The last five commandments
Reading: Exodus chapter 20 verses 13-17
Ill:
If you think your family has problems,
• Consider the marriage mayhem created when 76-year-old Bill Baker of London;
• Wed his sweetheart Edna Harvey.
• She happened to be his granddaughter’s husband’s mother.
• That’s where the confusion began, according to Baker’s granddaughter, Lynn.
• “My mother-in-law is now my step-grandmother.
• My grandfather is now my stepfather-in-law.
• My mom is my sister-in-law and my brother is my nephew.
• But even crazier is that I’m now married to my uncle;
• And my own children are my cousins.”
The Ten Commandments are all about relationships.
• In fact I think the whole Bible can be boiled down to one word;
• Relationships.
• The commandments divide into two sections;
• Not five and five but four and six.
• The first four concern our relationship to God;
• Respect for God (they are upward).
• The next six concern our relationship with other people;
• Respect for others (they are across-wards).
This morning we are looking at commandments numbers 6 to 10:
(1). Respect for life (vs 13).
• N.I.V: “Do not murder”
• K.J.B: “Thou shalt not kill”
• On the surface understanding the Ten Commandments certainly is not rocket science.
• The Ten Commandments are succinct and elegantly simple.
• They make no illusions, they don’t dance around the issues,
• They get right to the point and, really,
• They don’t actually require a lot of interpretation do they?
• Even a four year old clearly understands what most of them means!
And yet in four simple, straightforward words,
• God confronts us with complex ideas;
• That require our best thinking and deepest spiritual concern.
To get to grips with this commandment:
• We need to understand the meaning of the word translated as "kill" or as "murder".
• In the original language of the Old Testament – i.e. Hebrew:
• They have a number of other words that could more accurately be translated "kill."
• This commandment does not aim at prohibiting all killing;
• Rather it is prohibiting an act of murder, i.e. taking human life with forethought
• I would suggest that this commandment means “Murder”;
• And again I want to clarify that it means in this context the taking of human life.
• Note: The context is our relationships with other people;
• And it is not talking about how we treat animals – that is another study in itself!
• Ill: Talking to Hare-Krishna’s and they will quote this verse to us meat eaters.
• But note the context of this verse is all about relationships with other people;
So two things that need to be emphasised:
• First: “Murder” means the premeditated taking of a life.
• Second : The life we are talking about is the taking of HUMAN life!
Note:
• Throughout the Old Testament the Jewish people were allowed to defend themselves;
• That is go to war against another country.
• And if you read the O.T.
• You soon notice that there were certainly quite a few wars in the Old Testament.
• But God put clear guidelines for his people when it came to war;
• e.g. Deuteronomy chapter 20 – his people were to be different! Even in warfare!
Note:
• That in the Old Testament the Law made concessions for accidental death (Es 22:2);
• But murder (premeditated act of taking a life) was a capital offense (Ex 21:12-14).
• The Bible makes it clear that life is a gift from God:
• Therefore only He has the authority to take life.
That also means we have to do some very deep soul searching;
• When it comes to issues such as abortion and euthanasia.
• Both are the premeditated taking of a life.
Ill:
• Some medical students were attending a seminar on abortion,
• The lecturer faced them with this case study.
• “The father of the family has syphilis and the mother TB.
• They have four children already.
• The first is blind, the second died, the third deaf and dumb and the fourth has TB.
• The mother is now pregnant with her fifth child;
• And is willing to have an abortion if that is what you suggest.
• What would your advice be?”
• The students voted by a majority that the pregnancy should be terminated.
• The lecturer the replied; “Congratulations, you have just wiped out Beethoven”.
• The Bible makes it clear that life is a gift from God:
• Therefore only He has the authority to take life!
• “Do not murder!”
(2). Respect for marriage (vs 14).
“You shall not commit adultery”
Ill:
• In 1631 Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, who were the royal printers in London,
• Where licensed to reprint of the King James Bible.
• Unfortunately for them Barker and Lucas missed out one small word from the text;
• They omitted the important word "not" from Exodus chapter 20 verse 14,
• Making the seventh commandment read "Thou shalt commit adultery."
• The printers were fined £300 and most of the copies were recalled immediately.
• Although 11 copies of what is nicknamed “the wicked Bible”
• Are known to exist today.
The seventh commandment shows God’s deep concern for the sanctity of marriage.
• God knew that nothing could destroy a marriage;
• More quickly than adultery.
• So God said, "Thou shalt not" or “You shall not...” with a positive intention.
