#BibleLesson. Timeless Truths. Living With God Part 1
And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “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. 5 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, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:1-11
Israel was enslaved by a cruel pharaoh. Today, you can be a slave to other kinds of pharaohs: money, job.
- Ethics aren’t what not to do but what we ought to be.
- The 10 Commandments are transforming precepts.
- Commandments 1-3 are about loyalty and remaining loyal to God in appreciation for what he has done for you.
- Loyalty had more clout in the past. Loyalty to job, marriage, and church, was common and long-lasting. That’s less so today.
Loyalty requires work.
Verse 3. There is risk in placing loyalty in one God.
- Other people at the time of Hebrews had multiple gods.
- Today people give love, time, and loyalty to issues and concerns that might improve their lot. These are other gods.
- God took that risk, too:
Loyalty means relinquishing control
Verse 4. When you make your own God, you can control it.
- Freedom from slavery of any kind does not free you from external authority.
- Escape from Egyptian slavery was exchanging a bad master (Pharaoh) for a good one (God).
- You need to be careful not to become your own master.
Loyalty means relationship
Verse 5. Jealousy in the passage means not to allow things to hinder or hamper your relationship with God.
- God demands and requires your love and loyalty in a relationship with Him.
- You cannot live with God with divided loyalty. The idols in your life are idols that your children will worship in their life.
- Divided loyalty impacts future generations.
Loyalty demands responsibility
Verse 7. A name today has less meaning than what is said after that name by others.
- You must be careful not to involve God’s name in inappropriate times, manners, and circumstances.
- As you carry the name Christian, how we impact the world and help, and vice versa is very important.
- God has given you his name. That has enormous importance to you.
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