Today we conclude our three weeks series on the Ten
Commandments, which are also called, the decalogue. The late American filmmaker
Cecil B. DeMille said: “Humanity has made
32,600,000 laws, but hasn’t yet succeeded in improving on the 10 Commandments.”
In the late 1990's, the Tennessee Senate approved a
resolution encouraging homes, businesses, houses of worship, places of work,
and schools to post and observe the Ten Commandments. The resolution cited the declining moral
standards in our nation as the reason.
It wasn't a law, it was merely a resolution to “encourage” Tennessee citizens to
heed and post the Ten Commandments.
Tennesseen's were completely free to follow or ignore the resolution.
What do you think of such a resolution? Personally I agree with it. The 10 commandments are God's moral
compass. They provide God's direction
for people who are spiritually and morally lost. They are God's word for people who have not
heard the word of God. In my view there
has been a decline in our nations’ moral standards. I would like to see California citizens post the Ten
Commandments, this classic summary of our Judeo/Christian moral and spiritual
values. Is there a chance it could
happen? Realistically, no. But people are free to post them in their
homes.
Is this a new idea?
No, it is actually an old Jewish tradition. You may have heard of the mezuzah. Mezuzah is a Hebrew word which literally
means “doorpost.” It's a small wooden,
metal or glass case, about three inches in length, which is placed on the
doorpost of a Jewish home. Inside the
case is a tiny parchment, on which is inscribed the Ten commandments.
It's aim is to instill God’s law in people's minds and
hearts at home and away from home. They
are a constant reminder of God’s presence and God’s command for us to lead
faithful, righteous, good and moral lives.
We now turn to the last three commandments.
The Eighth Commandment is: You Shall not steal. This command is so basic. Author Robert Fulghum's book, All I Really
Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, said it well: Lesson number six - “Don't take things that aren't yours.”
God knew that His covenant with Israel could not be sustained and
that the covenant and Israelite society itself would collapse, if theft, at all
levels, became rampant. God is saying
one has the right to own property and one’s rights of ownership should be
respected.
The prohibition against stealing is necessary for the
stability and well-being of society.
Honesty and economic justice are core values of any society. The very future of society is in peril,
wherever theft occurs: in the medical community, in government, in the
military, in business, in education, in churches or in our homes. We are bombarded with warnings about
identity theft today.
The perception of theft in our communities today is
overwhelming. We read that one in four
Americans will be a victim of crime each year and the majority of those crimes
will be thefts. There is some light in
the picture. The number of property
crimes in the United States
from January to June of 2014 decreased 7.5 percent when compared with the same
time period in 2013. Property crimes
include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.
I was particularly acute to the possibility of car theft
after we lived for many years in Los
Angeles . I
recall in 1995 when I received a call to a church in Colorado .
We moved from Santa Monica to Monument, Colorado , a small town just north of Colorado Springs . Nancy and I were on guard and made sure the
car was locked. So in addition to our
car alarm we would also attach a club locking device on our steering wheel. The
only thing we didn’t have was a large Rotweiller sitting in the front seat with
a sign in his mouth saying: “Make my
Day.” We both remembered getting strange
looks from people when we would park the car and go through the steps to lock
it up. It turned out car theft was
almost unheard of in Monument. No one
locked their car. Crime was almost
non-existent. It took awhile to change
our habits.
This commandment forbidding stealing is broad. It prohibits stealing another human being,
kidnapping. Then, as today around the
world, human beings are kidnapped for various nefarious purposes, including
selling them into slavery and for ransom.
God has created human beings with a sacred right, the right to life, to
liberty, the right to live in freedom. Secondly, it forbids the stealing of another's
property. God declares that people have
a right to own and protect private property.
The third meaning concerns stealing the many non-material things an
individual owns – your reputation, your good name, your dignity, your sense of
trust and personal safety.
Let's turn to The Ninth Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against another” or “give false
testimony against your neighbor.”
The original context of this commandment was people lying in
Israel 's
courts of law. God is deeply concerned
about fairness in the legal justice system.
God knew that Israel
could not survive if its system of justice was corruptible. Obviously that is true today. A corrupt legal system, unscrupulous judges
and lawyers can threaten a nation's survival.
God commands us to be honest in our private dealings and in our pubic
dealings.
We give false testimony by intentionally leaving something
out of a story, telling a half-truth, twisting the facts, or making false
accusations, unfounded allegations, groundless claims, boldface lies about
others. God warns us against such
deceit. A society cannot endure when it
holds contempt for truth whether inside or outside the courtroom. Even though lying and making false accusations
is a way of life for some, God's people must never give into it. God calls upon his followers, you and me, to
speak the truth, to tell the truth.
