Today we are looking at the Ten Commandments. Now there is an important phrase at the beginning of our text which we read today that I don’t know if anyone noticed: Deuteronomy 5:3: “It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today.” This is important because none of the people were alive when God made the original covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12-15).[1] And Moses, when he says this, he is not speaking for the most part to the people who were even alive when he received the exodus covenant/commission on Mt. Horeb (Exodus 19-24) or when the Hebrews were delivered from Egypt.[2] As Deuteronomy is taking place, most of the Exodus generation has already passed away. Moses lets the people of this next generation know, however, that they are still bound by this covenant to God even though they may not have even been born when it was first made.[3] This is what God is reminding the Hebrews before He presents the Ten Commandments to us. And this is what Jesus reminds us of in the Gospels when he confirms that all the law and the prophets hang on the fact that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul and that we must love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark, 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-27). This is interesting because the Ten Commandments themselves can be summed up exactly this way: as loving God and loving one’s neighbour.[4] You will notice that the last six or seven commands relate directly to loving one’s neighbour and that the first three or four relate directly to loving God.[5]
Today, as we look at this very important part of scripture, instead of a sermon or a homily, I have a test for us that will use most of our remaining worship time. Now I want you to write down your answers but don’t show them to anyone else, unless you feel so-led. This test today relates to how each of us loves God and our neighbours.[6] Are you ready? This is a two-part test holiness test. It has only ten questions and it is based on the Ten Commandments: The first part of this holiness test we are taking will encourage us to examine our holiness relating to our love for God. Number your papers from 1-4.
DECALOGUE HOLINESS TEST
Part 1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
1. Do we ever put anything before God? Deuteronomy 5:7 (Exodus 20:3; cf. Leviticus 26:13; Numbers 15:41; Deuteronomy 13:4-5) records the Lord’s command that “You shall have no gods before me.” This is pretty straightforward. There is only one God, so you should not put anyone or anything else before God.[7] Do we ever put anything before God? Ron mentioned to me this week that he even pulled over from his marathon drive across the West this past Sunday to attend a church service en route. This is great. Do we all do this? Do we set time aside like this or do we sometimes put our holidays or our company before God, letting them interfere with our worship of YHWH in community? Do we sometimes put television, work, homework, or friends before God: opting to do these things instead of, or more than reading our Bibles? Do we ever put our bank accounts or our friends’ opinions before God? Do we sometimes make our decisions based on our finances or our friend’s advice instead of by discerning God’s Word through prayer and Bible study? The question again: do we ever put anything before God?
2. Is there anything that maybe was meant to aid us in worship that now is successfully competing with God for our love and attention? Deuteronomy 5:8 (Exodus 20:4): “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” This is different than the first commandment. This is asking if we ever make images of God that we may be eventually tempted to wind up worshipping. Moses made a bronze snake in the desert that God later had destroyed because people began worshipping this image (Numbers 21:4-9, 2 Kings 18:4). The rightfully condemned golden calves of Aaron and Jeroboam may have been simply meant as a place for God to sit (Exodus 32; Deuteronomy 9; 1 Kings 12:28; 2 Chronicles 11:15, 13:8).[8] Do we ever make images relating to God that may wind up in essence competing with God for our attention? Do we have a version of the Bible that we will only read? Do we have certain ways of worship: a certain kind of music or tradition or sacrament or non-sacrament that once was meant to aid us in worship but is now in essence competing with God for our attention? In church, do we pay more attention to the music, the sermon, or other things than we do to God? Question 2: Is there anything that maybe was meant to aid us in worship that now is successfully competing with God for our attention?
3. Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s Name? Deuteronomy 5:11 (cf. Exodus 20:7; cf. also Leviticus 22:32): “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” The AV or KJV, that most of us grew up with and may have memorized this command in reads, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain…” We know what this means right? It can mean a couple of things, it can mean that we are not to swear an oath and then not keep it (cf. Numbers 30, Matthew 5:33-37, James 5:12).[9] It can also more commonly mean that we shouldn’t flippantly or thoughtless mention the Lord’s name.[10] We have heard people say, ‘oh my goodness’ (but not using the word ‘goodness’) as a exclamation or this new generation can simply text, ‘OMG’. Anytime we are careless like this or anytime attribute things to God that God did not say or do or anytime we use His name in careless or profane ways (some people even curse using our Lord’s name!), anytime we do these things, we are misusing the name of the Lord. Question 3: Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name, do we ever take His name in vain?
