God’s word says in Hebrew 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Today, I want to take a look at the 10 Commandments and analyze how God’s love remains consistent throughout scripture. As generations pass, scripture remains relevant. After all, God is a never changing God, and the Bible says that we may pass away, but His words will never pass away or return void. Let’s see how we can easily apply the commandments to our daily lives.
1st commandment
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
At the start of our day, there’s something we tend to focus on. Some of us may have the habit of reaching for our phones, preparing our morning coffee, drinking water, grabbing an agenda to plan the day, stretching — the list goes on — but the first commandment reminds us to “have no other gods before God”. This means we need to make God a priority in our lives.
We do that by allowing our actions to reflect our words. If God is truly first, then we should meditate on His word before we wake up, even if it’s only disciplining ourselves to open the Bible app before checking social media. It can be as simple as thanking God each morning for giving us another day of life. Yes, not everyone can set time aside in the morning. If that’s the case, we need to make sure we are spending time with Him throughout the day.
By setting time aside we are telling God that nothing else is more valuable. No other thing or person can take that time away from us, and that’s our commitment to Him. When we’ve gone months without praying or reading our word then we need to evaluate our lives and the gods in them.
2nd commandment
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
No one has seen God. Many have felt the presence of God, but we haven’t seen Him. This may cause some of us to create images of what God looks like in the form of a picture, a carved image, a statue, astrology, spiritual energy, the universe, and other ways we can create a god. God does not demand, nor wants, his people to worship a man-created god. While the first commandment says we should worship God alone, this commandment says how God is worshipped, and it’s not through “the form of an image.”
3rd commandment
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
While this commandment can be applied to leaders who claim to know God or perform miracles in the name of God without possessing God’s authority, it can also be applied to our lives as individuals.
Almost every movie uses the name of Jesus as an expression of anger. Other words such as ‘oh my god,’ or an expression that has the name of God is a misuse. God, who is holy, wants his children to respect him in our speech.
4th commandment
“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.”
“On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
There’s a reason God demands His people to have a rest day. We may not call it “the Sabbath,” but the same concept applies to us. God wants us to rest despite our busy schedules. Our work may become a sin when it gives fruits to anxiety, fear of running out of time, stress, and when it removes our eyes from the Lord. Work can easily fool us into thinking we must do more to achieve more.
We start believing that time is in our hands, instead of trusting that God will bring His promises into existence. When we rest, we are putting our faith in Him and allowing Him to take care of growth. His rest brings peace into our lives.
5th commandment
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Just as God demands respect for His name, He also encourages us to respect our parents. We need to respect our parents because it’s what God commands, not because they’ve earned it, or they’ve been “there for us.” By doing that, we are pleasing God and He will reward us with a long life. This long life will not be an ordinary life, but a life only God can give. By that, we can trust that we will live an abundant life here on earth because God promises to give good gifts to his children.
Matthew 7:11 says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
6th commandment
“You shall not murder.”
Murder in itself is a sin, but we see how Jesus Christ encourages His followers to check their hearts because the act of committing murder has deeper roots. Jesus Christ challenges us to look at our earthly relationships and to make sure we aren’t holding anger against anyone. Anger may cause us to say disrespectful things to our brothers and sisters.
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment,’” says Exodus 5: 21
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Exod. 5: 22
7th commandment
“You shall not commit adultery.”
Again, just like the 6th commandment, adultery in itself is a sin, but Jesus always gets to the root of sin. Jesus says:
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” says Exodus 5: 28
It’s possible that the act of committing adultery to many is not a temptation, but that doesn’t make us righteous. Jesus encourages us to check our eyes and what we’re letting our minds wander. How are we looking at a person from the opposite sex, or even from the same sex? If we feel lustful and begin coveting someone else’s appearance or someone else’s husband, then we are committing a sin. Those lustful thoughts that no one sees can easily become our reality if we don’t cut the roots.
8th commandment
“You shall not steal.”
When we think of this commandment, we may imagine a thief stealing something of great value, but let’s follow the same principle as Jesus did in the previous commandments and check our motives.
Stealing small objects is a sin. Stealing things no one will ever notice is also a sin. Now, if stealing is not something we are tempted to do, then let’s think of those times we didn’t know we stole. A preacher once said that eating grapes before paying for them, at the supermarket, is also stealing. Borrowing things and not returning them is stealing. In this commandment, Jesus commands us to respect the property of others.
9th commandment
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
The 9th commandment may be more common than we know because it has to do with gossip. A preacher once said gossip spreads fast. Without realizing it we can get involved in gossip before we know it. Jesus first encourages us to respect His name, then to respect our parents, and now he encourages us to respect our neighbors by not telling lies about them.
We should not give false testimony in a court of justice and in our daily interactions. By spreading lies about others, we are ruining their character and reputation. While gossip may feel fun to the flesh, if we let it happen once, it will eventually consume the way we speak.
10 commandment
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Jesus wants us to be content in what we have now. Yes, it’s good to ask God for things we desire. After all, He promises to give us the desires of our hearts, but we should not desire something just because our neighbor has it. It’s easy to fall into this sin since we have access to other peoples’ lives on social media. For example, when we see someone get married, buy a house, lose weight, receive a promotion, or get pregnant, we can easily covet that, even when it’s outside of God’s perfect time.
Additionally, in Colossians 3:5 God says covetousness is equal to idolatry. A greedy person is an idolater because they worship the things of this world.
Not just another rule
By now, you may be thinking that the commandments are just a set of rules, but it goes deeper than that. God is looking after our hearts. He knows that our human nature automatically wants to sin, but He encourages us to live in righteousness, with a pure heart, seeking holiness so that we may bear good fruit and be heirs of God’s kingdom.
As we read through the 10 commandments, let’s think of those times when we didn’t put God first, created a distorted image of God, and disobeyed or disrespected God and our parents. Let’s reflect on the times we overworked ourselves to try to achieve what our own hands couldn’t, or when we murdered someone with our words.
How about the times we let our eyes feel lustful, stole, or entertained gossip, or wished we had someone else’s life? We will quickly realize how many times we’ve failed to practice these commandments in our daily lives. Thankfully, we can accept God’s grace, repent, and begin checking our lives daily to follow these commandments with the help of the Holy Spirit.