Author: Aaron Hufty

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 22:35-39 (day two) 

“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” vs. 40

First century Jews had rules for everything. Most of these came from their understanding of how best to keep the 10 commandments. When taken in totality the amount of rules for everyday living was overwhelming. They were certainly well-intentioned, but also clouded the true intent to bring our lives more in line with God.

The Pharisees were constantly trying to trip up Jesus in word or deed and knew that if they could get him to commit to exalting one rule above another, they could begin to make their case against him. Isn’t it incredible that Jesus is able to disarm this challenge and sum up the law at the same time? Love God, love each other. Let everything be measured by these two thoughts. Take time today to examine how you are living your day. Does it show your love for God? Are you treating others like children of God? Start there.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:17 (day two) 

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The line between want and need can sometimes be a very fine one indeed. Type A personalities are often defined by their drive to succeed and get ahead which often begins with wanting something they don’t currently have. So where do you draw that line? One distinction that can easily be seen in the commandment is that desiring something that belongs to someone else is a good place to begin denying yourself. David’s pursuit of Bathsheba was a clear violation of this command. He knew her to be the bride of Uriah. The sin of adultery began with a sin of coveting.

Wanting to get ahead. Working to better your position or to provide for your family. These desires and pursuits, with God’s blessing, are honorable. Weighing every pursuit with a clear understanding of where God has placed you, who he has called you to be, and peace that even if you don’t get it you can be content, this is the kind of discernment help honor this commandment.

Re:Verse passage –Exodus 20:16 (day two)

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Words matter. You may say that I am in the business of words. Each week I pore over texts that we will sing in the coming services. What do they say about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit? Are they calling us to action? Do I affirm the theology of these words. It is amazing how a turn of a phrase can compromise clear understanding of the Gospel. Words matter.

You may not pore over poetry, lyrics, or anthems like I do, but your source of verbal communication is the words you speak. You have the power to build up or tear down by what you say. To edify or rebuke. Bearing false witness speaks to us on how we use our words beyond telling the truth. We must not lie, that is not in dispute, but we must also find ways to affirm who Jesus is through the words we use. When talking to or about someone take a moment to reflect on how what you are about to say will resound in Jesus’ ears. Is it worth it? Generally, no.

Perhaps we should remember the old saying. “Preach the Gospel. When necessary, use words.”

Re:Verse passage –Exodus 20:15 (day two) 

“You shall not steal.”

You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit. Do you know this phrase? If you do it likely that you have spent some time around toddlers recently. It is amazing that no matter what you give a child they immediately try and take what is given to the next child. If we are not content with where we have been placed in life, in status, in relationships the result can be to act out in a way to claim something that will alter our situation. We take possessions, we claim ideas, we cheat to get ahead when we are not content with where God has placed us. This is not a possession problem, it is a heart problem. The amount of things will not define us. Our relationship with the Lord will. Bloom where you are planted. Be content in all things.

Re:Verse passage –Exodus 20:14 (day two) 

You shall not commit adultery.

As we looked last week at the commandment forbidding murder we quickly found Jesus’ teaching on the topic. You may remember that Jesus dealt not only with the physical act of murder, but the mental state of wrath and malice. It is not too much to assume that the realm of the mind with regards to the command to refrain from adultery holds a similar warning.

We may feel good about ourselves for not committing an act of adultery, but have you allowed you mind to go where it should not? Have you ever been in a place where you began to wonder what if….? The mind is fertile ground for the enemy if not continually surrendered to God. Like most things worth fighting for, our marriages require daily re-commitment to the covenant made with each other and with the Lord. Don’t allow the what ifs. Thank God for your spouse, and work together to strengthen the foundation you have made in Him.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:13 (day two) You shall not murder.

This negative command is intended to establish a clear directive regarding the sanctity of life. We are not to take a life, but there is so much more inferred in this command. We should NOT murder, but what SHOULD we do. If we look further into scripture with the command to “love our neighbor as ourselves” it gives a clear indication of how we are to interact with each other. This command does not say you can get to the point of taking a life and then stop, no it implies that if we treat each other as image bearers of our Creator our interactions will be much more fruitful. As you look at the days ahead don’t just reach for the low-hanging fruit. Don’t murder….yes, but go further. Treat your neighbor as a fellow journeyman to Jesus. It will certainly change the narrative.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:12 (day two) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Isn’t it incredible that God gives us such a wonderful promise for obeying his command. He certainly does not have to do that. We have all parented using the always effective “because I said so” trope. If ever there was a parent who could get away with that line, surely it’s the Lord. Yet, he doesn’t. He says by given honor to your parents who nurtured and cared for you before you even remember it, at your most innocent and vulnerable stage, then you will be blessed.

The Christian walk is not one that looks to do things for what we might get out of it. That is not what Jesus taught, or how he lived. We act or do not act because it brings glory to our Heavenly Father, and in his great design and mercy He has made provision to bless us. Isn’t our God amazing?

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:8-11 (day two) 

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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.

Sabbath = Rest         Holy = Set Apart

I have sat looking at those two words for several minutes. What comes most to my mind is indictment. I struggle to understand holy rest.  I get exhaustion and general fatigue, but not a regularly recurring respite from the world. If I’m really honest it sounds lazy. That is my confession, but it comes by way of a cultural understanding that there are many that struggle with Sabbath. One of the chronic conditions facing many Americans today is  poor mental health. There is no simple fix, but as believers I would challenge everyone to consider how we are treating this commandment and what the consequences are for us and our children. Why is something so seemingly easy, so dreadfully hard for us to obey? Talk with your family today. How are you going to actively pursue rest?

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:7 (day two) 

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

Words matter. Choosing the way to ask for something can move from a simple plea to a dogmatic demand with a turn of a phrase. I often lament that we don’t exercise our linguistic muscles as a society anymore, and therefore lose the ability to accurately communicate our intent. When we reduce our language to sound-bite worthy statements we lose something of what it means to express ourselves in a meaningful way. How we talk about God and communicate His love and plan is mission critical for all believers, but we are not to wield His name or authority like a blunt instrument. God does not speak idly, and nor should we. Let’s think about praying before speaking on God’s behalf. We may find it better to say nothing at all.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:4-6 (day two) 

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

This command has a very contextual to its original audience, and a broader application for the rest of us. The Lord was speaking directly to a people who had come from a land filled with images, statutes, monuments all with some imbued power the Egyptians believed they possessed. The people of Israel were being cautioned away from that type of worship. God will not be contained in a object.

Our warning is simple, and yet we still are in the idol business today. It may not look as overt as a golden calf, but how we idolize fame, fortune, possessions. They very quickly take the place that should be reserved for God. Don’t miss the promise of God’s lovingkindness promised to us that obey. Keep focused.