The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) have been called the basis of biblical morality. If you want to know how to be good, if you want to know how to be godly, start here.
For the past ten columns we have been studying the Ten Commandments, one at a time. This week we will consider them as a unit. What do they teach us about living so as to please God? We can summarize them as a system of ethical guidelines: 1) God is first.
2) Family is second.
3) Neighbors are third 4) Yourself is last The first four commandments are first for a reason. The First Commandment (Yahweh is the only God), is the basis of the remaining nine commandments. God is holy, meaning he is distinct from and greater than everything he has created. The second commandment (Don’t make or worship idols), reinforces the basic truth that there is only one God. Because Yahweh is our God, we acknowledge him as our Lord, meaning that we are to love and obey him. And we obey the other nine commandments because they are given by him.
Commandments three and four tell us that holy things (God’s name and God’s day, the Sabbath) are to be treated as different than ordinary things. To be holy means to be set apart from common use. We should speak of God with respect, and we should set aside one day each week as a time of rest.
The Fifth and Seventh commandments (Honor your parents, Don’t commit adultery) tell us to respect and protect family as the basic unit in society. The kinship group of parents and children and the marriage covenant of husband and wife are to be honored and preserved. These relationships are to be honored both because of the importance of family, and because they are both pictures of the relationship of God and his people.
Commandments Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine (Don’t murder, Don’t commit adultery, Don’t steal, Don’t give false testimony) tell us how to treat our neighbors. Neighbors are those we live among in our communities, and maintaining good relationships by respecting and protecting them is crucial for the community to flourish. As such, we cooperate, help, and share with each other. Neighbors treat one another as equals.
The first of these neighborly commandments is obvious: don’t kill or do anything that jeopardizes a neighbor’s life. Protecting each other’s life and wellbeing is essential for community. The Seventh Commandment tells us to respect and protect their marriages— and our own. We do this by faithfulness to our wedding vows. The Eighth Commandment requires each person to recognize the property and livelihood of others. This means no stealing, but it also requires honesty in speech and in business practices. The Ninth Commandment takes this one step further: protecting one’s neighbor requires treating them with justice. To falsely accuse one’s neighbor, to accuse the innocent of wrongdoing, or to testify that the guilty are innocent are violations of civil justice, and are abhorrent to the God of justice. Obeying these four commandments is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself, and they are necessary for preserving the welfare of the community.
The meaning of these neighborly commandments extends beyond our close neighbors in our hometown. Our neighbors to be loved also include the poor, foreigners, and even our enemies.
The Tenth Commandment (no coveting) is unique. Unlike the other nine, it does not specify a particular behavior to avoid, rather it deals with the heart. Don’t envy my neighbor’s possessions or spouse. Not only should I not steal his things but I shouldn’t even desire them. I am content with the life Yahweh has given me.
Perhaps we can use the Tenth Commandment as a template for understanding all of the other commandments. All Ten are about the heart. It is not enough to stop doing the “Thou shalt nots” but to not even want to do them. If I have internalized each of the Commandments in my heart, they become a moral compass guiding my thoughts and behavior on a daily basis. They are no longer someone else’s rules that I must try to obey; they are not just God’s laws—though they started as his laws—but they have become my laws in my heart.
That is how we keep the Ten Commandments: keeping them in our heart.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell.