March 4, 2015: Exodus 20:1-20

We encourage you to read this devotion three times a day.  Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon question for reflection.  For the evening, take time to ponder how this has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening question.  We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we invite you to pray what is in your heart.

Exodus 20:1-20

20Then God spoke all these words: ²I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; ³you shall have no other gods before me. ⁴You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, ⁶but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. ⁷You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. ⁸Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work. ¹⁰But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.¹²Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ¹³You shall not murder. ¹⁴You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵You shall not steal. ¹⁶You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ¹⁷You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.c¹⁸When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, ¹⁹and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” ²⁰Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.”

Reflection: 

The Ten Commandments are the content for our Old Testament reading this week.  Would you have been able to name them if you didn’t have Exodus 20 open in front of you?  Maybe we could come up with some version of a few of them but to get all ten on the spot is challenging.  Most of us are not big fans of rules.  I have two children ages 9 and 7.  Neither of them appreciates rules.  My daughter has many times told me how unfair it is that she has to do what I tell her to do.  To be honest I don’t really like rules either.  But we know that some rules are put in place to help us.  When I tell the kids not the cross the street until they have looked both ways for cars.  I don’t do that because I enjoy slowing them down as they race for their destination.  No we put this rule in place to keep them safe, to protect them from harm.  God’s deliverance of the Ten Commandments to Moses has nothing to do with God’s desire to spoil our lives.  God longs for us to live a full and rich life that doesn’t get bogged down with unnecessary struggle and harm.  Instead of racing through life without looking both ways, what would it look like to intentionally put these commandments into practice as part of your holy living?

Reflection Questions:

Morning: As part of your devotional time today rewrite the Ten Commandments as they apply to your life.  For example, “You shall not murder.”  How about if we strive not only not to kill those who make us angry but we try today to find good in the person who makes us most angry.

“Precious God help me follow your will for my life.  Let me see where I need to change and give me the courage to make those changes.  Amen”

Noon: As you wrestle with the Ten Commandments and how they apply to you take time as you struggle to pray, “God give me the strength to live by Your rules for my life.”

Evening: As your day draws to a close reflect on your ability today to live by the Ten Commandments.  In what commands were you most challenged?  Which commands did you find the easiest to follow?  How can these commands motivate change in your lifestyle?