Who's On First?

This week and next I will be writing about the 10 Commandments.  I've been studying for a new series for church, and there is so much more about the Ten Commandments than what meets the eye!  So, let's begin at the beginning:

I have written a few paragraphs, but feel impressed to stop and give myself a do-over.  I don't want to start at the first commandment.  We should start before that.  The first commandment isn't the beginning.

The beginning is why we have the commandments in the first place.  Sometimes it seems that we have given God a bad reputation, as if the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are split personalities.  Jekyl and Hyde.  Two Face from the Batman series. One good side, one mean side.

That's a tragic twist of God's character that was begun, twisted and spewed by Satan himself!  The God of the Old Testament is nothing if not love.  Jesus didn't come as an antithesis of God's character, but as a completion of it!

Let's take a look at Exodus 19, the chapter that precedes the Ten Commandments.

 ³ Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you ^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."
 ⁷ So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. ⁸ The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.
 ⁹ The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you." Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.

Look carefully at verses 4, 5, and 6.  God says that He brought them to Himself.  He gives them promises of becoming His treasured possession and a holy nation.  Oh, that's love!

So many Christians have fallen into Satan's trap of viewing the Ten Commandments as a set of rules.  NOTHING could be farther from the truth.  These commandments are a set of promises, showcasing God's love.  Are they to be followed?  Absolutely!  But how many rules do you know that are followed by promises of goodness?  Look at your personnel manual at work sometime.  I guarantee, that while the pages may highlight what the company is bound to do for you legally (for example, pay you; offer a safe work environment, etc.) it most likely doesn't talk about how you will be honored by following the rules the company has established.

As we dig into each commandment, we are going to see how loving and kind our God is, how He has spent eternity pulling us closer to Him, how He has been pursuing us even before we were born!  These commandments are just one example of that! 

Finish reading chapter 19.  It's electric - literally!  God loves you.  He loves you!  HE LOVES YOU!