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Introduction
The Ten Commandments is a set of guidelines given by God to Moses almost 3 millennia ago, and they are still considered to be binding today on us. These commandments were given from Mount Sinai escorted by earthquakes, blasts and smoke which emphasizes the significance of these Commandments. Ten Commandments also known as Decalogue relates to worship acts and to worship One God, ethics, prohibitions from blasphemy, murder of another human being, idolatry, adultery and dishonesty among human beings. The Ten Commandments follow the spiritual law of human nature and if pursued properly will lead to inner harmony, tranquility, and achievement of human needs. God has given the man the right to choose his path accordingly. He can decide which course to take that seems right to him rather than follow the guidelines that God has given but it is a fact that one day mankind will realize the significance of instructions given to us by our God.
First Commandment – You shall have no other God before Me
The period when the Commandments were sent, Israelites worshipped many Gods such as Mammon, Baal and Moloch. These were Gods of money, lust and cruelty respectively. In the First, Commandment God says that you should not worship any other God than other than Me and there should not be anything as important to you as I am. This does not mean that God has given us a free license to worship as many gods as we like, but place Him in front of the line. It means that we should know the truth about our own universe, who designed it and whom we should worship. It also clarifies the significance of wholeness, completeness, and oneness of our Creator. Another important point mentioned here is to set our priorities. There should be no one above our God and everything else in our life must be secondary. This Commandment covers a lot of actions that should be avoided by mankind for example idolatry, hatred of God, love of our own-self only, atheism. (Hilton, p.199)
The interpretation of First Commandment in today’s society is that we all share one God, who is the central to the entire universe. We are His creation which means as a humanity we are one and we should show loyalty towards him and towards every single person on earth no matter to which race, class, ethnicity or gender they belong too. Since He is our God, He has created us we are all brothers and sisters for each other, and we should teach each other with love.
Second Commandment – You shall not make Idols
The Second Commandment states that images, pictures, and idols should not be worshipped. The secular images designed on tall buildings of different men and women and other modernistic idols should not be made. This Commandment very clearly forbids an individual to conduct idolatry. Idolatry is creating idols and worshipping them instead of praying to God. The reason for sending Second Commandment was that Hebrews had started worshipping a golden cow that they had designed and disregarding the blessings of their Supreme Being. It is clearly stated that; it is not permissible for a human being to only love money, family, his body, children friends, profession and even angels. This was a new perception launched during the era of Moses because people worshipped different gods for different purposes at that time. (Hilton, p.199)
People who want to follow the worldly materialistic affairs particularly are not in favor of this Commandment. They want to worship money, animals, friends, environment. They dislike the concept of One God, Singular being and to only worship Him and nothing else around them. The application of this Commandment in today’s worldly affairs is quite applicable. People are so immersed in earning money, social networking, collecting wealth and making friends and spending time with them that they forget they have to return to their God one day. They will need His acceptance which is only possible if the priorities are kept straight. It is important that a balance should be maintained between world materialistic demands and the worship of God.
Third Commandment – You shall not take the name of your Lord
Third Commandment means that people should not take an oath in the name of God and then lie about it. It is important if you swear an oath to God; it should be true, and you should mean it for sure. The original meaning of the word swear as mentioned in Bible is giving your commitment and purposeful meaning to something you say. This was an old respectable meaning of the world but in today’s world, the word is negatively used and is used in slang language, which is extremely unfortunate. This Commandment means that God should be in your thoughts all the time, and you should maintain respect and integrity towards his name. Whenever God’s name is observed every connection made to him should be loved, respected, praised, and no other attitude should be expressed.
