Yes, the 10 commandments. We have all heard them, seen them, and memorized them. If you are like me, you probably have a love hate relationship with them. It is difficult for me to put these laws outside of their pure “command” type persona and truly apply them to my life. They seem to grandiose and magical that they almost lose their feeling of being applicable. Originally given in Genesis at the mountain of Sinai, here in Deuteronomy 5, Moses gives a more detailed description about the Sabbath and honoring your parents.
In verse 1, Moses says “learn them and be sure to follow them” – It sounds so simple but it is the hardest thing to do. Have you ever started to learn something new only to give up when you realized how hard it was? Our ambitions many times are tempted with new things we want. But, our flesh gives us a reality check. It is hard to start and sustain a discipline. Research suggests that it takes 21 days to form a habit. This could be good or bad and it all depends on what we devote our time to. If you want to be sure to “learn” then we have to pick a discipline and devote ourselves to pass the 21 day mark. Moses didn’t tell them to learn them all at once, just learn them. Pick one thing from the list that you want to improve on and make it a habit.
In verse 6, Moses states what God wants them to know which is this, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.” It was important for the Israelite’s to remember just who God was. He was the one that was with them from the beginning, had parted the Red Sea, and destroyed other nations before them. Now he has a simple request not to forget who God is. In a world where many other gods were worshiped, God always fought for their attention. The idea of a God that traveled was foreign. All the other gods were made out of wood or stone and didn’t show up when a nation moved. It was this paradigm shift that was difficult. Israel rediscovered God when Moses came on the scene. Moses didn’t craft a god out of wood but simply said this was the God that their forefather’s had known. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Ironically, they tried to create a god right before these commands were given the first time in the book of Exodus by creating the golden calf. Now Moses reinstates these ideas and starts off with stating what they should have remembered all along, who God really is. Not an idea, an image, or a crafted object.
Do you remember God for who he is? What he has done and all he represents? Or, perhaps you look to the world to define who God should be to you? Do the teachers you listen to define your relationship with God? Does your pastor? Your church friends? The Internet?
It isn’t easy to stay neutral to all the world and the church has to offer while getting our wisdom and guidance from the Word and our devotion to God. But, it is the only thing that will help us define who God really should be within our heart and mind. It is how we truly “fix” our eyes on Jesus as Hebrews 12:1 tells us to.
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