In the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, there is a staircase described as a “miraculous staircase.” When the chapel was built, the designers failed to allot space for a staircase that would lead to the balcony. The story goes that an unknown itinerant carpenter named Joseph showed up and built this staircase. Although there is one iron rod helping fix the staircase to a pillar, there is no central post and the stairs hold each other up. After building the staircase, for which he refused to take money, the carpenter disappeared. The Sisters of Loretto always believed that it was St. Joseph who built the staircase. The Ten Commandments are very much like this staircase.
The big mistake many people make is taking each Commandment individually rather than realizing that the Commandments build on one another. God had excellent reasons for each Commandment being located where it is on the list. Let’s look at the Commandments.
1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” God wants us to know who He is and that He must be #1 in our lives. This is foundational. If we are not honoring God first in our lives, we are doomed to failure, spiritually and otherwise.
2. “You shall not make idols.” God wants to make sure that we are not worshiping anything other or less than Him. Unfortunately, we are prone to make idols out of all kinds of things – family members, pets, vehicles, houses, jobs, money – the list is endless. Keep that list in mind as we go through the rest of the Commandments.
3. “You shall not take the Name of the Lord Your God in vain.” Misusing God’s Name means that you have no respect for Him or for His Commandments. Failing to honor God opens the way for all kinds of other sins.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” God wants us to worship Him on a regular basis. Human beings have short attention spans; that on which we spend the most time is actually the thing that we are worshiping.
5. “Honor your father and your mother.” We are to honor the parents we have been given, whether or not they are good or admirable. Our obedience opens the way to blessings for us. Notice that we are not required to make excuses for our parents or to ignore any bad behavior. But remember that by totally rejecting your parents, you are actually rejecting yourself and setting yourself up for problems.
6. “You shall not murder.” Only God can give life or take it away; that’s not our prerogative. Guard your heart so that murderous thoughts or wishes have no place to enter! What about violent movies and video games? Such things deaden your soul and predispose you to violence of your own. Watching such things is like juggling Anthrax spores without a filtration mask! You WILL become infected!
7. “You shall not commit adultery.” Adultery in a very real sense is a form of murder, the murder of the marriage relationship. God has planned that when husbands and wives come together, they become “one flesh” and share things spiritually. Adultery tears the “one flesh” apart and reduces each marital partner to the status of an individual deprived of the comfort the marriage can bring. If you really know Who God is and if you honor Him in your life, if you have honored your parents as much as you can, you will fear God and you will not choose to grieve Him. Adultery grieves God!
8. “You shall not steal.” Leave all of your neighbor’s belongings alone, including their family members, their reputations, etc. Years ago, we belonged to a church with a dynamic youth group leader. There was only one problem; this youth group leader boasted that he was closer to the kids than were their own parents. In some cases, the youth group leader tried to act as an advocate for the kids in disputes with their parents, taking the side of the kids. (The disputes under discussion were normal teen things, nothing such as overt sexual abuse or other reportable crimes.) Only God can judge hearts; however, when a leader of any group oversteps his/her boundaries, alarm bells should be going off in everybody’s heads!
At various times, churches and other religious groups have taken the place of family relationships. The most horrible example of this kind of theft was the Jim Jones cult, in which hundreds of followers moved with Jones to Belize. When the cult was in danger of being exposed, Jones had his followers drink poisoned Kool – Aid and then committed suicide himself. In this case, stealing people’s loyalties led to mass murder.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Lying about someone steals their reputation and may make it impossible for them to support themselves and their families. By spreading false rumors about someone, you are violating every one of the Commandments.
10. “You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Lusting for anything/anybody/any relationship/any job, etc., violates every one of the Commandments and can lead to adultery, theft, or even outright murder.
APPLICATION: “WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND!” Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Many times we want to blame God for our problems; meanwhile, we are the ones who refuse to follow God’s Commandments, choosing to be our own little gods instead.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for your Commandments! Help us to write them on our hearts and to make them part of our every day lives so that we will be able to worthily serve you. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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