There are people who on purpose tend to mock and hate the name of God and use the name in such a manner to summon rage and aggression which is considered to be a satanic expression. This is mainly done to hurt other people’s feelings. There was a time when swearing an oath to God in front of society was related to the fact that a person is speaking the truth. This was considered to be authentic. For example swearing an oath of God is practiced in the court all across the world. They are required to keep a hand on their Sacred book and pledge their faithfulness. This is also considered deeply disloyal act now as they swear an oath to God, but their practices and actions are totally opposite to it. (Finkelstein, p.70)
Fourth Commandment – Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
When earth was created, God created the day of Sabbath for mankind for the rest. With the day of Sabbath, people can observe the happiness of life, rest and praise their Lord. This is considered to be a day when people can pray readily and worship God continuously or formally. The day of Sabbath is considered to vital to individual’s relationship with his Creator. If people do not worship and pray to their God on the day of Sabbath then, they have forfeited the true meaning of this day. Observing this day religiously, means that we have ceased our daily activities, and we gain rejoice in communicating with our Lord. People work hand for six days to earn money and seventh day they worship their God. It is explained that when the Lord was creating this earth for six days, He ceased the process of moulding human beings and rested on the seventh day. (Finkelstein, p.72)
It is important that on this day people should concentrate on their spiritual relationship and connection with their Creator and take out time to study their Sacred book. Many assume that observing this day means do nothing on the contrary; Sabbath is a special day on which the focal point of our activities should shift towards our God and we should try to build a close relationship with Him.
Fifth Commandment – Honor your father and your mother
This Commandment states that one should show respect to his parents and be considerable and honored about this that your parents brought you in this world, they helped you develop, took care of you in good or bad conditions and provided you with basic necessities of life. For this blessing, you have to be grateful throughout your life. As we enter adulthood, it is important that we maintain a strong relationship with our parents that will impact how our own children will behave with us. When we function in a democratic society, we get so busy with our worldly affairs that we tend to lose sight of how our relationships are being impacted. It is important that even if we have busy schedules we should not forget that our parents need us, and we need to show respect to them. This Commandment relates to an aspect of human characteristic that will accompany him throughout his life. Some consider that an extremely deep meaning of this Commandment is that we should love our parents and honor them for Heaven and for mothering energy of the earth that feeds us.
Sixth Commandment –You Shall Not Murder
Sixth Commandment relates to honoring the integrity of life. There are a lot of issues that this Commandment can relate to. It is a crime to murder someone, but it is permitted to kill someone in self-defense. Killing an enemy is allowed in the war situation, and animals can be killed for food or sacrifice purpose. It can also allow taking someone’s life if the other person is severely ill or in pain. So if someone kills in self-defense or in defense of your land is not considered a murder. Some people agree to the point that wars are justified and if the leader of a country belief’s that war is necessary then he can pass orders, and the soldiers will have to obey. For example today, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are justified because these places are considered to safe havens for terrorists that not only negatively impact the local citizens but also the international workforce. If these terrorists are not killed, they attack the innocent people. Hence from a biblical point of view this war is justified. (Finkelstein, p.72)
The unlawful act of abortion is also a murder. Even though, it is not clearly mentioned in the Commandment but somewhere in Bible it is mentioned to be a sinful act so one should refrain from aborting their unborn child. It is important to know that the Ten Commandments are designed for many situations, and they are general rules that if followed can keep mankind on the safer side. Abortion can be legalized only in a situation where the mother is at severe risk and can die during or before the birth of the baby. This is a serious condition to be concerned about if she already has children and family members to take care of. Hence, abortion is a medical as well as religious issue and decision should be taken as per the needs and requirements of the prevailing situation. According to Sixth Commandment and Commandments before this, it is important to note that valuing a life is an honorable act to perform, and one must respect the integrity and life of another human being. (John, pp. 169-173)
There are a lot of issues that Sixth Commandment addresses to even the deep secret motives in our hearts. For example, if you are angry with your brother without any important cause or reason you will be in danger of the judgment in front of God. Thus being angry without any reason is not justified according to this Commandment. In this Commandment, lesson has been given not only avoid murder, but also to help those in need. Capital punishment according to some might be taken as murder but according to Sacred books sent by God in cases of murder, rape, and taking God name in vain can lead to the death penalty in many situations. Another essential topic is suicide. It is considered a crime to commit suicide to take your own life in many religions. Hence, it is important to know it is about respecting and honoring every human being life.
