobedient child? You need punishment. Some of us have punished others for breaking
the third commandment when we ourselves have been breaking it all our
lives. Remember what Yahweh says about
his name in Exodus 3:15:
"Yahweh
is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations." Exodus
3:15
“All generations” means our generation, too. Yahweh means, “I was, I am, I will be.” He has revealed his name as a sign that “he
is and will be” the answer in our time of need. It is a beautiful thing for us to know and use his name. It is a sign to the world that he is ours
and we are his.
Do you believe in keeping the seventh-day Sabbath?
IV. 8. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it
holy. 9. For six days you shall labor
and do all your work, 10. but the
seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God. You shall do no work that day…
11. For in six days Yahweh [created], but on the seventh day he rested; that is
why Yahweh has blessed the Sabbath day and made it sacred.
This week, a
minister asked me a trick question: “I went to a Seventh-day Adventist
retreat. Do you believe in keeping the
seventh-day Sabbath?” he asked me. I
bit. “Yes, brother, I believe in keeping the seventh-day Sabbath according to
Scriptures. Saturday is the seventh
day. Any calendar shows that.” He replied, “I believe I can choose my own
day as Sabbath.” I asked him, “What day
do you choose?” He said, “Whichever is
the most convenient.” I said, “Then you
don’t keep the Sabbath after all, because Yahweh said ‘the seventh day is
the Sabbath.’ If Yahweh says that,
then who do you think you are to change the Sabbath to any day you want.” I said it jokingly, but I meant it. We have tremendous difficulties and
excuses in regards to honoring Yahweh’s sacred day, but we never have any
problem honoring the devil on Halloween or taking any other day that we want.
Getting Out of Sabbath Work
Are you a Fourth
Commandment keeper? Keeping the Sabbath
isn’t that hard – you gather your family for prayer then you take the rest of
the day off. Jesus said that the
Sabbath was made for you and it is holy to the Father.
Some say that they
have to work on Saturday to make a living.
But our god says, “No, you don’t!”
Mal 3:8 Put me to the test and see if I don’t open
the floodgates of heaven and pour out an abundant blessing for you.
Put him to the test!
If you have to work on the Sabbath and would rather honor it, pray this
prayer daily:
“Father, I want to be in your perfect will and honor
your Sabbath day. Make a way for me
to do this and I shall.”
If in this way
you’ll diligently pray, he’ll tirelessly work to pave the way. Loving the Father as he desires is not just
“falling in love with him over and over and over and over again” -- our love
is to be disciplined. All of the
first four Commandments describe exactly how Yahweh wants to be loved. He couldn’t have made himself any
plainer. And we should honor his
wishes, expressing our love by emulating his Son, who kept all his Commandments
for the love of him.
The Second Great Commandment
All this was
understood perfectly by the inquisitive Pharisee. But now Jesus boldly adds a
second Great Commandment: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” In these words Jesus presents him with
another sandwich; this one is thicker and harder to chew. It is packed with the meat of the final six
of the Ten Commandments that concern loving one’s neighbor.
V. 12. Honor your father and your mother so that
you may live long in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.
Folks in the olden
days didn’t live as long as we do today.
The fifth commandment means that children have an obligation to take
care of their parents if need be when the parents are no longer able to do
so. Taking care of one’s parents and
grandparents is a sacred duty, except in the cases where parents are abusive –
such don’t deserve honor, but some get it nonetheless.
Today, life
expectancy is 80 years. There are millions
of elderly people who live in poverty while their selfish children
prosper. To love one’s neighbor means
that you’ll be your parents’ and grandparents’ benefactor for as long as
they live. Some day your folks will
be gone; then you’ll wish you’d spent an extra hour listening or an extra
dollar helping. Jesus knows that if we
can’t love our own kin, we won’t be able to love our neighbor either.
VI. 13. You
shall not kill. VII. 14. You shall not
commit adultery.
Breaking the sixth
and seventh commandments are deadly sins. One murder destroys many lives. Adultery, that is, infidelity in marriage, also destroys
lives and, in these days of plague, may lead to repercussions decades after the
deed. Yahweh’s love is made manifest
when he prohibits people from committing deadly sins because many
innocent people, including children, are affected. For those who have committed deadly sins, Jesus may save you
if you repent and sin no more. But
if you haven’t committed a deadly sin, don’t put your Father’s love to the
test. You will lose every time.
