TEN GREAT FREEDOMS
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Opening Prayer
Today, as I reflect on the Commandments you gave and the benefits that are mine in obeying them, Lord God, inspire in me a greater commitment to keep them.
Read DEUTERONOMY 5:1–21
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Ten Commandments
5 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors[a] that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
7 “You shall have no other gods before[b] me.
8 “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. 9 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, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 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 ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 5:3 Or not only with our parents
- Deuteronomy 5:7 Or besides
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Culture rests on cult; values presuppose beliefs. What is your understanding of how beliefs and behavior interact?
Reflect quietly on the Ten Commandments. Do you know them by heart? From childhood? Philip Rieff, an American writer on philosophy and social ethics, wrote that ‘a culture is known by the behavior it forbids’. Do you agree with this assertion? Why should it be so? Deuteronomy 1–4 sets the context for this final great Mosaic statement. Chapters 5–11 set the heart of the covenant, before chapters 12–26 lay out detailed legislation. Take note of the initial words, ‘Hear … Learn … follow’. A generation had passed away since God’s original covenant had been made with the Israelites at Mount Horeb, but Moses insists that the covenant is ‘with us who are here alive today’ (v. 3). Moses also highlights his own mediatorial role (v. 5). I thank God that I had someone who mediated to me the knowledge of God while I was still young.
Many people who have a superficial knowledge of the Bible summarize the Old Testament as ‘law’ and the New Testament as ‘grace’—but the Ten Commandments were preceded by redemption in verse 6. The commandments that follow, and which are to shape Israel’s life, include a focus on the rescue from slavery in Egypt by God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm (v 15). Repeat the Ten Commandments to yourself slowly, pausing on each one. Remember how the Lord Jesus did not abolish these laws but instead intensified them.
The rules of a game give freedom to the game and pleasure to the spectators. Likewise, if you buy an expensive piece of electronic equipment, it will come with the manufacturer’s instructions. It is in the keeping of these instructions that you will enjoy your purchase fully. A famous prayer includes the words ‘whose service is perfect freedom’.1
Apply
Is there a commandment that you find harder to keep than others? What steps can you take to find greater victory?
Closing prayer
With repentance, I pray for your forgiveness, Lord God—forgiveness for when I have broken your commandments. Boldly, I pray that I and my society (re)discover the freedom that these laws bring.
1 Collect for Peace, Morning Prayer, The Book of Common Prayer
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