Ill:
• The other day I saw a sign that said “Do Not Enter”.
• Immediately I felt a desire to enter there.
• Like many people I responded to the negative.
• I don’t like being told what I can and cannot do.
• But next to that sign was a few other words;
• “Danger Explosives”,
• That so called negative command was actually positive;
• It was for my good and the safe keeping of others!
The seventh commandment shows God’s deep concern for the sanctity of marriage.
• God knew that nothing could destroy a marriage more quickly than adultery.
• So God said, "You shall not" with a positive intention.
Ill:
• One thing the soaps on TV teach us;
• Is surely sleeping around with other peoples partners only brings disaster in the end.
• In all my time as a Christian minister;
• “I have never met a happy adulterer!”
Quote: Doctor David Field:
• “Glue is great, but only for sticking things together.
• Use it to give yourself an artificial high and you are abusing it.
• Sex is meant for sticking people together in the tight bond of marriage.
• But having sex outside marriage is using a good thing in the wrong way.
• So adultery is the sexual equivalent of solvent abuse”
(3). Respecting for property (vs 15).
“You shall not steal”
Ill:
• Let’s start this morning by taking a little informal survey?
• Hands up anyone here ever had money stolen from them?
• Ok, how about tools, anyone ever have tools stolen?
• How about borrowed and not returned?
• Anyone ever have a bicycle stolen?
• Anyone ever have a car stolen?
• What about having something stolen from your car?
• Anyone here ever have their home broken into?
There is something intensely personal about having an object stolen from you:
• It is a violation and you feel hurt and annoyed,
• Who would do something like this?
• Maybe you felt angry,
• Anger is often an emotion that you feel after you’ve been violated.
• So to a certain degree I understand the sign that was posted that said,
• “This property protected by a pit bull with rabies”
Now here’s the flip side, a little more personal here.
• Now hands up - but how many people here have ever stolen something?
• What if I asked the question how many here have recently stolen something?
• I’m not thinking of house-breaking or armed robbery;
• But maybe it was office supplies from work,
• Maybe a little creative accounting on your tax return.
• Maybe we given too much change and decided to keep it,
• Or maybe, it was taking a grape and eating it in the produce section of Asda’s,
• Can I say if that describes you,
• We’ve just taken your picture and are turning it over to the police.
• Seriously everyone here falls into one of those two categories;
• As having been stolen from or has stolen something belonging to someone else?
Note:
• The eighth commandment simply says: "You shall not steal."
• In fact, the original Hebrew only has only two-words: "Not steal."
• That’s pretty straightforward.
• If we’re honest this morning you don’t need a preacher to explain it!
Remember the Bible does not have a problem with us having “Stuff”.
• It does however lay out the right way to acquire stuff,
• And the wrong way to acquire stuff.
• The first correct way to gain property or money is to Work For It.
• Quote: Ephesians chapter 4 verse 28:
“If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard,
so you will have something to give to people in need”.
• So the first acceptable way to acquire property or stuff is to work,
• Get paid and buy the stuff you need.
• And you should have enough left over to help others.
And if you acquire property or stuff in this manner:
• As a side benefit you will develop self respect, self esteem and confidence.
• Qualities that only come about through being honest.
(4). Respect for peoples reputations (vs 16).
“You will not give false testimony against your neighbour”
Ill:
• One time the former Prime Minister Winston Churchill;
• Did not want to accuse someone of lying in the House of Parliament
• That would have been a terrible thing to do.
• So he simply avoided it by accusing that person of;
• “Pertaining a terminological in-exactitude”.
• What he meant was; “You are a liar!”
Ill:
Here is something to get the old grey matter going:
• Somebody wrote into a national newspaper asking the question:
• ‘If I say, “I always tell lies,” am I telling the truth?’
• Among the answers given was the following:
• “The human race is made up of three types of person:
• Saints who always tell the truth,
• Devils who always tell lies;
• And sinners who sometimes tell the truth and sometimes tell lies.
• Logically a saint cannot say, “I always tell lies’ since this would be a lie.
• A devil cannot say, “I always tell lies’ since this would be the truth.
• Only a sinner can logically say, “I always tell lies,’ and this would be a lie”.
Medically it’s only:
• A two-ounce slab of muscle,
• A mucous membrane,
• Nerves that enables us to chew, to taste,
• To swallow food and to articulate words.
Ill:
Aesop, the philosopher of fables,
• Was once asked; “What is the most powerful thing in the world?”
