Divine Law-3 quotes

This fifth commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold authority by honoring “thy father and thy mother”. But God did not say to only honor your parents if they worshiped the same as you do, or if they treated you properly while growing up, or if they raised you without making any big mistakes or blunders. The Hebrew word for “honor” used here is “kabed”, which translates and means “to be heavy in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable), to be chargeable” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, word #3513). This reveals that this commandment to honor your parents was not to be taken lightly, because it is a very heavy or weighty responsibility.

Not only were children learning how to honor, obey and respect their parent’s, as well as God’s authority, but they were also learning how to honor, obey and respect others in positions of authority over them – whether these were religious or civil and governmental leaders, and irregardless of whether or not they felt these leaders deserved their respect. This meant that this commandment was promoting harmony and contentment, while discouraging and eliminating disorder and rebellion. It was bringing peace and order within the family, within the religious and civil or governmental community, and between the people and their God, while preventing unrest and chaos.

But when either parents, religious leaders, or civil and governmental leaders urge or command us to do something that God commands us not to do, or not to do something that God commands us to do, then “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) in that issue. While we are still to respect our parents and other leaders since they are in positions of authority over us, yet when their laws or commands conflict with God’s laws and commands then we are instead to obey God first and foremost as He is the greatest authority. Whatever consequences we have to suffer, because of our polite yet firm disobedience of the commandments of men so that we can remain faithful to the commandments of God, we can safely trust God to help us bear and carry us through. This is because God promises that “them that honor me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30).

This Divine commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold life, declaring that they were not to kill any other person. Yet this commandment does not forbid all taking of life. The Hebrew word for “kill” used here is “ratsach”, which translates and means “to murder” (Strong’s, word #7523), and murder means “the unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, under word “murder”). This means that this commandment does not forbid all killing, but it forbids all unlawful or unjustified killing or murdering of others.

This commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold moral purity, declaring that adultery was not to be committed. The sexual passions of God's followers were not to be unrestrained like the pagans around them, but their bodies and passions were to be kept under the control of reason, and any and all sexual intimacy was to be reserved for their own married spouse. But there is more to this commandment.

The Hebrew word for “adultery” is “na’aph”, and it translates and means “to commit adultery, to apostatize” (Strong’s, word #5003), and to apostatize means to “abandon one’s faith” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, under word “apostatize”). This reveals that all who have chosen to enter into a covenant agreement with God to keep His commandments have actually entered into a relationship between God and them – like a marriage contract – with God promising to be their faithful God, and they promising to be His faithful people. If after entering into this covenant relationship with God, they should then choose not to live up to their agreement, would mean that they were no longer faithful in their relationship with God – their faithful Partner, and thus would be in apostasy or adultery against Him.

“Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.” But “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you...” Jeremiah 3:20, 14.

This Divine law revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold the property rights and possessions of others, declaring that all stealing was prohibited. The Hebrew word for “steal” is “ganab”, and it translates and means “to thieve, to deceive” (Strong’s, word #5003). So in addition to not stealing the property of others, it also prohibited any and all deception - which actually steals away the truth from others.

This commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold the truth, declaring that they were not to bear false witness against their neighbor. The Hebrew word for “false” is “sheqer”, and it translates and means “an untruth, a sham, falsehood, lie” (Strong’s, word #8267). The Hebrew word for “witness” is “ed”, and it translates and means “a witness, testimony, recorder” (Strong’s, word #5707). This reveals that God prohibited His people from lying, telling untruths or spreading falsehoods in any area, whether a witness to some event, or giving testimony about some person or group, or writing and recording something about another.

The Hebrew word for “neighbour” is “reya”, and it translates and means “an associate whether close or not, a brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbour, or another” (Strong’s, word #7453). This reveals that this prohibition against all forms of lying and spreading falsehoods included every person that His people had any form of contact with – whether close or not.

Yet this commandment did not just prohibit all forms of untruths and falsehoods being personally spoken, written, or otherwise provided by you against another, but it also prohibited listening to all falsehoods being told you about others! The Hebrew word for “bear” is “anah”, and it translates and means “to heed, pay attention, to testify, announce, hear, utter” (Strong’s, word #6030). This reveals that this commandment not only prohibited God’s people from themselves bearing or uttering false information about another, but it also prohibited them from hearing or paying attention to false information being told them about another, and went even further in prohibiting them from giving heed to what they were told and then announcing or uttering it to others.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Exodus 20:17.

This Divine commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold contentment with what He had already provided them with, declaring that they were not to covet their neighbor’s house, or his wife, servants, animals, or anything that he owned.

If you were content with whatever possessions you already had, then it would eliminate envy and jealousy over the spouse, property or prosperity of others – no matter how beautiful and pleasing to eye all these things might be. This would also elevate the trap of overspending or borrowing in order to “keep up with the Jones”, and then having to overwork in order to pay the bills that such selfish indulgence brought. This commandment promoted economy and living within one’s own means, and the contentment this brought would produce peace, rest, and health among God’s people.

The first 4 commandments deals with love to God, and the last 6 deals with love to our fellow human beings. The one common area which each commandment was directed against - was selfishness. This law of God led its followers to deny self by loving God supremely above all else, and then to deny self by loving their fellow human beings as themselves.


