The Beauty of Commandments

For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy 4: 7, 8)

Last week I wrote about living our lives being the centre of reference. I of course did not write conclusively as I want my posts to spur you to search the scriptures to be able to hear even better from God.

Today, I want us to appreciate God’s way as not only the best but the most enjoyable of choices to the sober mind. Why do I say so?

I have talked of how focusing on self is frustrating, even injurious. And it is because self is too small an object to focus on. It is like looking to identify a cell with your naked eyes.

But God has His eyes on everything He created when He speaks. His commands are like a car maker issuing a maintenance manual for the car. The tyre you use must agree with the suspension and even body of the car. That is why insurance companies will void your policy if they discover you have altered any part of the vehicle.

It is in that context that God issued His Commandments. His commandments show us how to live in harmony with all of creation. It is foolhardy to think of environmental conservation and justice to the vulnerable outside God’s commandments.

We will look at the commandments and the joy they give to the one who keeps them. Of course the first thing they do is to make their keeper that he is not the centre of the universe and so will subject to the creator’s instruction.

I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20: 2, 3)

The first commandment frees the keeper from the burden of being in charge of things beyond his control. But it also gives him the assurance that someone greater than himself is in charge of his life and thus does not surrender to fate. Putting God in His place in my life is the most peaceful thing we can do. We will not be hurt when man or things disappoint as we know they are all creations. It of course means our prayer will be pure as we will be praying to the only one with authority and power to deal with our issues.

 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20: 4 - 6)

The second commandment follows the first. We love images. We admire art. We love the excellence of a created work. We are therefore prone to shift that admiration into worship, a thing that corrupts our sensibilities. It is no wonder that we have people worshipping creation and environment, even calling the earth mother.

Eliminating them in our worship helps keep our worship to be focused on God.

Do you realize that people will worship what they do not understand or totally owes them? That is why snakes and some strange trees are either worshipped or are used as shrines.

But it also frees us to appreciate art and beauty. A beautiful or well-shaped woman will not capture my adoration as I will appreciate her beauty as a created thing meaning it will then direct my gratitude to her creator. The same will happen with a perfectly sculptured man. We will not go to the extents people go to get another person for a spouse, sometimes even a sex partner. I remember some time ago such a beauty offering her body for sex for anyone who would pay some millions. And of course the recent case when men are competing to marry a teenager in Sudan with the leading candidate having offered 300 cows and 3 Range Rover vehicles.

Even the extremities in dowry and bride price will be abolished when we look up to God as creator and everything else as His creation.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20: 7)

Once I separate the Creator from His creation, it will be impossible to throw His name around. I will be free from curse words and swear words. Putting Him to His place puts me in an elevated place where I do not need to invoke His name anyhow. I will not need words to defend myself as I will be looking up to Him as my focus. Remember Israel confessing severally that fighting Moses was actually fighting God? That is what I become.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20: 8 - 11)

Setting apart a day to rest is God’s way of telling us that we are limited in our capabilities. It is to our advantage that we set apart that one day in a week to rest. It frees us to refresh as well as look forward to the next set of days.

I will be looking at the human element in the commandments at a further date.