Love God, Love Others

Deuteronomy 5:1-21

The reason most folks struggle with the Ten Commandments is that they have never established a personal relationship with the Author.

It was these commandments that would draw God's people

into conformity with his pure character and

draw other nations around them into his perfect plan of salvation.

1^st  v.7 You shall have no other gods before me.

 In light of that relationship of loyalty to God, we should not worship any created person or being, for that would come between his love for you and your love for him.

If you want to live a life, one that is filled with peace, joy, and wholesomeness, then worship the true Author of life, the one and only living God. Don't give your life over to nongods such as position, power, and possessions. Don't turn to family, friends, networking, psychics, self-help philosophies, new-age philosophies, health and wealth religions, etc.

2^nd  vv.8-10 You shall not make for yourself an idol…for I am a jealous…

The issue was he cannot be reduced to an image conceived of by man and crafted by his hands. God is Spirit and is not willing to allow anyone to try to place him into some distorted visible form. Don't make them, don't worship them, and don't serve them

If Israel began to make other images to worship, it would indicate that she was leaving her first love, causing her Lover, God, to become jealous because of her spiritual adultery.  Jealousy on the part of God means an intense interest in the welfare of another.

3^rd   v.11 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…

To misuse the name of the Lord God is to misuse his nature, his very person, and his teachings and doctrines. A long list of cults who have misused the name of God and Jesus Christ for selfish ends.

We can find ourselves misusing his name when we tell a lie to someone and affirm it's true by saying, "I swear to God!" We can even misuse his name in offering grace only from the lips instead of from the heart. The bottom line is, be careful how you use the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It should always be used in reverence and respect.

4^th  vv.12-15  Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy….

They worship him and renew their dependence on him for all their needs

The writer to the Hebrews explained the spiritual reality (4:9-11): "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest...." Since creation God has sought to show mankind that without faith in him, we could never be the men or women we desire to be or achieve what we desire to achieve without him.

What day should be the Christian's Sabbath? Every day of the rest of our lives on earth and into eternity!

5^th  v.16: Honor your father and your mother….

The sanctity of the family. The covenant relationship between God and Israel was like the relationship between a father and a son. So as the Israelites were to honor their spiritual heavenly Father, who was the giver of their physical and spiritual life, Moses commands sons and daughters to honor their parents for giving them physical life and teaching the about the spiritual life they can have with the one and only living God.

6^th v.17 You shall not murder.

The sanctity of life.  The Hebrew word râtsach was used in 2 ways.

First, it was used for the premeditated killing of a personal enemy or innocent victim as well as for suicide.

God alone not only created man in his own image, but imparted to him His life, so life is sacred to Him and it should be to us. Christian medical professionals are struggling today with secular medical professionals as they seek to define life and death and determine when to abort or let premature babies die, when to "pull the plug" on the aged and those in comas, and whether to assist the suffering in committing suicide.

The 2^nd usage of the word râtsach was for the case of manslaughter by negligence.

7^th  v.18 You shall not commit adultery.

The sanctity of marriage.  Adultery is the act by which a married man or woman becomes sexually involved with a member of the opposite sex outside the marriage. The gift of the marriage relationship was to become a spiritual symbol of the oneness built on loyal love that God wanted to have with both Israel and the church.

Not a day goes by that we are not exposed to stories of adulterous relationships: Our newspapers, TVs, movies, books, magazines, computer bulletin board services, etc., tempt us to consider the possibility of entering into an adulterous relationship under other name: a loving and meaningful relationship, a casual affair, a harmless but fun liaison, a one-night stand, or an open marriage arrangement.

8^th  v19  You shall not steal.

This commandment is literally, "You shall not "man-steal." God never created men and women in his own image to have them kidnapped against their will, then sold like cattle for personal gain and sent into slavery. Since everything and everyone belongs to God, stealing material goods or kidnapping is the same as stealing from God.

9^th  v20 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

The sanctity of truth in all areas of life. The key principle in this command is that God is truth and Jesus is truth, so the children of God should be filled with truth. God has called all his children within the covenant community to live and speak with honesty, integrity, and sincerity.

10^th  v21  You shall not covet your neighbor's wife…anything that belongs to your neighbor.

The sanctity of motives and the quality of our inner contentment. The desire of men to violate any one of the commandments all begins when they neglect to love the Lord their God with all their heart and to trust him for all their needs: spiritual, emotional, and physical. God is calling his people to not set their hearts on a desire to take their neighbor's wife, house, land, servant, nanny, lawnmower, Lexus, or anything that belongs to their neighbor.

Conclusion:

The Law of God continues to reveal to believers and unbelievers alike the holiness of God and his Son Jesus Christ and to convict all of us of our sin . At the same time, the Law is being used by God as a schoolmaster to lead unbelievers to see that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.

Those of us who have invited Jesus to become our Lord and Savior now know that God has placed his Law on our hearts and minds and has given us his Holy Spirit to empower us to walk in his Law. 

Resource: Ron Ritchie
Resources taken from: Thomas Constable, Darrell Bock & Steven Cole