“Want to play a game?”
“Sure!”
“Great. I got this new game for Christmas.”
After unboxing a game board and a variety of cards and pieces, it’s time to read the rules. They’ll be printed in a little folder, inside the box lid, or even on the back of the box. Until you know the rules, you can’t play the game.
When God powerfully brought his people out of slavery in Egypt, he declared, “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2). God then gives his people a list of “you shalls” and “you shall nots” that we call the Ten Commandments. They are not numbered in the Hebrew text, but later we read, “[The Lord your God] declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone” (Deuteronomy 4:13). That’s how we know they are ten.
These commandments (and many more) were not just rules for a game. They were rules for life. These commandments outline what God means when he says, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
Think about it. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had emerged from 350 years of slavery. Every day someone told them what to do and how to do it. They never had to make a decision. They never had to make a choice. They never had a day off. And they always knew exactly what was expected of them.
Now, they are on their own. For the first time in their lives. For the first time in generations. Someone better find a way to reign in the natural selfishness, greed, and jealously that brings self-destruction to any group of people, from kids to grown-ups.
God loves his people enough to put up some guard rails for their life together. He loves them enough to show them they can’t do this on their own. They need him to save and preserve their lives. He loves them enough to show them the kind of life he has in mind for them, one that has an amazing future.
God gives his people the law. It is a gift that not only preserves their lives but draws them to him when they don’t get it right. It is a gift that shows them how much he loves them, even when they break the rules. It is a gift to remind them that their God is unlike any other so-called God in the world. He is the one who comes to give them life. It is a gift that holds God’s people together until that day when the Messiah is born.
The Ten Commandments get an ornament on the Jesse Tree, for they are God’s gracious curb, mirror, and guide for our lives.
A week ago my wife and I were sitting in front of a crackling fire in a wonderful 100 year old cabin in the mountains of northern Virginia. The fall colors were at their peak and the cool air so worth the long drive from Florida. The one thing that put a damper on a picture perfect evening was a large red “No Smoking” sign prominently displayed in the living room. Just in case you missed that one, another one hung over the front door. And that’s all it took to suck a whole bunch of charm out of the room.
Waite for it... 