The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Brooke R. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Research - 10 Commandments
The Ten Commandments were written after the children of Israel had escaped Egypt and were traveling in the desert. Although written in the Old Testament, the principles behind the Ten Commandments remained relevant in the New Testament as well.
The Ten Commandments were ostensibly written to govern the nation of Israel as God’s light to a pagan world. And, although no one could keep them perfectly, God offered his mercy to those who sought forgiveness. The purpose of the Ten Commandments was regarded by many, (especially by the Pharisees), as a means of measuring personal holiness. It could be touted to demonstrate legalistic perfection to others and to gauge whether one was "good enough" for heaven.
However, Paul’s writings indicate the Ten Commandments were intended for a different purpose: helping people realize their shortcomings and inability to be holy, causing them to rely on God for mercy and forgiveness. This belief is illustrated in Matthew 5, where Jesus states that lustful thoughts are adultery of the heart, and that anger is akin to murder. Clearly, God’s standards are far higher than ours.
When God presented the Ten Commandments, he began with a declaration of himself, reminding the people why they worshipped him:
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."
After announcing this preamble, the first three commandments seem natural.
"You shall have no other gods before me"
"You shall not make for yourself an idol... You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..."
"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God..."
The first three commandments are an obvious progression of respecting and honoring God. By worshipping something made by man, you treat God as if his greatness can be replaced by an immobile statue. The next commandment, however, is not so self explanatory:
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God…For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea…but he rested on the seventh day."
God commands the Israelites to rest on the Sabbath, and references the world being created in six days and his resting on the seventh. This is also one of the many passages in scripture that refutes the day-age theory embraced by some Christians, which contends that God created the world, but over millions of years. The theory misinterprets the "days" of Genesis 1 as long ages. But God uses his creation schedule as the model and basis for the calendar week. The next commandment is a simple one:
"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."
God tells not only children to honor their parents, but people at any age who still have living parents. This makes it clear that once a child turns 18 he is not free to be disrespectful or disobedient. While an adult child is no longer required to obey their parents, an honoring respect is commanded for life. The next few commandments provide a framework for the basic rules of conduct any government has in place, and are practical ramifications of "Love your neighbor as yourself."
"You shall not murder."
"You shall not commit adultery."
"You shall not steal."
Most consider murdering and stealing to be wrong in their most obvious forms. But, issues such as abortion, euthanasia, laziness on the job, and entitlement legislation cause many to rationalize these black and white matters into gray areas.
Committing adultery has also become increasingly commonplace. Boyfriends and girlfriends living together and divorces as a result of infidelity are frequent occurrences. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 5 that every sort of sexual immorality, even lustful thought, are embodied in the principle of this command.
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
This commandment is often simplified as "Do not lie." However, although it involves telling falsehoods, the commandment actually refers to untruthfulness in court—consequently, the word ‘testimony’ is used. It is interesting that God found this issue important enough to include in his summary list of ten restrictions. Clearly, God foresaw the temptation of men to falsely accuse or testify, especially against an enemy, and saw fit to make it clear that this was sin.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife…or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
God knew the sinful hearts of humans and their tendency to become desirous of what is not theirs. Jealousy is protecting what is yours, while coveting is to desire someone else’s gifts or possessions. This command not only addresses coveting a neighbor’s wife and assets, which could lead to adultery and theft, but also implies that a man should be content with what he has or can acquire through legitimate means. God makes it clear that coveting someone else’s possessions is a sin.
When God issued the commandments, he delivered them with power and authority. He made it clear these were not simply guidelines or suggestions. The people knew he was God, and disobedience of his commands was not to be taken lightly — "When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they…said to Moses… “do not have God speak to us or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."
Like the owner's manual of a new car, God’s commandments have a purpose and work best when the instructions are followed—changing the oil or rotating the tires as directed lets the car stay in its best condition, while ignoring the instructions can be disastrous. God did not create these rules to be cruel or needlessly restrictive. None of God’s commandments were given without reason, and obeying each one produced benefits.
Commandments one, two and three: Creating and worshipping idols draws people away from God, as does using God’s name in any unholy context. God is our source of solace, strength, and salvation. Anything that draws a person away from God is harmful.
Commandment four: God knows our limits. He also knows we can get sidetracked. So, the Sabbath day was not only an opportunity for the Israelites to rest from their hard work, but also to focus on God. It is still easy today to forget about God during the week, and having a day that is set apart for Him is sure to bring our thoughts back to God.
Commandment five: Since our parents care about us, as children, the rules they give us are designed to keep us safe. Obeying their rules is beneficial. As we become adults, our parents still have more experience and knowledge—heeding parent’s warnings can often save us from making painful mistakes. God also forwards the principle that showing honor to our parents will be rewarded.
Commandments six, seven, and eight: Murder is clearly wrong—it harms others and goes against God’s plan for life. Although it has been rationalized to be a gray issue in terms of abortion, killing any human God allows to live is clearly a sin by biblical standards. Adultery not only hurts the spouse or spouses of the persons involved, but can also lead to unwelcome side effects such as STDs. Stealing something that is not yours is generally frowned upon. However, many people do not think of snitching something trivial here and there as stealing. Nonetheless, the commandment does not say ‘thou shall not steal items larger than a loaf of bread’—it says thou shall not steal.
Commandment nine: Bearing false witness in court is perjury—however, lawyers are well known for twisting the truth in court. The swearing of an oath at trial is specifically designed to protect against this particular offense.
Commandment ten: Although one of the least remembered laws, since it involves issues of the heart and mind, it is one of the most frequently broken commands and a natural progression to greater sins. Murder, adultery, and stealing are generally preceded by coveting. Simply restricting oneself from coveting what one does not have makes keeping many of the other commandments far easier.
God’s commandments were designed for a purpose, and we should work to follow them—but that purpose is not so we can be "good enough" to "earn" our way to heaven. The Ten Commandments are there so we can realize our own sinfulness and turn to God’s solution (Jesus Christ) for our salvation.
