Lesson Focus:
God
gives us laws as a way to help us live in faithful relationship with him and
with others. All too often we fail to
fulfill these commands.
Lesson Outcomes:
Through
this lessons students should:
1.
Understand
that the nature of these commands are relational and not legalistic.
2.
Identify
how these laws are applicable to us in our current context.
3.
Confess
their failure to keep these commandments and subsequently seeking forgiveness
and strength to remain faithful.
Catch
up on the story:
Last week we examined the first four of the Ten
Commandments. Before we began, we noted
that the commands given here in this passage are relational commands. That is, they are grounded, not in a sense of
duty or obligation, but in the context of God’s historical relationship with
Israel. At the outset, God gives these
laws because he is “the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of slavery.” Israel is called to follow the law, not to gain status
as God’s people; they are already that by virtue of their exodus from
Egypt. They are called to follow the law
so that they might grow and flourish as the kind of people God intends them to
be.
Those first four commands have more to do with Israel’s
relationship with God than with Israel’s relationship with one another. To be sure, though, when Israel breaks these
first four commands, her relationship with her fellow Israelite begins to
disintegrate as well. If we are to grow
into a community of faith that confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, then we
must seek to be faithful to the commands that are directly related to God as
well as the commands that more profoundly affect our relationships with one
another.
The
Text:
The
Fifth Commandment: Care for Your Mommas
and Poppas
“Honor your father and your mother…”
It struck me the other day, when thinking about this
particular command, that one is not excused from following it after they reach
adulthood! For some time, I do not know
how long, I have believed that now that I am an adult with children of my own
that this command does not apply to me.
It certainly applies to my children, though!
The command itself, to honor our parents, is
open-ended. That is, it has no
particular behavior in mind. Rather,
what is recommended is that a child’s behavior brings honor and not shame to
the parent. As a parent I can think of a
million ways in which my children can bring me honor. They can obey me the first time I ask them to
do something. They can get good grades
in school. They can be calm and polite
when we are out in public. They can
respect others who are their friends and those who are in a position of
authority. It might be safe to say that
we intuitively know what it looks like for our children to honor us with their
behavior. In the same way, we know when
they are not honoring us!
Most of the time I think this command gets read this way,
from the perspective of the parent who has children. We tell them, “Life will go better for you if
you obey and honor your parents.” That
is, after all, what the command promises. Israel will have a long and faithful
life in the land that God will give them if they are conscious about honoring
their parents.
But what does it look like for those of us who are grown
adults with children of our own to honor our parents? My grandmother recently passed away. She was 90 years old and had lived a life
filled with love and generosity, even in the midst of her own poverty. Toward the end her health began to
degrade. She had a series of mini
strokes that left her physically and cognitively impaired. It soon became apparent that she would no
longer be able to live alone. She needed
almost constant care. Our family decided
that we would sell her house and she would move in with my Aunt Glee. Aunt Glee, at great cost to herself, lovingly
cared for my grandmother until the day she died. My grandmother was truly honored by the care
and support she received from my Aunt Glee.
So while this command urges children, when they are young,
to honor their parents through their behavior and by growing up into
responsible and well-adjusted adults, I also believe that the command urges us
to examine how we care for our parents when they reach old age. It may not always be possible to care for
sick or aged parents in your home. It is
possible to bring honor to our parents in their last days by ensuring that they
live out their last days with the dignity that befits them as people who bear
the image of God.
The
Sixth Command: Taking Life…
“You shall not kill.”
Much ink and words have been spilled over this command that
takes up just two words in the Hebrew text.
Most of the modern translations that you and I might consult translate
the command, “You shall not murder.” To
translate it in this way is to narrowly restrict the nature of the
command. Murder carries with it the
implication that the taking of a life was done in an intentional and individual
way. The Hebrew word in question,
however, is used in various places in the Old Testament when speaking of cases
involving killings of all kinds. The
Hebrew word, “rāṣaḥ applies
equally to both cases of premeditated murder and killings as a result of any
other circumstances, what English Common Law has called, “man slaughter.” The
root also describes killing for revenge (Num 35:27, 30) and assassination (II
Kgs 6:32).”[1] So, it is best to translate the command as a
prohibition against killing in general.
When talking about this command
there will always be a pull to try and reconcile this prohibition against life
taking with all of the violent deaths that take place in Israel’s
narrative. We often try to make a case
for the legitimization of war and capital punishment based on this diversity
within the biblical text. If you are not
careful, most of your group time will be eaten up discussing this command!
To best understand this command we
must examine it in light of the previous commands. Inherent in the first few commands is the
idea that God is the giver and sustainer of all life. The act of creation itself, which we are
called to commemorate in keeping the Sabbath, is an act of sheer grace. It is
life-giving. The intent of the
prohibition against killing is completely inline with God’s creative,
life-giving intentions. Life is God’s to
create. It is also his to take
away.
