The Ten Commandments have been respected for centuries. They represent the shorthand version of the laws of God that were shared through Moses to the Israelites. Then they were upheld and expounded upon by Jesus and his apostles to the rest of the world. The Ten Commandments represent the most important moral laws in existence. Therefore, if they are followed, people will be appropriately righteous according to human standards. God has much higher standards and expects us to strive toward those goals. But God also knows we are incapable of being completely righteous because we’re human and sinful. The information provided here will expound on the meaning of each commandment.
“1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
First Commandment
“3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
God was referring to false gods or made up gods. He was not saying that other gods actually exist. God is the only God and is referred to in many ways. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, I AM, King of King and Lord of Lords, Elohim, Adonai, YHWH, Jesus, Yeshua, Jehovah and many other descriptive terms for the Only God. We are to worship God shared within the pages of the Bible and serve only Him.
Second Commandment
“4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."
The almighty and only true God cannot be contained within an idol or graven image. God said that we are made in His image, yet, even a carved image of a man cannot adequately describe God. Therefore, any images that are created as objects of worship are absolutely worthless. If you worship the Cross, the Bible, a statue of the Virgin Mary, a statue of Zeus, a statue of Satan or any other creature or critter you are breaking the second commandment. The infinite God of the Bible is beyond the confines of an idol as well as beyond the confines of the universe that He created.
"5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”
God refers to Himself as a jealous God because He created us and therefore has complete and unquestioned ownership of us. Whether we like it, agree with it or not. It’s just a fact. So, when we stray away from Him, He has the right to be jealous. Then God says that our iniquity will be upon our children and grandchildren. This is not a curse! It is a prophesy and reality. If you fail to teach your children to worship, love and trust God then they won’t worship, love, and trust Him. If you show contempt for God, your children will also. It’s just that simple.
"6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
God finishes the second commandment by asking us to show mercy to anyone that loves the one true God. So, we Christians are to love, cherish, and have mercy on each other while extending grace to those that fall. We are to pick them up, not beat them down.
Third Commandment
“7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
According to Webster, the term vain means, “Empty; worthless; having no substance, value or importance.” So, if you use Gods name in a manner that makes it empty, worthless or without importance, you are perpetrating evil. Remember, God is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, self-existent, creator, master, and sustainer of absolutely everything that ever was or will be. Using His name in vain is just straight-up evil.
Fourth Commandment
“8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:"
We are to reserve a day from each week to rest and worship God. It doesn’t really matter which day. This has been debated often because the Christians rest and worship on Sunday. The 7th Day Adventists rest and worship on Saturday. Furthermore, the Jews rest and worship on their Saturday that actually starts at sundown on Friday. We are called to have one day of rest. We choose to also worship on that day, but we are actually to be in a constant state of worship.
"11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
This fourth commandment also emphasizes the creation week. God created everything in 6 days. Then he rested, not because he was tired, but to provide a precedent for our lives. We are to work 6 days and rest for one day, as God personally demonstrated.
Fifth Commandment
“12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
It is often emphasized that this is the only commandment with a promise. If you honor your mother and father, you’ll have a long life. I personally think that this is not necessarily a promise, but a warning. Children, if you’re evil to your parents you may not make it through your childhood. Because if children are disobedient, as Bill Cosby jested, “I brought you into this world, so I’ll take you out.” Also, in Levitical Law, children that were disrespectful enough to actually curse their parents could be stoned to death. We should honor our parents!
Sixth Commandment
“13 Thou shalt not kill.”
This is pretty self-explanatory but still needs to be clarified. This is referring to premeditated murder with malice and forethought. This commandment does not pertain to accidental deaths, executions, or being ordered to kill during the time of war. The Hebrew word translated into English as kill is ratsach which means murder.
Seventh Commandment
“14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
This was also pretty self-explanatory until recently. The redefinition of marriage has scrambled the meaning for some. It actually means that you are only to have sex with your spouse. Specifically, your husband or wife within the context of a traditional God ordained marriage between one man and one woman. Wow, I never thought I would ever have to define it like that, but now you have too. The world has gone crazy.
Eighth Commandment
“15 Thou shalt not steal.”
This is still self-explanatory. But allow me to explain anyway. You should not take something that belongs to another person without their permission. This is without regard to what it is, including water and food. You have no right to take what is not yours even if not stealing results in your death. You cannot have it without permission and the permission must be in accordance with the owner's will. Not through deception or coercion.
Ninth Commandment
“16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
This is basically lying. You should not tell any lies about anyone. Because in this global society, with its global communication, everyone is your neighbor.
Tenth Commandment
“17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.”
This tenth commandment is basically saying that we are to be grateful, joyful and content with what we have. Desiring what others have is evil. Specifically, because if God wanted you to have it, He would have given it to you. Or, you're just not ready for it yet. We all need to strive to better ourselves and improve our lives. But we should also not desire what others have, just because they have it and we don’t. We should work for what we have and be content with what God sees fit to allow us to have. Because it’s all His anyway. He generously lets us borrow it while we are alive and mortal.
The Ten Commandments
I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have to explain the Ten Commandments. They are simple and straight forward from my perspective. But in today’s gender confused, secular humanistic, hedonistic, and evil society I felt compelled to explain them. I pray that this opens eyes. I hope that this helps people understand Gods perspective. I also pray that if you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you will consider it.
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