The Decalogue Teacher, what…must I do to have eternal life (Matthew 19:16) (the story of the rich young man who is told to not only obey all the Law, but to go and sell all he possesses and follow Jesus) The word Decalogue means “Ten Words” in Greek language The Ten Commandments of the Decalogue are the covenant and Law of God with his people.

God had produced miracles to bring His People out of Egypt to serve him solely. God led his people in a pillar of clouds/smoke (in the day) and fire (at night) and protected them from the pursuing Egyptians. The Egyptians were destroyed after the Hebrews crossed safely into the Sinai desert across the Red Sea. Upon the journey into the desert to reach Mount Sinai, miracles continue. This was very rare in the biblical time but emphasizes the importance of God’s sole relationship with His People. These miracles showed His providential care for these people. There was the transformation of bitter water into sweet water at Marah (means bitterness) when a tree was thrown into the water; there was the feeding of the people as they wandered with bread (manna) and flesh (quail) when they cried out for food. To give direction to these “stubborn people” God gives them these commandments to live by.

These are the TEN COMMANDMENTS: (Exodus 20:2-17)

1.       I am the LORD your God: You shall not have strange God’s before me.
2.       You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3.       You shall keep holy the LORD’s day.
4.       Honor your father and your mother.
5.       You shall not kill.
6.       You shall not commit adultery.
7.       You shall not steal.
8.       You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9.       You shall not covet your neighbors wife.
10.    You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. 

Image by: Levi Meir Clancer

Natural Law:

The Ten Commandments are based on Natural Law and these commandments are summarized in natural law. Natural Law is communicated to us from God through our conscience to all peoples even before God gave us the Ten Commandments. Just as there are laws governing physics and biology, Natural law gives direction to our spiritual beings.

Unfortunately, when the Law was given to the Hebrews (and to us) as a directive towards our relationship with God, this was and is often seen as a punishment or threatening instead of a loving gesture from a loving God. The law then became a burden or a curse for them (and us) because of our fallen nature. There is a need, then to have grace to have that spiritual rightness and this has been granted to us through Christ.

The first three commandments dictate your relationship with God – Yahweh (Taken from the Ignatius Study Bible, page 42:

The first commandment mandates MONOTHEISM. 
Yahweh demands exclusive adoration from his people and refuses to tolerate either service to other gods or the making of idols. Together, monotheism and imageless worship make the religion of Israel radically different from the pagan cults of the biblical world.)

These subsequent commandments dictate your relationship with others.

Focus on the three Commandments:

First Commandment:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.

It is written: “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Exodus 20:1-2

CCC 2084:
God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful, loving, and liberating action in the history of the one he addresses: “I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” The first word contains the first commandment of the Law. “You shall fear the LORD your God’ you shall serve him…. You shall not go after other gods. Gods first call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.”

1. Faith – This is a relationship with God which absolutely has faith in the one God and no other. CCC 2088 “The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it.” We can sin against faith voluntarily or involuntarily – one in which we turn away from God (incredulity) and the other is when we don’t know or haven’t been introduced to God. (Ignorance)
2. Hope – This relationship with God is based on the hope that God will reveal himself to us in faith and that we cannot rely solely on ourselves to truly accept to divine nature of God without his hope and faith. Sins against hope include despair – Despair is contrary to God’s goodness and desire to love us. Presumption also interferes with our ability to have hope – that we can, by ourselves, achieve this faith and love of God.
3. Charity – Our relationship with God demands our sincere love and willingness to put God above all else.

• We sin against charity through indifference.
• We sin against charity through ingratitude – not giving thanks for the love and faith
• We sin against charity through lukewarmness or hesitation to fully commit ourselves to God.
• We sin against charity through Acadia or spiritual sloth.
• We especially sin against charity through expression of hatred towards God – this is based on pride that “we know better”

“Him only shall you serve…” We serve through:

• Adoration
• Prayer
• Sacrifice – This must be genuine and acceptable to God (CCC 2100 – “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit.” – St. Augustine

The perfect example of sacrifice was Jesus’ sacrifice of life on the cross.

• Promises and vows – no one is forced to believe and cannot be coerced or brought into believing.

Second Commandment

“You shall have no other gods before me”

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7

This commandment asks us to honor and respect God’s name. We weren’t to sully it by swearing an oath against God.

Matthew 5:33-34, “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely… but I say to you, Do not swear at all.”

CCC 2145: The faithful should bear witness to the Lord’s name by confessing the faith without giving way to fear. Preaching and catechizing should be permeated with adoration and respect for the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blasphemy and Oaths taken against God do not respect the name, and so, in turn, do not respect and live in love and awe of God.

Third Commandment

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work. - Exodus 20 8-10

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is Lord even of the sabbath.” - Mark 2:27-28

”This is the day the Lord has made, let u
s rejoice and be glad in it.” 
- Psalm 118:24

So, the sabbath or Shabbat was the original day of rest. God had finished creation and commanded that like Him, all should rest on the seventh day – the day of the week.

When Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, sabbath celebrated the new creation and new covenant with God through Jesus Christ.

”We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day [after the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God, separating matter from darkness, made the world, and on his same day Jesus Christ Our Savior rose from the dead.” - St. Justin, I Apol. 67 

So, what do these commandments tell you about your relationship with God and how do you respond? Do you see these as old and passé , no longer applicable to our life, or do you see these and live them as the loving gift from God?