Category: The Ten Commandments

(Exo 20:3 NIV)  "You shall have no other gods before me. Do we have other gods? Read more about Christians and idolatry Be careful of relationships that can lead us to idolatry (1 Ki 11:1-6 NIV)  King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter--Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. {2} They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. {3} He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. {4} As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD…

The commandment (Exo 20:13 NIV)  "You shall not murder. The reason why we cannot murder is because man is created in the image of God. There is sanctity in human life. (Gen 9:5-6 NIV)  And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. {6} "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. Anger (Mat 5:21-22 NIV)  "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' {22} But I tell you that anyone who is…

(Exo 20:4 NIV)  "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. Do not form God into our image (Exo 20:24-25 NIV)  "'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. {25} If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. To prevent idolatry from creeping into worship, God did not allow the altar stones to be cut or shaped into any form.…

The commandment (Exo 20:17 NIV)  "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." The word covet means to desire or delight. Covetousness leads to all kinds of sins (Micah 2:2 NIV)  They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance. (James 4:2 NIV)  You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. This exact thing happened to King David. He covet for another man’s wife. This initial sin of covetousness led to greater evil. He eventually had to have the woman’s…

The commandment [Ex 20:8] "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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. [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. Blessings for those who keep the Sabbath (Isa 56:2 NIV)  Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the…

(Exo 20:7 NIV)  "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Careless usage of God’s name The first thing that comes to mind when we say God’s name is used in vain is when we use it carelessly in conversations. We use phrases like “Oh my God!” or “Jesus (or Gee)”  simply like an exclamation mark. The concept of God or what His name signifies is totally not in our minds when we utter it. attitude has deteriorated so much from the Old Testament days when people would not even utter the name of God out of reverence. That was why the name of the Lord was “YHWH”, without the vowels so that it was…

The commandment (Exo 20:14 NIV)  "You shall not commit adultery. Severe penalties for committing adultery (Lev 20:10 NIV)  "'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. (Prov 2:16-18 NIV)  It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, {17} who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. {18} For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. Pro 6:24  It can keep you away from bad women, from the seductive words of other men's wives. Pro 6:25  Don't be tempted by their beauty; don't be trapped by their flirting eyes. Pro 6:26 …

The commandment (Exo 20:16 NIV)  "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. The above commandment is actually specific about lying against one’s neighbor. However, we can talk about the broader sin of lying, which is also condemned throughout the Bible. We may not place lying as very serious sins but the Bible places it among murder, stirring up strife, etc. Proverbs 6:16­19 (NIV) There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Not only was lying put alongside the sins we…

The commandment (Exo 20:15 NIV)  "You shall not steal. Stealing dignity In Acts 19, we read that when Paul went to Ephesus and preached there, many turned away from the worship of the goddess Diana and became Christians. This caused the silversmith to lose business as they were selling images of the goddess Diana. (Acts 19:24-27 NIV)  A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. {25} He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. {26} And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia.…

Why we need to honor our parents We are commanded to do so (Exo 20:12 NIV)  "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Eph 6:1-3 NIV)  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. {2} "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- {3} "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." (Deu 27:16 NIV)  "Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" As in many commandments in the Bible, there are blessings if we obey and curses if we disobey. Nothing is neutral. At this stage, we need…