The 10 Commandments and 8 Beatitudes

On the next stop of our revelation journey, I want to introduce the 10 Commandments and the 8 Beatitudes. 

In Exodus 20:1-17 NLT, God gave Moses 10 commandments to help guide the Israelites who God had recently helped escape Egypt. They were removed from God for hundreds of years because of their slavery in Egypt. But God wanted to tell them 10 things that would help them be acceptable to him in order to receive the land he had promised them through Abraham hundreds of years before they wound up in Egypt. Afterwards, when the people would come to Moses to help them solve disagreements, God helped him come up with other "laws" so that fair justice could be practiced. But it is these 10 Commandments that hang in our own judicial systems in the United States. People try to have these removed from our halls of justice, because they don't believe religion should be mixed with the state. Read the NLT version of these commandments below. God delivered these commandments to Moses, by the way, on Mount Sinai.

10 Commandments

1 Then God gave the people all these instructions:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

3 “You must not have any other god but me.

4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 

5 "You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 

6 "But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

7 "You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 

9 "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 

10 "but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 

11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You must not murder.

14 “You must not commit adultery.

15 “You must not steal.

16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

All countries have laws that we all must abide by in order to stay out of trouble, so I don't understand why God's 10 main laws should be removed from our court system. I know I've mentioned that God gives us advice through his servants who wrote the Bible. However, since these are called commandments, we should treat them as such. And these are especially important instructions so that we will be blessed.

When Jesus came (read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), he taught us (through a question asked by a Pharisee) that the most important law was to love the Lord God with all of our hearts, minds, and souls (Matthew 22:37 NLT and Luke 10:27 NLT). If we can do this, following the rest will be easy.

Image courtesy of Daniela Izotenko via Unsplash

Beatitudes

Also, in Matthew 5:3-12 NLT, Jesus tells us the blessings we will receive for being faithful to God and his laws. Jesus delivered this beautiful message during his Sermon on the Mount.

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 "God blesses those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

5 "God blesses those who are humble,

    for they will inherit the whole earth.

6 "God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,

    for they will be satisfied.

7 "God blesses those who are merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

    for they will see God.

9 "God blesses those who work for peace,

    for they will be called the children of God.

10 "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."

The message today is not just what you must and must not do, but also about the blessings you will receive in return for your obedience.

Prayer: Father in heaven, I'm grateful you have sent me a book of instructions that will help me meet your requirements for right living in your sight. I pray that you will give me strength when the devil comes to point out my weaknesses. Through you, my rock and my redeemer, I pray that I will be able to succeed as a witness for you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

God bless you,

Patricia