I mentioned that this holiness quiz today has two parts. This next question can go into either the first part – the ‘Love God’ part - of the test or the second part of the test – the ‘Love your neighbour’ part. Because we are primarily looking at the Deuteronomy version (the Exodus version belongs firmly in the first part) of the Ten Commandments, we should probably put this question in the Part 2 but because there are more questions in Part 2 than there are in Part 1 already we will assign it to Part 1.
4. Do we observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded? (Deuteronomy 5:12, Exodus 5:8) Now bearing in mind that Christians come together on the Lord’s Day rather than on the Sabbath as the Hebrews in the desert did; and bearing in mind that, as the authors of Romans and Hebrews point out now everyday is can actually be as a Sabbath to the Lord (Romans 14:5-6, Hebrews 4:1-2); do we, nonetheless, set aside a sacred time and space to worship God? Do we have at least one day a week where we do no work but God’s work? The Exodus version of this text records that just as God ceased from His work when Creation was complete (Exodus 20:11), we should do the same as a part of loving our God. The Deuteronomy version of our text which we read today – Deuteronomy 5:14-16 - says that because the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, we should not only cease from our work but we should not cause other people to work either – except for working for God, of course (the Priest and the Levites weren’t given Monday off in lieu of the Sabbath) - Do we ever make others work by filling up with gas or going out for lunch on the Lord’s Day? This may or may not come into play now, after the resurrection, now that of the tomb is empty (Cf. Romans 14:5-6, Hebrews 4:1-2). But I will leave this question with us anyway: do we keep at least one day as holy, as the Lord our God has commanded us to keep it holy?
This concludes Part 1, the ‘Love God’ part of our Decalogue Holiness Test. We’ll stop here and check our work. You can check your own work. We’ll now review the answers and if anyone gets 4/4, great. If not, I’ll get you to make your corrections for homework and we’ll try to remember to ask you about it tomorrow.
1) Do we ever put anything before God? (No)
2) Is there anything successfully competing with God for our attention? (No)
3) Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name? (No)
4) Do we keep at least one day holy, as the Lord our God has commanded us? (Yes)
Today, as we look at this very important part of scripture, instead of a sermon or a homily, I have a test for us that will use most of our remaining worship time. Now I want you to write down your answers but don’t show them to anyone else, unless you feel so-led. This test today relates to how each of us loves God and our neighbours.[6] Are you ready? This is a two-part test holiness test. It has only ten questions and it is based on the Ten Commandments: The first part of this holiness test we are taking will encourage us to examine our holiness relating to our love for God. Number your papers from 1-4.
DECALOGUE HOLINESS TEST
Part 1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).
1. Do we ever put anything before God? Deuteronomy 5:7 (Exodus 20:3; cf. Leviticus 26:13; Numbers 15:41; Deuteronomy 13:4-5) records the Lord’s command that “You shall have no gods before me.” This is pretty straightforward. There is only one God, so you should not put anyone or anything else before God.[7] Do we ever put anything before God? Ron mentioned to me this week that he even pulled over from his marathon drive across the West this past Sunday to attend a church service en route. This is great. Do we all do this? Do we set time aside like this or do we sometimes put our holidays or our company before God, letting them interfere with our worship of YHWH in community? Do we sometimes put television, work, homework, or friends before God: opting to do these things instead of, or more than reading our Bibles? Do we ever put our bank accounts or our friends’ opinions before God? Do we sometimes make our decisions based on our finances or our friend’s advice instead of by discerning God’s Word through prayer and Bible study? The question again: do we ever put anything before God?