Of course, there must be room for
discussions about the appropriateness of a nation-state, such as our own, to
engage in activities such as war and capital punishment, or to the
appropriateness of allowing laws for self-defense. In those discussions, however, we must not
lose sight of the fact that this command warns us “that any human killing is
far from routine; it can never become some ordinary outcome of a legally
constituted system of justice nor some inevitable result of a declaration of
war, however justified such a war may claim to be. Because all life is in fact God’s life, we
humans take life at our own peril. No
killing can ever be a cause for rejoicing.
Weeping may be the appropriate response whenever killing is done, no
matter the circumstances.”[2]
Perhaps the best approach to
discussing this command is a positive one.
We must ask these questions: what does it look like for the body of
Christ, that is the church, to work to ensure that all life has the opportunity
to flourish? How can we encourage
forgiveness and reconciliation instead of hatred and revenge? After all, God is working in our world so
that it might become a world without violence and estrangement. In Isaiah 11:6-9, the prophet paints a
picture for us of the kingdom that God is seeking to establish, a kingdom that
Jesus Christ has and is establishing.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the
leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the
calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and
a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze,
their
young shall lie down together;
and
the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and
the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy
on
all my holy mountain;
for
the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as
the waters cover the sea.
The Seventh Command: No Fooling
Around…
“You
shall not commit adultery.”
Once
again, this command is only two words in the Hebrew text. The literal issue at stake here is the
violation of the marriage relationship.
Adultery, as the word here is translated, has to do with a man having a
sexual relationship with a woman who is either married or engaged.
The
larger issue here, I believe, is one of faithfulness. Sex was meant to be a beautiful and practical
part of God’s intention for creation. Beautiful in that it connects two people
together in a way that is otherwise impossible.
Practical in that it provides a way for humanity to be faithful to the
command to be fruitful and multiply. It
is in that command that we are invited into becoming co-creators with God.
Anytime
we use sex in a way that is contrary to God’s intention for it, either through
pre-marital affairs, extra marital affairs, lust or pornography, we actually
work against God’s invitation for us to be co-creators. It is because these forms of sexual activity
actively destroy the relationships that allow us to be fruitful and
multiply. Who among us has not witnessed
a life or marriage destroyed because of this kind of unfaithfulness?
What
does it look like for us to fulfill this command in a positive manner? Perhaps it begins with how we treat those who
have been unfaithful. Instead of shaming
them and casting them out of our fellowship (as we do with many who are caught
in affairs, especially those in positions of authority) we should seek to
remain faithful to them. This is, after
all, how God has responded to our repeated unfaithfulness, with the steadfast
love and self-sacrifice of Jesus. When
we welcome and forgive those who have been unfaithful into our fellowship so
that they might become faithful again, we positively fulfill this command.
The Eight Command: Don’t take what
isn’t yours.
“You
shall not steal.”
As
I have studied the creation narrative found in Genesis one of the things I have
learned is that work was a part of God’s plan for us from the beginning. We were created to be people who derived
worth and dignity from the work that we did.
Just as sex is a part of our invitation to become co-creators with God
by being fruitful and multiplying, so also work gives us the opportunity to
create. After a day’s labor we can step
back and find fulfillment in the fact that we have created something. To be sure, not all work is equally as
fulfilling or equally as creative. Some
of it is downright drudgery. This, we
believe, is a consequence of the fall.
The
fact remains, however, that work was a part of God’s plan for us. Also a part of God’s plan for us is that we
would receive some of the fruit from our labor.
Originally, Adam and Eve were allowed to eat the produce that the garden
brought forth as they tended it. Theft,
however, takes what one has not worked for, be it money, or goods, or a
person’s character or reputation. In
doing so it devalues both the thief and the victim. Theft is also an upraised fist in the face of
God. It shouts at God, “You haven’t
taken good enough care of me! So, I will
take matters into my own hands!” When we
steal, we fail to acknowledge that all that we have is a gift from God. Even our ability to work is a gift from
God.
There
are three ways in which we positively keep this command. We can go about our work with fervor and
dignity, knowing that through our work God will provide for us. The second way we can positively keep this
command is by working to ensure that what belongs to our neighbor is safe. We work together as a community to ensure
that all of our needs are met. There is
a third way as well: we fight injustices that cause people to be caught in
cycles of poverty, that, at times, forces them to steal to survive. Similarly, we can actively seek to liberate
people from addictions that drive them to theft.
The Ninth Command: Liar, liar!
“You
shall not bear false witness…”
A
friend of mine used to say; “You only have as much relationship as you have
honesty in that relationship.” I have
found this saying to be true. The best
and longest lasting relationships I have had have been built on mutual honesty
and truth-telling. One simply cannot
have a good relationship when lies are a constant presence.
Truth-telling
is hard. It takes courage. At times, it takes a willingness to place the
needs of the other in front of our own.
The temptation to lie comes from the constant pull of selfishness. Relationships, though, with God and with our
neighbor do not flourish where selfish lies abound. We positively keep this command when we value
the relationship with God and with others over our own selfish desires. We keep this command when confess our sins
and when we seek forgiveness and commit ourselves to being a people who tell
the truth to one another in love.
