You must not have any other gods but me. You must not make yourself an idol of any kind. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honor your father and mother. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. You must not covet. – Exodus 20:3-17

Upon first glance at the 10 commandments, I understand why people see God as this punitive figure, scrutinizing our every action, waiting for us to mess up so He can obliterate us with punishment.

The 10 commandments are pretty no-nonsense. They are commands, not suggestions. They’re not up for negotiation or debate.

But as I meditated on each commandment, something beautiful was revealed to me.

I couldn’t find fault with a single commandment. They are all good, sound rules to live by. There’s nothing bad, questionable, or arbitrary about them.

Why wouldn’t you put God first? He’s the creator of life. Why would you murder? Why would you steal?

Then I noticed that the first four commandments focused on God while the last six focused on dealing with other people.

And BOOM!

Like a flash of light, the Holy Spirit drew me to a biblical connection I had never noticed before.

Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 22: 37:40:

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.

The 10 commandments show us the skeleton of love. Jesus came to flesh the commandments out and clarify exactly why they were given. Literally. He was love in the flesh!

Isn’t it wonderful to know that from the very beginning, God has always set out to guide us in the path of love?

Take some time today to meditate on what each commandment means. If there are any that you are struggling with, ask God to fill you with the spirit of righteousness, so that you can walk in love the way He wants you to.

Be blessed,

Alexia