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A Reader Asks
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I had a request for this column. I thought ok - I'll
research it. It can't be any worse than our current Hillary/Trump
situation - can it?? The question is: "Do the Ten Commandments have any
relevance in today's society?"
In the Old Testament (King James Version), Exodus 20:2 says: "I am the
Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of bondage. (3)Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.
(4)Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
any thing in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is
in the water under the earth. (5)Thou shalt not bow thyself down to
them, nor serve them; for I the Lord am a jealous God visiting the
iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me. (6)And shewing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me, and keep my commandments. (7)Thou shalt not take the
name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold himself
guiltless to he that taketh his name in vain. (8)Remember the Sabbath
day to keep it holy. (9)Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work.
(10)But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou
shalt not do any work; not thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that
is within thy gates: (11)For in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the seas and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day;
where the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (12)Honor thy
father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee. (13)Thou shalt not kill. (14)Thou shalt not
commit adultery. (15)Thou shalt not steal. (16)Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbor. (17)Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his
manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything
that is thy neighbor's." Let's "break it down" - ok?
We are told: (1)Worship only God. (2)Honor our parents. (3)Keep the
Sabbath. (4)No idolatry. (5)No blasphemy. (6)No murder. (7)No adultery.
(8)No stealing. (9)No dishonesty. (10)No coveting.
Looking at this - it all became clear to me. "If you worship only one
God...you wouldn't need to worry or think about which god wanted what
from you and when it would be wanted...and for how long it would be
wanted. Honor is not love. Honor entails respect...not because you love
them...or even care about them...but because of the position they
occupy or the "title" they hold. It's following what they say. Not
listening is what got me in trouble with my parents! Keeping the
Sabbath - not working - not violating any of the commandments following
this one (4-10). (I can honestly say that I never got into any trouble
while I was resting - that happened when I stood.) No idolatry -
worshipping statues people, money, etc. The "worshipping statues" is
not all that common in our "neck of the woods." There was a time when
people would bow down or get on their knees before a statue. Now,
I believe it is more of a mental/emotional "bowing." Blasphemy is
speaking ill or profane of God or sacred things. If you worship Him,
you'd not do it. Murdering, cheating, stealing and, lying are pretty
self-explanatory. Coveting is yearning or strong desire to have someone
or something.
My take: "If we did not do any of the above we are told not to do and
we actually do what we are told to do - we'd have few if any problems.
(Sorry to the law enforcement officers, lawyers, etc that would lose
jobs over this.) That would make us all worshipping this God by
honoring our parents and no, cheating, stealing, lying, coveting,
blasphemy, idolatry, or killing....which would have us "keeping the
Sabbath." The Ten Commandments are a lot of work...a lot of personal
accountability. I'll save the same-sex marriages and relationships for
another time. Oh, and if you reread the above...there are blessings for
adhering to the outlined "rules."
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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