Seventh Commandment –You Shall Not Commit Adultery
Seventh Commandment very simply means that do not do sexual activities without marriage. Many religions especially Jewish old religion, Christianity and Islam does not approve adultery and severe punishment is assigned for people who do sex without being married. In today’s society people perform adulterous acts very commonly and they are not ashamed as well. This trend has not only helped in increasing different diseases that are sexually transmitted but also the rate of abortions have increased. The Sixth Commandment already states that murdering someone especially n unborn child because he is not required is a sinful act. If people abstain from adultery then, rate of abortion will considerably decline as well. (John, p.174)
Eight Commandment –You Shall Not Steal
This Commandment provides a very general view that it is not appropriate to take anything that does not belong to you. This can include anything in general, anyone’s property, murdering for no reason, degrading another person, kidnapping someone, etc. It can also apply to stealing of examination papers or copying someone’s work in terms of property rights as well. Even though, private property rights are not a common notion in many countries but in developed nations there are rules and regulations imposed so that anyone is unable to steal intellectual property rights of another person. For example, in developing or underdeveloped countries, the government do not follow the equal distribution of wealth, and they tend to take away from their general pockets and fill their own pockets. This is another major form of stealing. (John, p.175)
Ninth Commandment - You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
This Commandment states that one should not lie especially in certain levels. The worst is when people take swear of God oath and lie about something in front of the jury. This is considered to be a serious crime to lie in court. It is important to note that in Old Testament it is stated that if a witness lies he should be given same punishment as a criminal. One should not lie regarding another person or criticize him and find faults in him which can harm his reputation. Thirdly one should not lie about someone. It is crucial that people should speak and witness the truth for God. They should be faithful to the mankind that God has created because it is said, if you do good with God’s creation, God will do good to you. (John, p. 176)
Tenth Commandment – You shall not covet
The term covet means to steal from another. This speaks about integrity of respecting what other have and maintaining your own needs and wants and not indulge in covet activities. For example in today’s time period, one feels jealous of other person husband’s or wife. Now it is ok to feel jealous if you do not have a right partner with you but to trying to secretly steal the other person partner is a severe crime and there is punishment for this in court of God. (John, p. 177)
Conclusion
The Ten Commandments is a set of guidelines given by God to Moses almost 3 millennia ago, and they are still considered to be binding today on us. These commandments were given from Mount Sinai escorted by earthquakes, blasts and smoke which emphasizes the significance of these Commandments. Ten Commandments also known as Decalogue relates to worship acts and to worship One God, ethics, prohibitions from blasphemy, murder of another human being, idolatry, adultery and dishonesty among human beings. The Ten Commandments follow the spiritual law of human nature and if pursued properly will lead to inner harmony, tranquility, and achievement of human needs. God has given the man the right to choose his path accordingly.
In the First, Commandment God says that you should not worship any other God than other than Me and there should not be anything as important to you as I am. The Second Commandment states that images, pictures, and idols should not be worshipped. The secular images designed on tall buildings of different men and women and other modernistic idols should not be made. The Third Commandment means that people should not take an oath in the name of God and then lie about it. It is important if you swear an oath to God; it should be true, and you should mean it for sure. The Fourth Commandment states when earth was created, God created the day of Sabbath for mankind for the rest. With the day of Sabbath, people can observe the happiness of life, rest and praise their Lord. This is considered to be a day when people can pray readily and worship God continuously or formally. The Fifth Commandment states that one should show respect to his parents and be considerable and honored about this that your parents brought you in this world, they helped you develop, took care of you in good or bad conditions and provided you with basic necessities of life. Sixth Commandment relates to honoring the integrity of life. Seventh Commandment very simply means that do not do sexual activities without marriage. This Commandment provides a very general view that it is not appropriate to take anything that does not belong to you. This Commandment states that one should not lie especially in certain levels. The worst is when people take swear of God oath and lie about something in front of the jury.
Work Cited
Hilton J. Bik “Tyranny, Taboo, and the Ten Commandments - The Decalogue Decoded And Its Impact on Civil Society" Xlibris Corporation, (2008) p.199.
Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman “The Bible Unearthed” (2002) p. 70 and 75
John Bright “A History of Israel” Second Edition. Philadelphia: the Westminster Press. 165 4th ed. (1972) p.169-177
