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Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000116S
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00:01 - Today, we're gonna take a look at a recent decision
00:02 from the state of Louisiana regarding the 10 Commandments. 00:06 And we're gonna ask ourselves 00:07 what in the world we should be thinking about this? 00:10 [upbeat music] 00:20 [upbeat music continues] 00:31 I'm guessing you've already heard about the commotion 00:33 in Louisiana because by the time this show 00:36 actually goes to air, it's already going to be old news. 00:39 And for all I know, 00:41 it might already be at the Supreme Court, 00:42 at least if the ACLU has anything to say about it. 00:47 But just in case you've been living under a rock, 00:48 let me get you up to speed. 00:50 Back in June of 2024, Louisiana passed this new law stating 00:54 that all public schools from kindergarten 00:57 through state funded college, 00:59 well every single classroom is now apparently required 01:02 to display a copy of the 10 Commandments. 01:05 That display has got to be 11 by 14 at minimum, 01:09 and it also has to be printed in an easy to read font 01:12 so every kid in the room can see it. 01:14 And of course, a lot of people found this new regulation 01:18 to be a little triggering 01:19 because it appears to cross that all important dividing line 01:23 between church and state. 01:25 As you're likely aware, 01:26 when the United States was originally created, 01:29 the founders established to use the words of Jefferson, 01:32 a wall of separation between church and state. 01:37 The church is not supposed to run the government 01:39 and the government is not supposed to run the church. 01:42 It was originally a reaction to the way 01:44 that Christianity had developed back in the old world 01:47 where church and state blended 01:49 and started to work hand in hand. 01:52 Not that there weren't some exceptions to that practice 01:55 because there were some shining examples of places 01:58 where religious tolerance was official policy, 02:01 like the Dutch Republic of the 1600 02:03 or the city of Cordoba in Spain under Muslim rule 02:07 back in the 1000s. 02:09 Now, that one probably surprises a lot of you, 02:13 but the Islamic state of Spain back in the day 02:16 we're talking 1000 ago was actually more tolerant 02:20 of other faiths than the inquisition proved to be 02:23 just a few centuries later. 02:25 Now, all exceptions aside, 02:27 the history of European Christianity 02:29 is still largely a story of church 02:32 and state getting combined. 02:34 Now, there were times when various kings 02:37 and queens disputed the authority of the church over them, 02:40 but overall there were a lot of blurred lines. 02:44 So, as you know, when Europeans eventually got here 02:47 to the new world, a lot of them came for the sake 02:50 of religious liberty. 02:51 They wanted the right to worship 02:53 as they saw fit the way they read the Bible. 02:56 And of course, people being what they are, 02:59 they did it rather imperfectly 03:01 because some of the colonies up and down the East coast 03:05 actually practiced a lot of intolerance toward people 03:08 who didn't share their particular theology, 03:11 like the widely revered puritans 03:13 who actually strung up the Quaker Mary Dyer for the crime 03:17 of presenting herself in a Puritan colony 03:20 with the wrong opinion. 03:22 But of course, over time the American religious liberty 03:25 experiment actually proved a huge success. 03:29 I mean, just look at the fruits of what the founders built. 03:32 Many of you don't share my religious perspectives, 03:35 but here we are coexisting and getting along. 03:39 I'm free to say what I please, 03:41 and of course you're free to turn it off. 03:44 So, now let's think about that Louisiana law that says 03:48 that the 10 Commandments have 03:49 to be posted in every classroom. 03:52 Of course, it's probably important to note 03:54 that the law doesn't mandate keeping the 10 Commandments, 03:58 which would be an obvious attempt 04:00 to regulate religious morality 04:02 through the power of the state. 04:04 And that would be a big no-no, you must never go there, 04:10 but is merely posting a copy of those laws, 04:12 of violation of the separation of church and state. 04:16 Well, I'm certainly not the Supreme Court 04:18 and I'm no legal expert, 04:20 but let me unpack this a little bit anyway. 04:22 From a preacher's perspective, if you're a Christian 04:25 who cheered for that decision, 04:27 maybe ask yourself one really important question, 04:30 would you find it acceptable if 04:32 instead of the 10 Commandments, 04:34 the law actually required the teacher to put up a copy 04:37 of the five pillars of Islam 04:39 or maybe a series of posters 04:41 with the eightfold path of the Buddha? 04:43 If you're a Christian parent, I'm guessing your answer's no. 04:47 And of course the objection some people raised 04:49 when protesters wanted this new law overturned, 04:52 had to do with the celebration of alternate expressions 04:55 of sexuality that are explained in the classroom. 04:58 And I've got to say, I can sympathize with that. 05:00 I wouldn't want my child exposed to that subject 05:03 at a young age either, 05:04 because I happen to believe 05:06 that sensitive subjects like sexuality 05:09 really are the domain of parents. 05:11 And of course, human sexuality is a massive part 05:14 of almost every religious belief system. 05:17 So, from a religious point of view, 05:19 introducing those ideas into the classroom kinda seems 05:22 like a violation of that church state separation 05:25 because well can be so problematic for families who hold 05:29 to a traditional religious point of view. 05:31 And that point of view almost always includes 05:35 things like sex. 05:37 I myself would not want a public school teacher 05:39 raising questions or promoting a religious point of view 05:42 that openly contradicts my family's beliefs. 05:46 Now it's going to happen 05:48 because no two people can agree on everything. 05:50 But from where I sit, 05:51 a lot of the activism I'm seeing 05:53 has a distinctly religious tone to it. 05:55 In fact, a lot of it really does look like an open attack 05:59 on Judeo-Christian principles. 06:03 But still, I really do get it, people who happen 06:05 to hold a secular point of view wouldn't agree 06:08 with me on the topic of sex in the classroom. 