July 8, 2024
Ten Commandments -- Part 1
Exodus 20:1-3
07/08/2024
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 ``I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 You shall have no other gods before me.'' (ESV)
Last month the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, signed a
law that requires the display of the Ten Commandments in every
public school classroom beginning in 2025. In addition, the
poster-sized display will have four paragraphs describing how the
Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public
education for almost three centuries.[1]
This week's Old Testament lesson are the Ten Commandments.
We believe, teach, and confess that God had these Commandments
engraved on stone, not to limit our freedom, but to teach us how
to live in harmony with both God and neighbor. Jesus summarized
the Ten Commandments:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is
the great and first commandment. And a second is like
it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.[2]
As we study the Ten Commandments, we realize that any law
serves three purposes. The first is to curb antisocial and
harmful behavior. The second is to show us where we have failed.
The third is a guide to show us how to best live in peace with
each other.
This week we will look at this controversial, yet so
important, gift from God, a gift that helps us love Him and serve
our neighbor.
May our Lord grant you His richest blessings. Amen.
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1. https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-ten-commandments-
displayed-classrooms-571a2447906f7bbd5a166d53db005a62
2. Matthew 22:37-39 (ESV)