We have looked at four of the ten love letters God sent to us in Exodus 20. We can look at them as if they were a post-nuptial contract between the Groom and His bride. I hope you enjoyed the first four as much as I did. Here are the final six.
Before we start let's consider one overarching attribute. All of the love letters reflect the nature and being (or face) of God. As we peruse them, we will find the character of God superimposed over each concept.
Number five: The Relational God. "Honor your father and mother." This is written specifically to the children of the marriage. Ephesians 6:2 tells us that this is the first command with a promise. And what a promise: "3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth." Try Googling "long life" and see how many responses come up. There are pages and pages. I did not check, but none of the first pages had anything about this.
Then this web site came up: http://www.bibloscope.com/content/long-life-scriptures. Now that is an impressive list. Far better than the three previous and untold following pages. (This is not an endorsement of this site. This page is valid. ED.)
Showing respect for father and mother then aids in transferring respect to others in authority. Teachers, a boss, police, even government leaders deserve respect and it is our responsibility to honor them. Not to get too political, but how many young men would still be alive if they had respected authority when they had an interaction with the police? If and when a police officer tells you to do something, do it. Long life is a tangible and measurable result in these events. (Or at least "longer" life.)
Look ahead. The next letters are all facilitated by a loving father and mother inculcating the love of God and the Scripture into their kids. Not only does it result in life for the kids, but also a less stressful life for Ma and Pa. Just as we honor God, and a wife honors her husband, the children extend the trail of respect and honor. Most of the problems of society would be solved by this. Start a new line today.
God's image is seen here. The Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been in complete and unbroken communion and community from all eternity. They each play a role, most often in conjunction with the others. They are in complete agreement and cooperation as they respect each other and each others' participation in all they do. (Genesis 1 "Let US make man....") Our families can mirror this union and communion. It begins with respect or honor.
Number six: The Life Respecting God. "You shall not murder." God is life and life giving. Jesus said that He was "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." (John 14:6) Respect for life is part of God's being as much as holiness is. We see the nature of God reflected in all of creation. The variety and diversity is beyond our conception, even in the parts we cannot see. God takes pride in life. It is natural that we should emulate this in all of our actions.
Before going any farther, be sure to notice the wording. "Murder" does not imply all killing. We can dispense with that nonsense right away. Murder is the deliberate taking of a life with no justification. Other Scriptures delineate that clearly.
How does this fit into marriage? Life is precious. All life is precious. God values His bride and everyone as He has made them. And as His bride, we respect and love what He loves. This does have a practical aspect as noted before. No one wants to die unexpectedly and undeservedly. The lack of respect for live is frightening in our society. (See long life promise in five.)
And the value that God places on life is evident in the penalty delineated in Genesis 9:6. "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed," The price God puts on life is that anyone who takes the life of another will forfeit his own. As a bride, we can be secure in the wall of protection the Groom placed around the home and all of the family.
Ignoring or removing the hedge is disastrous. Modern murder rates are almost unbelievable as people act with impunity and total disregard for others' welfare. Our families are not reflecting God's concern for life. Mom and Dad, this is partly our fault. Not only do we respect lives in regard to life and death, we respect life when we treat people as they deserve. They are special creations of our Father and God. Jesus extended this from actually taking life to hating someone. John quoted this in 1 John 3:15.
We can actually turn this around and say that loving our family is the opposite of murder. God would never murder His children or bride. The bride should and must reflect this in our treatment of others. Think how this would revolutionize law enforcement.
Number seven: The Restricting God. "You shall not commit adultery." (This can be extended to any and all sexual interactions between people.) The Groom is totally, completely, and exclusively committed to His bride.
Again, God's nature is clearly on display here. First the Three would never be untrue to each other. And from our point of view, God is never untrue to us or any of His people. The book of Hosea illustrates that on a personal and a national level. We best reflect God's nature as we are true to our mates. What a privilege! Simple and practical, it is. (Yoda)
Number eight: The Supplying God. "You shall not steal." God recognizes and approves of property. The first clear indication of this is Abram being promised land. (Genesis 12) In Genesis 13 the Lord promised Abram all of the land that he could see and "walk over." Possessions do not pose a problem with God.