2. Is there anything that maybe was meant to aid us in worship that now is successfully competing with God for our love and attention? Deuteronomy 5:8 (Exodus 20:4): “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” This is different than the first commandment. This is asking if we ever make images of God that we may be eventually tempted to wind up worshipping. Moses made a bronze snake in the desert that God later had destroyed because people began worshipping this image (Numbers 21:4-9, 2 Kings 18:4). The rightfully condemned golden calves of Aaron and Jeroboam may have been simply meant as a place for God to sit (Exodus 32; Deuteronomy 9; 1 Kings 12:28; 2 Chronicles 11:15, 13:8).[8] Do we ever make images relating to God that may wind up in essence competing with God for our attention? Do we have a version of the Bible that we will only read? Do we have certain ways of worship: a certain kind of music or tradition or sacrament or non-sacrament that once was meant to aid us in worship but is now in essence competing with God for our attention? In church, do we pay more attention to the music, the sermon, or other things than we do to God? Question 2: Is there anything that maybe was meant to aid us in worship that now is successfully competing with God for our attention?
3. Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s Name? Deuteronomy 5:11 (cf. Exodus 20:7; cf. also Leviticus 22:32): “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” The AV or KJV, that most of us grew up with and may have memorized this command in reads, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain…” We know what this means right? It can mean a couple of things, it can mean that we are not to swear an oath and then not keep it (cf. Numbers 30, Matthew 5:33-37, James 5:12).[9] It can also more commonly mean that we shouldn’t flippantly or thoughtless mention the Lord’s name.[10] We have heard people say, ‘oh my goodness’ (but not using the word ‘goodness’) as a exclamation or this new generation can simply text, ‘OMG’. Anytime we are careless like this or anytime attribute things to God that God did not say or do or anytime we use His name in careless or profane ways (some people even curse using our Lord’s name!), anytime we do these things, we are misusing the name of the Lord. Question 3: Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name, do we ever take His name in vain?
I mentioned that this holiness quiz today has two parts. This next question can go into either the first part – the ‘Love God’ part - of the test or the second part of the test – the ‘Love your neighbour’ part. Because we are primarily looking at the Deuteronomy version (the Exodus version belongs firmly in the first part) of the Ten Commandments, we should probably put this question in the Part 2 but because there are more questions in Part 2 than there are in Part 1 already we will assign it to Part 1.
4. Do we observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded? (Deuteronomy 5:12, Exodus 5:8) Now bearing in mind that Christians come together on the Lord’s Day rather than on the Sabbath as the Hebrews in the desert did; and bearing in mind that, as the authors of Romans and Hebrews point out now everyday is can actually be as a Sabbath to the Lord (Romans 14:5-6, Hebrews 4:1-2); do we, nonetheless, set aside a sacred time and space to worship God? Do we have at least one day a week where we do no work but God’s work? The Exodus version of this text records that just as God ceased from His work when Creation was complete (Exodus 20:11), we should do the same as a part of loving our God. The Deuteronomy version of our text which we read today – Deuteronomy 5:14-16 - says that because the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, we should not only cease from our work but we should not cause other people to work either – except for working for God, of course (the Priest and the Levites weren’t given Monday off in lieu of the Sabbath) - Do we ever make others work by filling up with gas or going out for lunch on the Lord’s Day? This may or may not come into play now, after the resurrection, now that of the tomb is empty (Cf. Romans 14:5-6, Hebrews 4:1-2). But I will leave this question with us anyway: do we keep at least one day as holy, as the Lord our God has commanded us to keep it holy?
This concludes Part 1, the ‘Love God’ part of our Decalogue Holiness Test. We’ll stop here and check our work. You can check your own work. We’ll now review the answers and if anyone gets 4/4, great. If not, I’ll get you to make your corrections for homework and we’ll try to remember to ask you about it tomorrow.
1) Do we ever put anything before God? (No)
2) Is there anything successfully competing with God for our attention? (No)
3) Are we ever careless in our use of the Lord’s name? (No)
4) Do we keep at least one day holy, as the Lord our God has commanded us? (Yes)
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