• He replied; “The tongue”.
• He was then asked; “What is the most harmful thing in the world?”
• Once again he replied; “The tongue”.
The Ninth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness/testimony,”:
• Raises the question of truth and the power of words.
• It confronts many of the issues which have been on the front pages of our newspapers.
• As a nation we go up-in-arms at any idea that we have been lied to by our politicians,
• By the police or by other countries.
• Most of us agree that telling a lie is a bad thing.
• Treason and perjury are still regarded as two of the most serious crimes in many countries.
• In the House of Commons;
• It is against Parliamentary rules to mislead the House or to call anyone a ’liar’.
• Yet this is the generation in which we have been introduced by our national leaders;
• To phrases such as being ’economical with the truth’.
Ill:
• It’s easy to think this Commandment just refers to others;
• When was the last time you used any of these phrases?
• “Give me your number and I’ll call you back.”
• “The cheque is in the post.”
• “I’m sorry he’s not available at the moment”.
• “I’ll start my diet tomorrow”.
• “How nice to see you again.”
• “Of course I’ll pray for you.”
This Commandment is so very, very broad:
• It affects false witness in a law of court,
• But it also includes our gossiping over a coffee in the kitchen,
• Question: When did we first tell a lie?
• Answer: If you are anything like me, it was while you were in nappies!
• It has been said that by the time some children are ten years old;
• They are able to look at their parents or teachers in the eye;
• And lie to them and feel no sense of guilt or shame.
Note:
• As well as hurting those we lie about;
• Don’t forget that lies affect the liar.
• They affect our relationships with those we lie to.
• And they also affect our relationship with God –who is truth!
Ill:
• Alan Redpath was a well-known British evangelist, pastor and author;
• In one of his churches, he was going through a tough time.
• At one meeting he said, ’We are going to start an MEF.
• Who wants to join MEF, Mutual Encouragement Fellowship?
• We are going to encourage each other rather than discourage each other.
• How many of you want to join?’
• As the congregation started to raise their hands to enlist.
• He said, ’There is only one qualification you need to join this group:
• "I will think before I speak".’
• He then came up with this acrostic: THINK.
• Five questions to ask yourself before you say something:
• T - is it true?
• H - will it help?
• I - is it inspiring?
• N - is it necessary?
• K - is it kind?
• We live in an age of truth-decay. Honesty is not respected.
• So let us mean what we say and say what we mean.
(5). Respecting yourself Controlling desires (vs 17).
"You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."
Quote: The Message:
“No lusting after your neighbour’s house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don’t set your heart on anything that is your neighbour’s.”
• We all know the saying:
• The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence.
• The conversation at the other end of the room;
• Always appears more interesting than the conversation you are involved in.
• However long you take agonising over the menu deciding which dessert to have,
• When the person’s next to you arrives, you realise you have made the wrong choice!
• We all know the old adage of keeping up with the Joneses.
• And to do that:
• We so often buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have,
• To impress people we don’t even like?
Ill:
• The multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller was asked,
• ’How much money does it take for a person to be really happy?’
• He replied, ’Just a little bit more than he has.’
Ill:
King Alfred was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899.
• Alfred is noted for defending his kingdoms against the Vikings,
• He became the only English king to be given the epithet "the Great”.
• He was a learned man who encouraged education;
• And improved his kingdom’s legal system and military structure.
It was Alfred who based the legal system on the ten commandments.
• Most of the ten commandments are about acts or words,
• But the first and the last of the ten is about feelings
• The first and tenth commandments deal with what’s in the heart,
• While the other eight focus on outward actions that begin in the heart.
Answer: to covetousness – 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 6:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain”
GODLINESS – relationships enrich life more than things!
• Getting right with God;
• And therefore getting right with others!
Quote:
“The grass is not greener over that side of the fence.
The grass is not greener over this side of the fence.
The grass is greener when you water it!”
CONTENTMENT – enjoying what you have and not what you do not have.
• Ill: Every advert is made to make us discontented;
• “You deserve....bigger, better, faster....”
GREAT GAIN: – the very opposite of covetous desires.
Punchline:
Ill:
• A businessman known for his ruthlessness;
• Was talking with Mark Twain and announced,
• “Before I die, I mean to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land;
• There I will climb Mount Sinai;
• And read the Ten Commandments aloud from the top of the mountain.
• “I have a better idea”, replied Mark Twain,
• “You could stay at home and keep them”.