The inordinate love of them can lead to unhealthy and unholy desires. The principle of accumulation is not foreign to the Lord. But taking property from someone else is not part of God's original plan. God's nature is to provide. When we steal, we are expressing a lack of belief that the provision of the Lord will be sufficient.
We are driven by desire for prosperity, property, and prestige. When we take any of that from someone else we attempt to short circuit the Master's plans. An additional consideration is that we get paid for work, for expending part of our life in exchange for money. Spending money is an expression of trading our life for something else. The act of thievery, then, is stealing life. Check number six.
God's nature is to provide. By taking matters into our own hands, illegitimately, we are demonstrating a lack of trust. A bride who does not trust her Groom will use unethical methods to accumulate "stuff" in order to insure that her needs are met. We often witness situations where the Groom was going to provide that and more. Or conversely, the "stuff" is harmful and He, wisely forbore giving something that would cause damage..
Stealing denies God's sovereignty and care, but it also exerts our own desires to be in control. That didn't work out too well for Adam and Eve, nor for us. In fact, we can turn to Abram to see the folly of not waiting for God to provide. His fathering Ishmael may not always be seen as stealing, but it does illustrate not waiting for God to provide what He had promised. God's provision is sufficient and will come in His time.
Number nine: The God of truth. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.." The nature of God is glaringly evident here. Look back at John 14:6. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
That applied directly in number six, "Life." The "way" can be discerned in respect and honor for our parents and waiting on God to provide instead of stealing. Proverbs 13:11 says, "Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles." Follow God's way. And here, we see truth is inherent in God's nature, just as holiness is. And finally, Truth is enshrined in Jesus and God. Any variation from absolute honesty should be recognized as denying God.
God did not have the Holy Spirit flip a coin and say,"Murder? Tails, nope."
How about adultery? "Tails again. No way."
Respect parents? "Heads, yes. Do it."
Stealing, coveting? "No again."
Lying? We know the answer to that. God's nature is displayed in all of these love letters. He would deny Himself if He tolerated any of them. And, as His bride, we deny His character if and when we engage in any of them.
Lying, along with murder, adultery, and stealing are all expressions of rebellion against God and His nature. They are not proscribed to restrict our fun or even options. They fly directly in the face of God's care and provision for us, His bride. A bride should never lie to her husband.
All of these are not merely expressions of ways to make the community and society function fairly and efficiently. If we interpret them as such, we both miss out on the beautiful display of God's love for us, and we miss the experience of resting in His care. A family that is slavishly forced to comply with these or any other commandments will not be a pleasant place to be. But one that follows them willingly, with wonder, will experience a joy and contentment that cannot be measured nor duplicated.
Number ten: The Complete God. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." The detail here almost makes us think that the Lord was covering all of the possible "loop holes," that anyone could concoct.
"Thou shalt not covet," seems to be pretty clear. But...you know me, and yourself. "What about...?" There are no escape clauses. "But I need...."
Nope, nada, nein, nyet. All eventualities are covered. And the reason why becomes obvious in Colossians 3:5 where Paul lists a group of sins and finishes with, "covetousness, which is idolatry." The letters have come full circle. Coveting or greed encompasses most of the final five and maybe more. Often murder is instigated by wishing to acquire others' property (theft), and fraudulent attempts to obtain it (lying) before outright taking the life (murder) of the one resisting. Adultery fits right up there in the initial listing, "neighbor's wife."
And the ultimate cause of all, is elevating my desires above God's. I have made my wishes superior to God's and supplanting Him with something or someone else. (One–no other gods or no gods before–above–Me.) This is idolatry.
God put it last to complete the circle. And by if we break the circle here, most of the rest will not become a problem. God's nature is not to want something "else." Actually, there is "nothing else" for God. He owns it all. But He does not utilize illegitimate or unscrupulous means to effect His will.
A bride must not desire or aspire to gain anything outside of what the loving Groom provides. Remember stealing? The object might already be on the way, or it might be ultimately harmful and the Groom is protecting His bride. Either way, do not make an idol of stuff. He is sufficient.
We have completed the circle of God's love letters. He is all we will ever need. And when we recognize that, He is all that we will ever want. We can see His face in all that He has given and spoken. His love is complete and comprehensive. Rest in that.
That finishes all ten of God's love letters. The enormity of His love is on full display. Now don't you kind of wish there were 20?
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