The Ten commandments are found in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Exodus chapter 20, we read that these ten commandments are:
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| Image Taken From LDS.org |
- Do not kill
- You will not kill
- Thou shalt not kill
For me, translation 3 is the least applicable to my lingo. Using translations 1 and 2 helps the ten commandments to seem more direct and forceful, like they still should be in the world today.
Now looking at some of the commandments individually I will help define some words to clarify even more what we are expected to do to observe these ten commandments:
The first talks about having no other gods before the god of the Old Testament. Jehova is this God. He is the pre-mortal Jesus. In today's busy world, I would say that most of us let "other gods" come before Jesus Christ, myself included at times. A few samples of "other gods" might include:
- Social media
- A career
- A hobby
- TV, movies, video games, smart phones, and other electronic devices
- Our "favorite sin" (you know, the one that we know we have a problem with, but aren't ready to let go)
Such things aren't inherently bad or wrong, but when they take the place of Jesus Christ, they become "other gods" in our lives. To help me with this commandment, I set a goal this year to not use social media unless I've already studied the scriptures that day. I can count many days where I did my scripture reading (not even studying) right before falling to sleep, but somehow managed to fit 15, 30, even 60 minutes of Facebook into my day. I'm doing fairly well with this goal, but don't be afraid to check up on me if you see me active on Facebook.
The third tells us to not take the name of God in vain. I decided to look up the word "vain" and the phrase "take in vain" to better understand this commandment. "Vain" basically means without effect or avail; irreverent or improper manner. "Take in vain" means to abuse, misuse, and/or pervert.
With these definitions I learned that when we use the name of God (or any other similar name: Jesus, Jehova, Allah, etc.) irreverently, we are not in line with this commandment. I recently watched Disney's Aladdin and noticed that there were several uses of the name Allah, two of which I would definitely deem irreverent. Since Allah means "the God" in Arabic, and Islam (who practice their religion in Arabic) is an Abrahamic religion (meaning they believe they are descendants of Abraham through Ishmael), then using the name of Allah is nearly the same as using the name of God in Christian religions. To be safe, we should respect the names of the gods of all religions. This way we will be blessed for living the third commandment and we will also avoid offending others for insulting their god.
The fourth tells us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. This commandment comes with a lot of specific details in Exodus 20:8-11. Specifically, it tells us that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. We are to likewise rest from our labors on the Sabbath and worship God on that day. Originally, the Sabbath was Saturday as the Jews and Seventh Day Adventists still observe (among others). After Christ was resurrected on the first day of the week (Sunday) His followers began to meet on Sunday rather than Saturday. More important than the actual day of observance is the act of keeping a day Holy. On the Sabbath we should refrain from working, physical activities such as exercise and sports, and fill the day with worship. A day of rest doesn't mean we should nap all day and do nothing. We really should find things to do that help us to grow spiritually. We need to remember the day so that we will keep it as a holy day.
The fifth is about honoring our parents. This is the only commandment of the ten that comes with a blessing: "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." To honor is to hold in high respect. That doesn't mean we must blindly do everything that our parents tell us. Rather we should follow their rules while we are in their house (as long as they don't conflict with Gods rules) and hold their opinions and advice in high regard.
The eighth is about not stealing. In a largely digital world, we need to make sure we give credit to others when we use their content. This means that we get permissions where needed, reference the things we use from others, and pay for media that is copyrighted.
The ninth is about not bearing false witness. This includes lying to cover for someone else. It's better to be honest than to be liked (not that we should be verbal and brutally honest about every single thing we are thinking).
The tenth is about not coveting. To covet is to desire something wrongfully.Thus if we want to have all sorts of things to appear great before mankind, then that is wrongfully desiring. It is good to have righteous desires, but we need to make sure we are doing things for the right reasons.
When Jesus taught during His ministry, he fulfilled the Law of Moses. The ten commandments are part of this law. Jesus fulfilled the law by placing a higher law for his followers. His higher law requires more accountability. One example of His higher law is found in Matthew 5:27-28:
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
In order to follow Jesus, the ten commandments are a good place to start, but eventually we must learn to live His higher law. The ten commandments will keep any society in a peaceful and loving state. Plus we receive blessings for every commandment we keep, and this is a great way to be worthy of a handful of blessings.
As mentioned above, these are my own insights, and I don't intend to impose them on anyone else, but I like to put them out for others to review and incorporate as desired. I hope someone is enlightened by something I've had to say.
