Deuteronomy 5: While the Jews were in the wilderness, Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God. As you read the first few, you find that God was a jealous God and did not want to share the Jew’s affection with any other gods or idols. The first four commandments, including the misuse of His name, cover our relationship with God. This includes honoring a day of rest. Commandments five through ten, cover our relationships with others.
Three of them have a few more comments beyond the initial phrase. These include having no gods or idols in our way of knowing God (5:10), remembering to keep the Sabbath (5:12), and to not covet anything of your neighbor’s or friend’s property (5:21).
For my application, the one that jumps out is telling me not to place any idols before God because of His love for me. There are many good activities I can be involved in. But too much can be a distraction from God. They can interfere my with time to get to know Him better. A number of years ago I cut out watching the NFL. Tired of there whining. That freed up Thursday and Monday nights and most of my day on Sunday. More productive time and this year was one of the worst half -time shows ever. I watched for only about 10 minutes.
During this week, pick one of the below to focus on and adjust an area of your life:
- Vs. 7-8 no idols or distraction
- Vs. 11 a day of rest
- Vs. 16-19 work on a relationship?
Vs. 19-20 love your neighbor.
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