We live in a society of rules. There are laws that we live by. Without them it would be chaos, and anarchy. Any society that values freedom must also value law. Though it is often viewed negatively, we are blessed to have a society that protects its citizens through a system of law (Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 94:12; Proverbs 29:18).
The Ten Commandments were given to a nation as part of a covenant blessed by God (Exodus 20:1-17). The law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai was part of that blessing. It set in stone an outline of relationship between God and others. How God expects us to relate to Him, and how we are to relate to others is the subject of the Ten Commandments. Rules and regulations have corresponding rights and responsibilities.The rule not to steal corresponds to the right of ownership. Not to lie carries the responsibility and right of truth telling.
Many view law as a negative thing. It is God’s way of cramping our style, raining on our parade, and generally ruining any chance for fun we might have. Rightly viewed however, it is a blessing provided out of love and a desire to protect us. The laws of God are meant to enhance our life experience, not hinder free expression. Every “Thou Shalt Not” carries blessing. Every society that follows the principles of the Ten Commandments find order, safety, and security. Alternatively, a nation without law is a nation in distress.
The Ten Commandments give us rules not only to tell us how to live with one another, they tell us how to live in relationship with God. God commands us to worship Him alone (Exodus 20:3) because he knows that worship of any other thing degrades us. He commands us to revere His name (Exodus 20:7) because He knows that failure to hallow the name of God is symptomatic of people void of the sense of the truly sacred. The command to keep a day of rest (Exodus 20:8) is given as a blessing to us, for apart from rest and worship we unravel (Isaiah 58:13-14).
When asked what was the greatest law, Jesus summed up the whole of God’s rules and regulations with two commands. Love God, and Love your fellow man (Matthew 22:36-40). The two are interrelated. If we fail to love our brother, we really do not love God (1 John 3:10, 4:20-21). The whole of the law is applied in its many parts under the grand heading of Love. Love and law go hand in hand. It was God’s love that gave us the law. Our expression of love to God and neighbor is seen in how we keep the particulars of the law (Romans 13:10).
