Day 17: Monday, March 20, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Commandments
Scripture: (NRSV) Exodus 20:2-17 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before[a] me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder. [c]
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Devotion: Growing up, the Ten Commandments was the rule in our house. In fact, it seemed that my parents added a lot more to the ten found in the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus. I learned early on that following the rules from the Bible was critical as a Christian. Later, I learned that being a Christian is not just about rules, it was also about accepting the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. We rely on God’s power to guide us and we accept God’s grace by keeping the commandments, not out of obligation but out of love. The Ten Commandments are a gift from God that guides us in our life together as God’s people. They are timeless ethical principles and are a part of God’s covenant with us. The Ten Commandments gives us a guideline to our responsibility toward God and one another.
As we journey in the season of Lent, may we reflect and examine our lives to see if we are living out this gift of the Ten Commandments from God. If not, what can we do differently to live more closely to this gift from God?
Prayer: Holy God, you have given us a gift of how to live rightly with you and with others. Help us to be faithful followers in both word and deed. Amen
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