The Ten Commandments - let's refresh ourselves!

Early this morning, I woke up thinking about the Ten Commandments.  (I'm not sure why either... maybe I was subconsciously looking for a loophole... )  I was having such a conversation in my head and had convinced myself that there wasn't one about lying.   Then I argued that I couldn't list all ten out so maybe there was?  I mean, really, there has to be one that concerns lying because I remember that telling a lie was one of those big confession items the nuns taught us in Sunday school!  "I told some lies, I didn't listen to my parents, I missed church on Sunday, I stole something, and I used the name of the Lord in vain" were the lines we were taught to use in the confessional.   Lying is included so it must be in the commandments!

I got out of bed and began to search the bible for a listing of the commandments so that I could get back to sleep!  (It was too early - probably why I didn't think to just google it!)  I decided Exodus was the place to look because then I would be getting them "hot off the press" so to speak.  I found them listed in Exodus 20:

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
4. You shall remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. You shall honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's (things).

So, back to the nuns!  They taught us about #s 3,4,5,8 and 9.  Those do seem age appropriate for 6 & 7 year olds making their first confession prior to receiving their first communion.  And lying is #9!  It is there!  I feel better so I shall go back to bed but... I am fully awake now so I will just keep writing!

As adults, we get that murder is wrong and that adultery is not a good thing but, in my humble opinion, it is the three remaining commandments that are worthy of our scrutiny.  In some ways, these three are connected to each other.  Think about it - coveting and false gods or idols...

Let's start with coveting.   To covet means to yearn to possess or have something.  The synonyms listed include crave, desire and lust.  Now add to that your neighbor's stuff.  Who among us has not at one time or another really liked something that someone else has?  I like to think of that as appreciation!  We all appreciate things - I like that car, I love that piece of jewelry, where did she get that outfit, those are really cool shoes, she has a sweet voice - you get the idea!  You are just appreciating what you see and probably wishing that you could have that too.  I think that is normal.  It's the coveting that moves it into the realm of the commandments;  you become obsessed with an item or value or talent that another already has; you crave it, you lust for it!   Instead, God tells us that we need to just be "content with what [we] have"  (Hebrews 13:5).

The first two commandments seem pretty clear.  We need to trust in God alone and we should not make idols for ourselves.  My mind conjures up images from Greek and Roman mythology.  Even in the current day, there are many societies that worship many different gods.  So if we belong to religions that follow the one true God of the bible, we are safe.  Right?   Probably, but what about the times we let greed or envy take over in our lives?  Sometimes I feel like chocolate has become almost godlike to me.  I would do almost anything for a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup or for a Three Musketeers bar!   It is when we covet (not just appreciate) our neighbors' things that we risk the possibility of having false gods or idols before us!

Remember what Jesus told the crowds when he shared the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21),  "Take care!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."  I really don't know how many times we are told in the bible that God is our one true God (I tried to google it!) but it is probably quite a few times.  But the word God appears 3,358 times!

I want to end with a you tube video I found.  Once again, I cannot figure out how to put it in the actual blog but I can make it a link and so I did!  Listen to the words!  Enjoy the music!  Think about the pictures....    Here is the link:   One True God