The final Commandment talks about covetousness…the excessive, uncontrolled, and selfish desire or greed for something. When we covet something or someone it’s usually forbidden or unrighteous in God’s eyes…and we have forsaken Him to satisfy our desires. Jesus spoke of this in Luke 12:15 when He said, ” Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” In other words, we need to be content with what we have…not in what we think we must have.
Exodus 20: 16 ” You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
The ninth Commandment deals with slander…giving a false statement maliciously that damages a person’s reputation. But this Commandment can also include something as insidious as a simple bit of gossip that gets out of hand and smears someone’s good name and reputation in the process. The Lord would want all our dealings with friends and associates to be above-board and without fabrication. Rebuilding a reputation after it’s been maligned falsely is sometimes almost an impossible task.
Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal.”
The eighth Commandment states that we must not dishonestly take another person’s property without right or permission. There are many variations when it comes to stealing…from swindling, to embezzling, misappropriating, extorting, or defrauding. But stealing can also be as simple as using office supplies at work for personal use, or shoplifting an item in a store. One of the biggest reasons someone will take something that doesn’t belong to them is that they justify and rationalize that they deserve it, or that it won’t be missed, or that the company owes them. But making up excuses in our minds still won’t change the fact that we’re stealing.
Exodus 20: 14 ” You shall not commit adultery.”
The seventh Commandment deals with relationships…whose inside and outside of marriage. The Levitical Law was very detailed in the certain types of relationships God forbid…these included close family members and acquaintances. But Jesus took this one step farther from Old Covenant Laws, when He told His Disciples in Matthew 5:27, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Lust is a very slippery slope that has taken many a person down a road they really didn’t want to travel. I guess the writer of Proverbs 6:32-33 knew something of this when he wrote, ” A man who commits adultery lacks judgment, whoever does so destroys himself, his shame will never be wiped away.”
Exodus 20:13 ” You shall not murder.”
The sixth Commandment deals with the unlawful killing of a human being with deliberate malice, either expressed or implied. But in Matthew 5:21, Jesus speaks about those whose anger towards others is subject to judgment also. Rage, wrath, or even resentment towards someone long-term can be almost as damaging as killing them outright …and living under that constant emotional strain of being victimized by someone else’s anger can make a person wish they’d just die and not have to endure it anymore. We don’t have to stab someone in the back to kill their Spirit…our angry words will do that.
Exodus 20: 12 ” Honor your father and your mother.”
The last six Commandments are focused on our relationship with others. I’ve heard it said that you can pick your friends…but you can’t pick you family. We can’t choose who gives us life, and maybe for some, it was a very difficult childhood growing up with parents that weren’t the best at it…or were absent all together. How then can we put our heads around the concept of respecting and esteeming someone who really doesn’t deserve to be honored. Showing respect to any other human-being shows our personal character and integrity, not necessarily theirs. By being that bigger person, we can move on to make our lives better. As it says, “Honor your mother and father, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.”
Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
The fourth Commandment is the last of the ten to focus on our relationship towards God. The Lord Himself started this tradition by resting from all His labors…”and on the Seventh day God abstained from work and rested.” The Sabbath needs to be a day of reflection and refreshment…a time of worship; being subject to God’s authority and trusting in Him to honor our obedience in keeping the day holy.
Exodus 20:7 ” You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…”
The first person I think of when it comes to the Third Commandment and taking the Lord’s name in vain is Job’s wife, who so infamously suggested to Job in the mist of all his suffering to, “Curse God and die!” Wrongly using God’s name does include profanity and cursing, but it also means just using His name lightly or without thinking. The Lord’s name should not be perverted, debased, or abused…He is God.
Exodus 20: 4 ” You shall not make for yourself an idol…”
This verse is the second Commandment, and continues the same thought of idol worship…but the focus here is on the idols we create ourselves. Funny how idols can take on unique faces when we’re making them…these idols can be work or play related, they can revolve around amassing things or be very private and personal. But what the Lord wants us to remember is that these man-made idols are totally vain, worthless, and empty…and sadly will leave us feeling the same way in the end.
Exodus 20 :3 ” You shall have no other gods before Me.”
This is the first of what is called the Ten Commandments, and the Lord starts out with the most important directive to mankind…do not worship anyone or anything but Me. Do not follow another god, do not bow down, serve or sacrifice to it. The Lord demands that we remain faithful to Him alone, because as in Jeremiah 1:16 it says, “I will pronounce My judgments on My people because of their wickedness in forsaking Me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.” Our God is a jealous God, wanting our full devotion and love.
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