The Ten Commandments need to...
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The Ten Commandments need to be seen in a positive light. Too often they are seen by people as negative demands placed upon us by a God content upon taking all the joy out of life. Yet the Commandments are not given to us by our Creator to wring the joy out of life but to assure that joy will be ours through our daily living. The Commandments are given to us in love and deep compassion by a Creator God whose heart is filled to overflowing with mercy and goodness for all his children. Most of the Commandments are in the indicative-imperative form in the original Hebrew language. That is, they point to a quality of life that should be lived because of our relationship with God.
In many ways, the relationship between God and his people is like the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. The union, the perfect bond that they form together, is fashioned out of love, not fear. Standing before the altar of God, they take each other's hands and look into each other's eyes and make the following commitment: "I take you, ______ to be my wife/husband from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come, and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us." In some ceremonies, they say, "Forsaking all others I will keep myself only for you so long as we both shall live." Through good times and bad, "for better for worse and in sickness and in health," they will "stick it out" and "hang in there" and make the relationship work. Love will be the bond, the glue, which will hold the relationship together. Without love, a split in the relationship will be inevitable. With love, even trouble can drive the man and woman closer together in their marriage bond. Thus, the Commandments point out what a love relationship between God and his people looks like as it is lived out.
In many ways, the relationship between God and his people is like the marriage relationship between a man and a woman. The union, the perfect bond that they form together, is fashioned out of love, not fear. Standing before the altar of God, they take each other's hands and look into each other's eyes and make the following commitment: "I take you, ______ to be my wife/husband from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come, and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us." In some ceremonies, they say, "Forsaking all others I will keep myself only for you so long as we both shall live." Through good times and bad, "for better for worse and in sickness and in health," they will "stick it out" and "hang in there" and make the relationship work. Love will be the bond, the glue, which will hold the relationship together. Without love, a split in the relationship will be inevitable. With love, even trouble can drive the man and woman closer together in their marriage bond. Thus, the Commandments point out what a love relationship between God and his people looks like as it is lived out.
