Dearest e-votees-
This week's assigned OT text is the 10 Commandments. May we be blessed as we ponder those instructions from God.
Peace,
Karl
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1 Then God spoke all these words:
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.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Exodus 20:1-17, NRSV
I was recently at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Beaverton for a meeting. As I was walking around the narthex I encountered a beautiful art installation. It was a representation of the 10 Commandments by Ernst Schwidder. If you would like to see a picture, send me an e-mail and I'll sent you a .JPG. You can best reach me at pastor@christthegoodshep.org.
The installation was a corner mounted wooden carving. One panel had "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" around the top of the panel. Inside the panel was "I II III IV". The second panel had "Love your neighbor as yourself" around the top of the panel with "V VI VII VIII IX X" inside the panel. The wood is a deep, rich brown. The carving is done such that all of the wood is taken away so the words and the Roman numerals jut out. This is typical of the carvings of Ernst Schwidder.
Each panel was one of the tablets of the law. The first four Commandments pertain to our relationship with God (or maybe three depending on how you parse them out). That is why the "Love the Lord..." is carved on the top. The next six (or maybe seven commandments depending on how you parse them out) pertain to our relationships with others. That is why the "Love your neighbor..." is carved on the top. Jesus said that if we do these things that we will fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
The truth is we can't live out those Commandments. As we ponder and meditate on them more deeply we become more and more mired. Jesus amplified "You shall not murder" to "You shall not get angry with another". Jesus amplified "You shall not commit adultery" to "You shall not lust after another". We can't meet the incredible standard for holiness that God commands and that Jesus exemplifies. Thanks be to God that Jesus could. Jesus lived the life we cannot. Jesus took the punishment for transgression of the Law upon himself even though he did not deserve that punishment.
What is left for us to do except accept God's salvation by grace through faith (in what Jesus has done) which leaves us no room for boasting. Having been saved God can help us do better at loving God and loving neighbor. When our time to leave this earth comes all we can say is that we deserve no praise for we have only done what we ought to have been doing the whole time.
The best way that we can give thanks and live graciously toward God is to make room for others who have struggled with us. May we always point to the one who has freed us from the impossibility of salvation through law-abiding living--Jesus.
God, thank you for Jesus doing what we cannot. Now that we have been freed help us do what we cannot even imagine all to the glory of God. Amen.
This week's assigned OT text is the 10 Commandments. May we be blessed as we ponder those instructions from God.
Peace,
Karl
------------
1 Then God spoke all these words:
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.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
I was recently at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Beaverton for a meeting. As I was walking around the narthex I encountered a beautiful art installation. It was a representation of the 10 Commandments by Ernst Schwidder. If you would like to see a picture, send me an e-mail and I'll sent you a .JPG. You can best reach me at pastor@christthegoodshep.org.
The installation was a corner mounted wooden carving. One panel had "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" around the top of the panel. Inside the panel was "I II III IV". The second panel had "Love your neighbor as yourself" around the top of the panel with "V VI VII VIII IX X" inside the panel. The wood is a deep, rich brown. The carving is done such that all of the wood is taken away so the words and the Roman numerals jut out. This is typical of the carvings of Ernst Schwidder.
Each panel was one of the tablets of the law. The first four Commandments pertain to our relationship with God (or maybe three depending on how you parse them out). That is why the "Love the Lord..." is carved on the top. The next six (or maybe seven commandments depending on how you parse them out) pertain to our relationships with others. That is why the "Love your neighbor..." is carved on the top. Jesus said that if we do these things that we will fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
The truth is we can't live out those Commandments. As we ponder and meditate on them more deeply we become more and more mired. Jesus amplified "You shall not murder" to "You shall not get angry with another". Jesus amplified "You shall not commit adultery" to "You shall not lust after another". We can't meet the incredible standard for holiness that God commands and that Jesus exemplifies. Thanks be to God that Jesus could. Jesus lived the life we cannot. Jesus took the punishment for transgression of the Law upon himself even though he did not deserve that punishment.
What is left for us to do except accept God's salvation by grace through faith (in what Jesus has done) which leaves us no room for boasting. Having been saved God can help us do better at loving God and loving neighbor. When our time to leave this earth comes all we can say is that we deserve no praise for we have only done what we ought to have been doing the whole time.
The best way that we can give thanks and live graciously toward God is to make room for others who have struggled with us. May we always point to the one who has freed us from the impossibility of salvation through law-abiding living--Jesus.
God, thank you for Jesus doing what we cannot. Now that we have been freed help us do what we cannot even imagine all to the glory of God. Amen.
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