We’re going to start a new series here on the chaplain blog and radio spots.
I believe the 10 Commandments are very important. They are talked about all through the Bible. However, they have often been more of a curse than a blessing. Which is weird, when you think of how David talked about them:
Psalm 119:97 – Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.Psalm 119:163 – I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law.Psalm 119:165 – Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
How is it that David can say – I love the commandments? I mean, I hate rules! I don’t want someone telling me what to do!
One of missing component for most of us in thinking of the 10 Commandments is that Christians have traditionally IGNORED the first part of the 10 Commandments – it’s verse 2 of Exodus 20, “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.”
The first part of this is, “I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!”
Now, if I were God, I would say, “I am the LORD, and you are MINE!” This is my basic attitude toward a lot of stuff in my life. I have MY bike – it’s there to serve me; it’s there for me to ride on. I have MY computer which I take everywhere and beat to death. I have MY IPOD that I use all the time and is scratched. That’s what I might expect from God.
In fact, that’s kinda the way many people – including myself – have at times felt about the law. It’s God USING us. And yes, it’s for our good, and it’s wonderful, but in the end, it’s God telling me what to do – and I don’t always like that.
So, when I hear, I am the Lord YOUR God – that’s huge! That’s God putting Himself into relationship, accountability, and connection with ME! Not that I am equal, but He is putting Himself into a give and take relationship with ME!
This is a lot more like my relationship with my wife. More than 6 years ago I stood before her and committed to her that I was hers – end of story. I am hers – and she is mine. That’s amazingly powerful to me! It’s similar to the way – at the beginning of the 10 Commandments God says, “I am YOURS!!!!!!”
Let’s journey in these commandments together – I’d love to hear your thoughts – even your frustrations or misunderstandings about them! Post your comments here! If you’d like to hear a sermon I did on this, check this out:
Listen Online — July 26, 2008