The Ten Commandments – everybody knows of them and most people have an opinion about them. Yet, more than 60 percent of Americans can't name half of the Ten Commandments.
The first commandment indicates that God moves alone and does not rule with other “gods.” No other God’s stand before the Lord in Heaven or in his Tabernacle. None.
The second commandment comes with the warning that violation of this decree will begin a four-generation cultural decline that God will observe while waiting for repentance before he visits that culture with judgment.
The third commandment refers to using God’s name out of its proper context such as misrepresentation, personal ambitions, attempting to validate something outside of the Lord’s intentions or using the Lord’s reputation for your own advantage. (This is much more serious than using socially unacceptable language! This is manipulation of people while using the Lord’s name. This command is violated most frequently in the pulpit while using socially acceptable language!)
The fourth commandment demands that Israel practice on a weekly basis trust in God’s strength, not trust in their own self and their own work. It is self-enforced humility.
The fifth commandment is the foundation for success in any arena of life: Respect for authority. If a person can learn to respect and work with the established authorities in their life things will go well for them and they will live long. Compare this to the life of most rebels in most situations - things do not go well for them and they do not live long.
The sixth commandment says you do not have ultimate authority over any man.
The seventh commandment establishes the fact that marriage and faithfulness to the marriage covenant is necessary for a successful society.
The eighth commandment establishes the principle of the individual’s rights to property and demands others respect, not only the individual person, but also their property.
The ninth commandment recognizes that justice within a society is based on individual integrity. Successful cultures must love truth, more than they manipulation situations to their own advantage.
The tenth commandment emphasizes that a community cannot be successful while spending time focusing on taking and consuming their neighbor's success.
Nobody goes to hell because they don't obey the Ten Commandments, but they can sure mess up their life, their marriage, their family and their nation when they do not obey these social laws and standards. Failure to follow the Ten Commandments will unleash the forces of chaos in the life of an individual and, eventually, into their culture. |