The Tenth Command: Don’t Covet!
“You
shall not covet.”
The
Lord’s Prayer has profoundly impacted my life.
One of the lines in the prayer that I get stuck on is, “And give us this
day our daily bread…” I’ve come to
realize that this line has two movements to it.
First, to pray it is to recognize that all I have is a gift from
God. My family, my house, and the food I
eat, while seemingly the fruit of my own efforts, is really the gracious gift
of the God who has given me the ability to work. The air I breathe and the body I have are
gifts as well. Acknowledging that all
that we have is from God is not our natural mentality. At least, that is, not here in America where
it is believed that we are what we make of our selves.
The
second movement is tied to the first. If
God has provided all that I need, then all that I have is enough. There is a freedom and a rest that comes with
realizing this. Contentment comes from
resting in God’s good gifts. The urge to
covet, the over-grown desire for that which we do not posses, comes from not
believing or trusting that God has provided sufficiently for us.
This
is a constant struggle for Israel.
Israel, as they journeyed from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, grumbled that God had brought them out to the
wilderness to starve to death. They
grumbled when heaven-sent bread was not enough.
They grumbled when it seemed they had no water. At each and every turn, however, God’s
provision for Israel was more than enough.
Even after they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years they had found
that their clothes had not worn out.
To
fulfill this command requires us to rest in what God has given to us. God calls to us in this command, “My gifts
are enough for you.” I find, when I fail
to believe or trust that God will provide for me, that I begin constantly
repeating that line from the Lord’s Prayer, “and give us this day our daily
bread…” It reminds me that I am
God’s. It reminds me that God loves me
and has provided for me. It gives me
hope that God will continue to provide for me.
There’s
a larger social component to this command too.
If we are resting in what God has given us then we are not so consumed
with ourselves. This allows us to focus
on the needs of others, asking how it is that we might help our neighbor resist
the urge to covet and the subsequent sins that follow.
So
What…?
I don’t believe that it is enough for us to look at this
list and check off our obedience to each command. It is not enough for us not to be
murderers. We must find ways to work
against violence and hatred so that life can flourish. It is not enough that we are not adulterers. We must find ways to encourage faithfulness
for both those who have been unfaithful and for those who are learning and
growing into the faith. It is not enough
to honor our parents as children and then be done with that command. We must find ways to honor our parents as
they age and grow close to death. The
same things can be said for stealing and coveting. Both these sins have their roots in a lack of
faith and trust that the good gifts of God are enough for us. We must find ways of helping one another see
the ways in which God has provided for us so that we might rest in it.
The Ten Commandments are more than just a list of rules that
are intended to keep us from sin. The
commands are intended for us so that we might flourish as the people of God,
and as we flourish as the people of God, the world can be blessed through our
ministry.
Critical Discussion Questions:
- What
does God look like in this text/Who is God in this text/What is God doing
in this text?
- God is deeply concerned with how we act in
relationship with one another.
- What
does holiness/salvation look like in this text?
- Holiness looks like working to fulfill these commands
in their positive movement. It is
not enough just not to steal or lie or kill. Our faithful fulfillment of these
commands urges us to find ways to ensure that others don’t need to seek,
that there is truth told, and that we work toward seeing that life
flourishes in the midst of brokenness.
- How does an
encounter with this story shape who we are and who we should become?
- As
a whole, the Ten Commandments help us live ethical and moral lives in
response to the personal God who has saved us because of our relationship
with him. We follow these commands
because we trust that the one who has freed us from slavery knows how our
lives should be ordered so that we might have life and life
abundantly.
Specific Discussion Questions:
Read
the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very
unfamiliar with the story.
1.
We often believe that
the command to honor our parents is directed toward children while they are
young. Our responsibility to honor our
parents does not cease when we have children of our own. What might it look like for us to actively
seek to honor our parents as adult children?
2.
We
live in a culture that celebrates violence and war. Even in the Old Testament we witness a lot of
killing. How do we reconcile the
prohibition against killing with the rest of the Old Testament? What might it look like to actively seek to
positively fulfill this command to not kill?
3.
The
term the seventh commandment uses is adultery.
The intention of the command is much greater than just infidelity within
the marriage relationship. What are
other forms of sexual unfaithfulness?
Why is sexual faithfulness so important?
What are some of the ways we might positively fulfill this command?
4.
Work
seems to be part of God’s plan from the beginning. We are to derive meaning and
worth from our work. How is stealing a
violation of God’s creation? What are
some of the ways we might positively fulfill this command?
5.
Respond
to this statement: You only have as much relationship as you have honesty in
that relationship. What do you think
this statement means? What does it say
about the importance of truth-telling for individual relationships? For our relationships within our community of
faith?
6.
Coveting
is an over-grown desire for that which we do not posses. How does coveting betray our faith in
God? How does it damage our relationships
with one another?
[1] William
White, “2208 רָצַח,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K.
Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 860.