	"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries home \| Sermon Quotes THE DIVINE LAW, part 3 quotes 1) The fifth commandment of God is: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. This fifth commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold authority by honoring “thy father and thy mother”. But God did not say to only honor your parents if they worshiped the same as you do, or if they treated you properly while growing up, or if they raised you without making any big mistakes or blunders. The Hebrew word for “honor” used here is “kabed”, which translates and means “to be heavy in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable), to be chargeable” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, word #3513). This reveals that this commandment to honor your parents was not to be taken lightly, because it is a very heavy or weighty responsibility. Not only were children learning how to honor, obey and respect their parent’s, as well as God’s authority, but they were also learning how to honor, obey and respect others in positions of authority over them – whether these were religious or civil and governmental leaders, and irregardless of whether or not they felt these leaders deserved their respect. This meant that this commandment was promoting harmony and contentment, while discouraging and eliminating disorder and rebellion. It was bringing peace and order within the family, within the religious and civil or governmental community, and between the people and their God, while preventing unrest and chaos. But when either parents, religious leaders, or civil and governmental leaders urge or command us to do something that God commands us not to do, or not to do something that God commands us to do, then “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) in that issue. While we are still to respect our parents and other leaders since they are in positions of authority over us, yet when their laws or commands conflict with God’s laws and commands then we are instead to obey God first and foremost as He is the greatest authority. Whatever consequences we have to suffer, because of our polite yet firm disobedience of the commandments of men so that we can remain faithful to the commandments of God, we can safely trust God to help us bear and carry us through. This is because God promises that “them that honor me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30). 2) The sixth commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. This Divine commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold life, declaring that they were not to kill any other person. Yet this commandment does not forbid all taking of life. The Hebrew word for “kill” used here is “ratsach”, which translates and means “to murder” (Strong’s, word #7523), and murder means “the unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, under word “murder”). This means that this commandment does not forbid all killing, but it forbids all unlawful or unjustified killing or murdering of others. 3) The seventh commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14. This commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold moral purity, declaring that adultery was not to be committed. The sexual passions of God's followers were not to be unrestrained like the pagans around them, but their bodies and passions were to be kept under the control of reason, and any and all sexual intimacy was to be reserved for their own married spouse. But there is more to this commandment. The Hebrew word for “adultery” is “na’aph”, and it translates and means “to commit adultery, to apostatize” (Strong’s, word #5003), and to apostatize means to “abandon one’s faith” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, under word “apostatize”). This reveals that all who have chosen to enter into a covenant agreement with God to keep His commandments have actually entered into a relationship between God and them – like a marriage contract – with God promising to be their faithful God, and they promising to be His faithful people. If after entering into this covenant relationship with God, they should then choose not to live up to their agreement, would mean that they were no longer faithful in their relationship with God – their faithful Partner, and thus would be in apostasy or adultery against Him. “Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.” But “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you...” Jeremiah 3:20, 14. 4) The eighth commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. This Divine law revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold the property rights and possessions of others, declaring that all stealing was prohibited. The Hebrew word for “steal” is “ganab”, and it translates and means “to thieve, to deceive” (Strong’s, word #5003). So in addition to not stealing the property of others, it also prohibited any and all deception - which actually steals away the truth from others. 5) The ninth commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16. This commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold the truth, declaring that they were not to bear false witness against their neighbor. The Hebrew word for “false” is “sheqer”, and it translates and means “an untruth, a sham, falsehood, lie” (Strong’s, word #8267). The Hebrew word for “witness” is “ed”, and it translates and means “a witness, testimony, recorder” (Strong’s, word #5707). This reveals that God prohibited His people from lying, telling untruths or spreading falsehoods in any area, whether a witness to some event, or giving testimony about some person or group, or writing and recording something about another. The Hebrew word for “neighbour” is “reya”, and it translates and means “an associate whether close or not, a brother, companion, fellow, friend, husband, lover, neighbour, or another” (Strong’s, word #7453). This reveals that this prohibition against all forms of lying and spreading falsehoods included every person that His people had any form of contact with – whether close or not. Yet this commandment did not just prohibit all forms of untruths and falsehoods being personally spoken, written, or otherwise provided by you against another, but it also prohibited listening to all falsehoods being told you about others! The Hebrew word for “bear” is “anah”, and it translates and means “to heed, pay attention, to testify, announce, hear, utter” (Strong’s, word #6030). This reveals that this commandment not only prohibited God’s people from themselves bearing or uttering false information about another, but it also prohibited them from hearing or paying attention to false information being told them about another, and went even further in prohibiting them from giving heed to what they were told and then announcing or uttering it to others. 6) The tenth commandment of God is: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Exodus 20:17. This Divine commandment revealed how God wanted His people to respect and uphold contentment with what He had already provided them with, declaring that they were not to covet their neighbor’s house, or his wife, servants, animals, or anything that he owned. If you were content with whatever possessions you already had, then it would eliminate envy and jealousy over the spouse, property or prosperity of others – no matter how beautiful and pleasing to eye all these things might be. This would also elevate the trap of overspending or borrowing in order to “keep up with the Jones”, and then having to overwork in order to pay the bills that such selfish indulgence brought. This commandment promoted economy and living within one’s own means, and the contentment this brought would produce peace, rest, and health among God’s people. 7) The one common principle running throughout each one of these 10 Divine laws and binding them all together - was love! The first 4 commandments deals with love to God, and the last 6 deals with love to our fellow human beings. The one common area which each commandment was directed against - was selfishness. This law of God led its followers to deny self by loving God supremely above all else, and then to deny self by loving their fellow human beings as themselves. All who gave in to selfishness was breaking one of the commandments in some way, and all who denied self were actually keeping the commandments in some way.