Journey to Jerusalem Day 19

Third Sunday, March 7 Exodus 20:1-11
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
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 a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to 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. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

DO NOT speed through Fulshear. It is a well-known speed trap.

One thing though. If you are stopped in Fulshear, you are guilty of speeding… even if it is only one mph over the posted speed. It is the same with the ten commandments. A person cannot sort of break them or partially break them. They are binary. Innocent or guilty.

And I am guilty. So are you. Don’t think so? Where would you like to start? Other gods (is God REALLY the most important thing in your life)? Using the Lord’s name improperly (it is way more serious than cussing)? Not to mention lying and coveting, which follow today’s verses.

Here’s the thing. God isn’t a traffic cop waiting to ambush you if you mess up a little. No, these commandments are intended to help us in several ways.

First, they are revelation about God himself. God is the only God. All of life should be ordered around him and should reflect his character to the world. God is holy, worthy of honor and worship.

Second, they are instructional. Remember, the ten commandments were part of a larger body of law given to the Hebrew people after their exodus from Egypt. After 400 years of slavery, God had saved them. And now, he was explaining how to live under his rule rather than Pharaoh’s.

Third, they are convicting. As noted above, we all fall short. Take these commandments seriously and you will understand why we need a savior.

Here’s a thought. Consider each of the commandments in light of the three purposes mentioned above. What do you learn about God? How should you live? Where do you need to change? Doing that will make you a better you.

Alas, it won’t help you if you speed in Fulshear.

Lord, please bring your commandments to life for us.
Amen.