The Ten Words deal with perennial sins. Idolaters are everywhere all the time. We all hate, lust, envy. Poison of asps is under our lips too. The Ten Words are addressed to us because they are addressed to everyone.
But what use are all these detailed commandments? Why do we need to know that God told Israel not to cut altar stones with tools and not to build altar steps? Can’t we skip ahead to passages that apply to us?
For starters: All Scripture is God-breathed, given to train us in righteousness. We may not see immediately how these commandments apply, but as we meditate on them we are equipped for every good work.
God says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Without specifics, we decide for ourselves what it means to love. But we don’t know the first thing about love, so God adds: If you break the lawnmower you borrowed, pay for it. If you dig a pit make sure you cover it so no one falls in. If you see your enemy’s ox wandering, send it back to him.
God speaks specifically to interfere in the details of our lives, because He knows how ignorant and weak we are. He speaks specifically to humble us, to transform us into men and women of God by His Word and Spirit.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
