Lists of rules and laws were not uncommon in ancient societies, but The Ten Commandments are unique, partly because there are so few of them. Other ancient codes of law were much longer and much more restrictive. The law God gave to Moses is extremely direct and clear.

The first four commandments focus entirely on the people’s relationship with the Lord. If God’s people could get these right, then there would perhaps be less need for hundreds of detailed laws covering every aspect of life. These first four commandments remind us that nothing else is like God, nothing can replace God, and God is worthy of the highest honour, respect, worship and devotion.

After that introduction, God laid out a few simple rules about how he expected people to live together and show respect towards one another. The remaining six laws cover fundamental principles about living peacefully in a loving community with honesty, grace and honour.

The perfection of God’s law – so straightforward yet so comprehensive – is surely the reason that even today it forms the basis of morality and law all over the western world. These simple commands lay out in just a few hundred words who God is, and how humanity can relate to him and to each other. The covenant of Moses may have been fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Christ, but the lifestyle laid out in God’s commandments here is good for all people in all times.

next devotional >>

 

 

NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH