February 14th - Reflection

Exodus 20:1-21 (NRSV)
The ten commandments

Then God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

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. 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, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.


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.

Remember the sabbath day, and 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; 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. 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.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

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.

When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin." Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Reflection
It's all so negative! And God spoke all these words. So God makes it clear with negative terms that he hates sin. Sin that comes into the midst of his children. God hates sin and is negative about it. Yet these people, including you and I are amongst those that he saved.

God's negative terms for sin become a gift of life for his children. A gift that speaks to our relationship with God and with one another. And God addresses us corporately as his children yet individually. "You shall not..." God cares about you! God cares enough about you that he gave us his Word.

God gave us his commandments to help and guide us and he gave us his Word, in flesh to save us.

It seems so negative, and it is. But we see God's hatred for sin and his love for you and me. Both in Word. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, as I ponder the commandments, guide me in hating that sin. May I be disgusted with the smell of the stench of my sin and turn to you. Turn to your sweet fragrance of grace through Jesus Christ. --- Amen