VIII. 15. You shall not steal. IX.
16. You shall not give false evidence against your neighbour.
Stealing and lying
also leave innocent victims. Ask
forgiveness and make restitution. That’s
how you can undo thefts and lies. You
can love your neighbor by being truthful and honest in every situation. This way, even if you are accused, your
conscience will be clear and your slate will be clean.
X. 17. You shall not set your heart on your
neighbor's house, spouse, man, woman or possessions.
The Tenth
Commandment is against covetousness, which is greed, avarice and
materialism. Paul the Apostle defines
covetousness as fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire and idolatry. Wanting what has been afforded others eats
up your potential and saps your strength.
Covetousness leads to lust, obsession, compulsion and misery.
Friend, you
already have wonderful things and people all around you – things that are
valuable and people who love you. Count
your blessings, name them one by one, and you will break the back of
covetousness, lust and obsession. You
will also find yourself prospering in your own right.
Framed In Negative Terms
Upon hearing Jesus
Second Great Commandment, the Pharisee, like the Sadducee before him,
disappeared. He treated his own kind
with respect, but he couldn’t love some ol’ sinner. Pharisees are very negative toward others. And unfortunately, the Ten Commandments
themselves are framed in fairly negative terms. But Yahweh sent his Son to interpret the harsh words of the
covenant into meanings that express Jesus’ vision of Yahweh as loving Father. Jesus didn’t remove one dot from the
Law of Yahweh; had he done that, he would have been a sinner in need of a
savior, for sin is the transgression of the law. No, Jesus doesn’t nail the Ten Commandments
to the cross. He fulfills them all to
present us with an example of how we might do likewise. Jesus thus reframes the Commandments
in terms of the god’s love for a loving people: upon this framework “hang all
of the law and prophets.”
Loving Yahweh and
keeping his commandments is still a matter of obedience, but not that which a
slave renders a harsh master. Like the
Sabbath commandment, the whole law was written for the sake of the preservation
of humankind – for your survival and prosperity. Jesus reiterates the Commandments of Yahweh because they both
LOVE YOU and desire that you achieve your highest and best good in this life
and in the life to come. Now you do
know what is expected because I have explained it to you.
Some say that
Jesus is not talking about the Ten Commandments when he mentions the Two, and
that we are under grace now and not the Law, so the Commandments are no longer
valid. But the Apostle John, who laid
upon Christ’s bosom, writes much later that
1 John 5: 3. 3. This is what the love of God is:
keeping his commandments. Nor are his commandments burdensome, 4. because every child of God may, through
them, overcome the world.
Overcoming the World
Keeping
the Commandments, following in the footsteps of Jesus and overcoming the world
is not always a smooth, easy path. A
righteous life is not a popular life style.
If you begin to honor Yahweh by following his commandments, you may
become a target of both secular and, sadly, religious people. Public godliness has a price, for Yahweh’s
enemies control the world as well as many Christian churches, so-called.
One of the more publicized incidents
involving persecution on account of the Ten Commandments was in 1995 when the
ACLU sued Alabama Judge Roy Moore for displaying them on a plaque behind his
bench. An incredible outcry came forth
against Judge Moore from many quarters, both secular and religious, setting off
a legal battle throughout the United States in regards to the validity of the
Ten Commandments. Charles Price, the
Alabama state judge who finally ordered Judge Moore to take the Commandments
down, was applauded all over the country and awarded the coveted “Profile in
Courage” Award of $25,000 by the JFK Library.
Charles Price is not only a state judge, but a Sunday School teacher –
one who would gladly receive accolades and money for betraying the very
principles that he is responsible for teaching Christian children. What a contradiction.
Let our
lives be lived in agreement with our Father, our Savior and our consciences
rather than in contradiction to the principles and practices of our
Savior. The day will come when each of
us will be held accountable for our lives.
Will you be able to stand tall in that day? I hope you will! In the
meantime, take care.
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