I have a bad habit of signing up for things before I really know what’s going on. Like Vickey’s book study this summer—I signed up simply because I had never done a Jen Wilkin study (we are reading Ten Words to Live By.) Lo and behold, I get the book and it’s on the Ten Commandments! Whaaa?! Why did I sign up for a study on something so ancient—I had a brief flash of Charleton Heston playing Moses with the stone tablets and horrible special effects created by 1956 Hollywood. What was the likelihood of any massive new insight emerging on this particular topic?
Well, it turns out—a lot! The Torah and Rabbis knew the Ten Commandments as the Ten Words, so that is where the book title originates. The first thing that knocked me over was the fact the plagues in Egypt coincided with the Egyptian gods. I had no idea! For example, the Egyptian god Heqet was the frog-goddess of birth. Frogs were sacred and not to be killed. God killed them by the thousands! Was God making fun of their gods? Jen says, “One God toppled all rivals.” When we cling to our idols, James 1:8 says we are unstable in all we do. Now, nobody I know walks around worshiping a small, carved statue, but Jen suggests many other things that can serve as idols—the house we live in, our children, our bodies, money, jobs, etc.
What do you think when you hear, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”? You probably think you’re free and clear on that one. Let me give you some things to think about:
God’s name represents his character and purpose: holy, loving, just, compassionate, omnipresent, gracious, sovereign, merciful and good, just to name a few things. The author lists several sins that go against God’s character:
The Sin of Inconsistency – fearing a deficit in my character and swearing an oath to correct it
The Sin of Misattribution – making our own plans to carry out in God’s name
The Sin of Lip Service – speaking hallowed words while living hollow lives
The Sin of Informality – speaking disrespectfully of or to God by succumbing to informality
Every single one stepped on my toes! How many times do I misrepresent the character of God by committing these offenses to others?
“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” This took on a whole new meaning during my visit to Israel in March. The Jewish people still hold firm to this law, to the effect that the whole country almost shuts down during Shabbat (every Saturday). (Good luck finding a scrambled egg on the breakfast buffet—there is no cooking in any form, or squeezing fruit, selecting, kneading, grinding or mashing.) How do we apply this law to our lives in America? The main ideal is preparation. Do what you must in order to rest on Sunday (or your day off if not Sunday), especially in this busy, 24-hour world in which we now find ourselves. I think this must start at the top, and I look to companies like Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby that are closed on Sundays in order to give their employees rest and a day to worship. The author says, “All efforts to relieve spiritual suffering or bondage in the name of Christ show us to be true servants of the Lord of the Sabbath.”
God is a God of order. He has broken down our days into manageable blocks of time in order that we may start afresh each day, and that we will not believe in our own self-sufficiency. Rest keeps us dependent on Him.
Honor your mother and father…or honor your elders. How many of you thought you outgrew this command when you turned 18? I’m guilty of thinking this was a command for children only. Interestingly, this fifth command is the hinge point in all the commandments at which honoring moves from God, then to human authorities, then to one another. Or—heavenly submission, earthly submission, then mutual submission.
Some have had the unthinkable experience of suffering abuse at the hands of a parent. Jen says in that case, the church is to be the family your family of origin could not be.
One of the things I most loved in this chapter is when Paul instructed Timothy to relate honorably to older members as spiritual mothers and fathers (1 Timothy 5). In other words, respect your elders in the broadest sense. I love our senior adults at Council Road! Jen says they are filled with wisdom that only the passage of time can impart. And to honor those who are seen—trains our hearts to honor Him who is unseen. This is so true, and we have a treasure in our older generation here.
As of this writing, we have only completed half of the book. So, I would highly encourage those not in the summer study to get a copy and begin your own reading. As it turns out, the Ten Commandments (Ten Words) are still highly applicable to our lives today, as is all Scripture because it is breathed and inspired by God. It is a valuable guide worthy of our study and implementation.
So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
Meet the Author!
Sarah has worked at Council Road in a variety of ministries since 1984. She currently serves as the senior pastor’s assistant and staff editor. She has played flute in the CRBC orchestra since 1983 and met her husband, Dave, while serving in the music ministry together. She enjoys traveling to wherever Dave is photographing a beautiful landscape.