Can you name each of the 9 planets in our galaxy? Can you name each of the 10 Commandments? Try it! See if you can come up with 8 of the 10.
In my home we have the 3 rules. Really they are the three most important decisions you will make in your life. I tell my kids that it does not matter where they work. It does not matter if they go to college or not. It does not matter where they live. It does not matter how much money they make. In fact, most of the things we think are so very important do not amount to much in the big picture.
As I said, in my home there are 3 things that will shape my kids more than anything else:
1. What they do with Jesus
2. How they respond to us in the teen years
3. Who they marry
That’s it! Those are the only things that matter and boy do they matter. Let me expand one of those just a little. What they do with Jesus is much more than “praying a prayer of salvation”. It is learning to love Jesus and love others. It is journeying with the Savior. It is living the great adventure of walking with the Lord.
Why do I give my kids these “rules”? Why does God give us 10 Commands? Is it to punish? No! It is out of love. It is from knowing better and wanting the best for our kids.
Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: 6 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
New International Version
Think:
Study verse 6. Take a few minutes and break those words down a piece at a time. What does this verse tell you about God?
These are the verses that come right before the 10 Commandments. This is God telling something about Himself. What do we learn?
He is a POWERFUL GOD
“I am the Lord”. This is the God that reveled Himself to Adam and Noah and Moses. He is the God who destroyed Egypt with a series of plagues. He is a powerful God. He is the God of creation; a maker of planets and poplar trees. He is the God of miracles; a God of staffs and swarms. He is the God of power; a king over floods and fights. He is the God of grace; a father of forgiveness and faithfulness. He is the Lord.
He is a PERSONAL GOD.
“I am the Lord YOUR God.” This is not some random, impersonal force …. this is the Lord their God. It is the God that allowed them to carry his name and reputation. This is the God that bore their embarrassing defiance. This is the God that rescues them time and again. This is the God that wants to protect and provide for them. This is the God that is willing to die for them.
He is a PRACTICAL GOD
The God “who brought you out of Egypt.” This is the God of rescue and redemption. Lost at sea, He is the rescue boat. Lost in slavery, He is the purchase price of freedom. He is the God who pays the price to buy his people back. He is the God picks up the tab. He knows our deepest need. He is the practical God.
So, as you look at the 10 Commandments, remember the God who gave them to His people. He is the Powerful God that is Personal and Practical.
Do:
Reflect on how you view the 10 Commandments? Do they seem burdensome? Does knowing they come from a gracious God change any perceptions you have?
Someone once said the 10 Commandments are given by God to protect and provide the best for us. Do you agree with that?
DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.