A false accusation can of course ruin a person’s
reputation. It can convict someone
unfairly, send an innocent person to prison, lead them to being unjustly fined,
or result in a guiltless person’s execution for a crime.
True, truth-telling as a witness can be complicated. To truthfully tell what you saw, what you
heard, what you know, is not always simple given the various circumstances of
an incident, from a crime to a traffic accident. Perception is always involved. We hear stories today of false claims about
rape, racism, assault, child abuse, workplace intimidation, school yard
bullying. It is a daunting task for law
enforcement and the court system to investigate and ascertain the truth of a
reported crime against a person or persons.
When you strive to live truthfully, you acknowledge God's
authority over your life, you show respect for God, you honor and obey
God. By truthful living you treat others
with dignity. God has created us for
truthful living and by his grace, God has endowed us with the courage and
wisdom to tell the truth.
Searching for truth and being truthful to one another, is
one of the greatest hallmarks of what it means to be created in God's image, to
being a human being, to being a follower of Jesus.
Poet Beth Day wrote:
“Make it pass, before you speak,
three gates of gold: These narrow
gates: First, “Is it true?” Then, “Is it needful?” And the next is last and narrowest, “Is it kind?”
And if to reach your lips at last, it passes through these gates three,
then you may tell the tale, nor fear, what the result of speech may be.”
God’s final imperative in the decalogue is an urgent
word: You shall not Covet! Coveting, really. Coveting doesn't hurt anyone, why a commandment?
Author Dennis Prager writes:
“This is the only one of the Ten
Commandments that legislates thought.
All the other commands legislate behavior. Coveting is what leads to violating the other
commandments, coveting so often leads to evil.”
The Hebrew word for covet is “lachmod.” The word is not about a passing fancy - “Oh, I wouldn’t mind having that” or “That is nice, I like that,” or about
admiring someone else's possessions. The
Hebrew word used here is a strong one.
It refers to a chronic personal attitude of dissatisfaction,
discontentment, an obsession with something or someone, hyper-jealousy, an
intense wanting or preoccupation toward something or someone else. It deeply resents that someone has something
you don't have. It is an all-consuming
envy which can pollute one's mind and distort one’s perception. It’s a destructive emotion, a lusting after,
a drive or fixation to possess what others have.
Covet in Hebrew further includes planning and scheming to
acquire what someone else has. It can
range from another's material possessions, to their success, their position,
their spouse, their children, their name.
The modern day stalker is a frightening example of one who violates this
commandment. The stalker is relentless
in his or her drive to possess some person.
The source of coveting is of course human sin. The sin of
pride, idolatry, insecurity, a deep seated unhappiness within ourselves. God in
this commandment links our inward desires with our outward actions. God knows it all begins in the heart, with
our inner thoughts, the seed of an evil thought which grows into murder,
adultery, lying, stealing.
In the Bible, King David coveted Bathsheba, and had her
husband, Uriah the Hittite killed in battle in order to possess her. King Ahab and Jezebel coveted Naboth’s
vineyard, and had him killed in order to acquire it.
Covetousness is the enemy of serenity, tranquility, inner
peace. Can we have inner-peace if our
hearts are eaten up with a powerful desire for things that are not ours? Covetousness is the enemy of peace in the
family. I have personally witnessed
families battling over wills and property and inheritance issues. Covetousness is the enemy of peace in the
church. Covetousness is the enemy of peace
in the workplace, the community, the nation and in the world.
If you are struggling with coveting, turn to the Lord and
pray: “I seek your help God. Change my heart. Free me from this obsession. I have sinned. Forgive.
Make me whole. I seek your blessing.” And be assured that there is power in God's
word of mercy, forgiveness, and blessing.
Through repentance and confession, the Holy Spirit begins a new work
within us.
An inner transformation begins to occur and we begin to
enjoy and value our lives and not resent
what others have that we lack. We begin
to celebrate the success of others instead of being jealous and resentful. We discover true blessing in giving to others,
rather than getting from others what we desire.
God will transform the envy that can burn within into a genuine sense of
inner-peace and contentment.
As we study the commandments, they drive us toward God whom
we encounter both as holy judge and merciful savior. And by the inward working of God’s Spirit,
they gradually change from being external rules, to becoming God's word written
on our hearts. We see them as they are:
signs of God’s steadfast love commanding us to lead good and righteous lives
which love, worship and honor God and treat others with respect and justice.
For God’s plan for creation is where people are more
concerned with their neighbors’ good, than with their neighbor’s goods. Amen!
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