You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Deuteronomy 5:21 Covet / Desire – Heart surgery is a really bloody operation. No matter how well prepared…
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Deuteronomy 5:21 Covet / Desire – The seat of action is the attitude of the heart. So, it’s…
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor Deuteronomy 5:20 False – It’s court language, but it’s not limited to trials. The word picture recalls the witness stand. “Do you swear to tell the truth?” The answer better be “Yes.” In front of the judge and jury, we want true testimony. So does God. …
You shall not steal Deuteronomy 5:19 Steal – My interactions with young men in the jail always revealed the cultural destruction of morality. The many times I heard the excuse, “But I gave some of what I stole to people who needed it,” only served to highlight our Robin Hood syndrome. Stealing is justifiable if…
“but I say unto you, that every one who looks on a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 To Lust – Ours is a world of violence. We believe that the powerful win. We think that protection means military might. We find safety in guns. …
9 If a man is found lying down with a woman married to a husband, Deuteronomy 22:22 Lying Down – We’re enormously confused. One of the reasons for this confusion is the paucity of our language about love. For us, the verb “to love” covers everything from the taste of ice cream to sexual intimacy…
“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall he shed, for in the image of God He made man.” Genesis 9:6 Image of God – Walter Kaiser makes the point. There is no possible ransom for murder because the murderer owes his life to God. Punishment for murder does not balance the books for…
Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. Numbers 35:31 Ransom – We can measure the godliness of a society by the measure of its concern with the sanctity of life. Frankly, the further we slide from God’s…
You shall not commit murder Deuteronomy 5:17 Commit Murder – The King James Bible did us no favors with this commandment. You see, there are seven different words in Hebrew that describe killing. Three are associated with killing animals for sacrifice, one is related to vengeful slaughter and two are connected to execution. That leaves…
Honor your father and your mother Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor – God never does anything without a purpose. When it comes to the world of human beings, all of God’s actions have redemptive purposes. So, honoring your parents is not just about respect. It’s not just the “Yes, sir,” “No, ma’m” attitude. There are critical redemptive…
