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Hear the narration of this devotional here: https://bit.ly/2Sgl1rD
1 Then God spoke all these words: 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 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 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. 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. (Exodus 20:1-17 NRSV)
A Wonderful Wednesday be yours, dear Friend!
We have learned that the entire Exodus journey was a formational process; God wanted to form a people and used the 40 years in the wilderness as a moveable classroom, and it leads us here to Mount Sinai, where God lays down the law, written by God's hands onto two stone tablets with monumental instruction that became the basis for many of the world's judicial systems, called Mosaic Law. These are commandments, not suggestion nor guidelines. They are the foundational structure upon which to build a solid relationship with God, oneself, and one's neighbor. Each merits a careful examination.
The first is a declaration of love and the revealing of an exclusive domain; God declares, "I am the Lord, and I am yours, by being your God. And a reminder; I brought you out of the land of Egypt and all the evil and hardship that that represented in your history there; slavery, oppression, hardship and an alien residency in a land that was not yours then, nor now. You are to have no other gods other than me.
The second is plain and simple; Do not make any handmade image and call it a god. That's nonsense. If you form a bird, that's a bird, not a god. If you form a snake, it's a snake, not a god. And who looks foolish bowing down and worshiping creation? You who do this. I am a jealous God, and I will punish those who do worship other things. My wrath will visit other generations of your family if you do such things, but if you love me, I will love you with a steadfast love; so show your love by keeping my commandments.
The third, and quite possibly the most violated almost on a daily basis; you shall not make wrongful use of my name. God's name, like God Himself, is holy, and to use it in any other setting or context, is to violate the sacredness of God's name. And to use that Holy name in a swear or cuss? We should know better!
The fourth is to keep the Sabbath as a holy day. Out of the seven days that God has given us in a week, six of them are days in which we can work, but set aside one as a day for God. Keep it consecrated, and by so doing, you consecrate yourselves as well.
The fifth is to honor your father and mother. To do that is to receive the fullness of life extended even into a longer life.
The sixth is to respect the sacredness of life by not murdering. As a child you heard it as, "Thou shall not kill." It still holds true.
The seventh is to not commit adultery. To do so is to violate the sacredness of marriage.
The eighth is to respect things that do not belong to you; if you take what is not yours, you're breaking God's law and, as holds true for all of the commandments, we break God's heart.
The ninth is for us to not bear false witness against our neighbor. We are to be honest and truthful with each other, and certainly with Him who knows all things.
The tenth is to not covet, or desire, those things which belong to our neighbor; his wife, servants, property and livestock.
To live a life that follows all of those commandments puts us in a right relationship with God. Seek to bless God by blessing yourselves in being righteous and faithful before God. Imagine the fullness of life's blessings that come to those who follow and live these as being the only way to live.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, beyond being nice wall decorations, these are Your laws for us to live as responsible and caring beings with You and with others. Guide us to faithfully following them in ways that bless You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Ask someone today if they know all Big Ten by memory! Then dazzle them by YOU showing that you do!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