06:10 And they wouldn't see it as a religious issue at all 06:12 because to them it just looks like an attempt 06:15 to create an inclusive atmosphere. 06:17 I think there might be a limit to that objective 06:20 because again, we're dealing with a lot of really young kids 06:24 and I'm not convinced that the public schools have the right 06:27 to turn them against the deeply held religious 06:29 beliefs of their parents. 06:31 But again, I'm certainly not a legal expert, 06:34 and if they haven't already done it, 06:36 I'll let the courts work out the details on this one 06:38 as I'm pretty sure they will. 06:40 So, back to the 10 Commandments. 06:43 I suppose you could argue 06:45 that they are such a fundamental part of who we are 06:47 in the West, that everybody should be familiar with them, 06:50 and I tend to agree with that. 06:52 As a lot of really good historians have noticed, 06:55 it's hard to explain who we are as a civilization 06:58 without acknowledging the massive role that the Bible played 07:02 in creating this place. 07:04 So, should kids learn about that, 07:06 I think they probably should, 07:08 but maybe at least in the public schools, 07:11 it should have been a suggestion 07:13 or part of the history curriculum 07:15 and not a mandatory insertion into the classroom. 07:18 I mean, let's just think about this. 07:20 It's just a poster on the wall without any historical 07:23 context or comment. 07:25 And these are little kids. 07:27 What impression does posting them on the wall create? 07:31 Now, as a Christian, you're probably excited by that idea 07:34 because you value those commandments like I do. 07:36 They make good sense to you 07:38 and you know the power they have 07:39 to help you create an authentic human life. 07:43 But if I was a member of a non-Abrahamic faith, 07:46 I'm not sure I'd be happy 07:47 because the public school system was supposed 07:50 to be for everybody. 07:53 Which leads me to another kind of related issue, 07:56 it's really not a very good look when some activists try 07:59 to claim that private schools should never be allowed 08:02 or that homeschooling should be forbidden 08:04 because well then it really does start 08:06 to look like there isn't room for everybody. 08:08 And it does look like public schools are supposed 08:11 to indoctrinate your kids. 08:14 But let's put the politics aside for a moment 08:16 and think about the 10 Commandments themselves 08:18 because well, I happen to be a fan. 08:20 In fact, I think if you read them 08:23 and really consider what they're saying, 08:25 you will not find a better moral code. 08:28 Now, you might not believe that they're divinely inspired, 08:30 written by the finger of God, 08:32 but I really doubt you'll find a whole lot to argue with 08:35 in terms of using those commandments as a moral code. 08:38 They're good. 08:39 I mean, who's really gonna argue 08:41 that refraining from murder or stealing 08:43 or cheating on your spouse, those are bad ideas? 08:46 What would this world be like if everybody just actually 08:49 lived that way? 08:51 And I get it, the first table of commandments 08:53 has a distinctly religious tone. 08:55 It's a set of laws governing how people relate to God. 08:58 And if you don't believe in God, 09:00 you might not see the sense in that. 09:02 But even then, I'd encourage you to look 09:04 because those first commandments still make sense. 09:08 For example, when it tells you 09:10 to have no other gods before me. 09:11 Even if you don't believe in the God of the Bible, 09:14 there's still some common sense there. 09:16 I mean, all of us appear to be wired 09:17 for religious behavior for whatever reason. 09:20 You might not actually call it worship, 09:22 but you will worship something. 09:24 I promise you, you will. 09:25 And if you make a God out of things like money or power 09:28 or political ideology, you can still do a lot of harm 09:32 because you're worshiping something that is not a God. 09:35 Now, you might not believe in the God, 09:37 but now you're behaving like you believe in another God 09:40 and it's still behavior that leads to negative outcomes. 09:43 And speaking of negative outcomes, I need to shut up 09:45 because it's time for a break 09:46 and I don't want you to miss what the good people 09:48 who produce this program want to share with you. 09:51 I'll be right back. 09:52 [gentle music] 09:55 [upbeat music] 09:56 - [Narrator 1] Here at The Voice of Prophecy, 09:58 we're committed to creating top quality programming 09:59 for the whole family like our audio adventure series, 10:02 "Discovery Mountain." 10:04 "Discovery Mountain" is a bible based program for kids 10:07 of all ages and backgrounds. 10:09 Your family will enjoy the faith building stories 10:12 from this small mountain summer camp 10:13 and town with 24 seasonal episodes every year 10:17 and fresh content every week. 10:19 There's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 10:25 - Today we're talking about the 10 Commandments, 10:27 and we started with that recent Louisiana law 10:30 that mandated posting the commandments 10:32 in every public school classroom. 10:34 Now though, I wanna move past that 10:37 and look at the 10 commandments themselves. 10:39 According to the Bible, when Moses met with God on the top 10:42 of Mount Sinai, he was given a hard copy of God's moral law 10:46 that God had engraved on tables of stone. 10:49 It's not a long document. 10:50 You can read the whole thing in a minute or two, 10:52 and there's actually a pretty good chance 10:54 they would've all fit on one table, but they don't. 10:57 They're on two, which tells me there's got 10:59 to be a reason for that. 11:01 Students of the Bible have noticed that one of the tables 11:04 deals with our duty to God, 11:06 and the other one deals with our duty to each other. 11:08 You might remember that's the way Jesus summarized it 11:11 when someone asked him which of the 10 commandments 11:14 would be the most important, 11:16 here's what he said in Matthew 22. 11:18 But when the Pharisees heard that he, speaking of Jesus 11:21 had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together 11:24 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him, 11:27 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law." 11:31 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God 11:33 with all your heart and with all your soul 11:35 and with all your mind. 11:37 This is the great and first commandment." 11:39 And a second is like it, 11:40 "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 11:44 So, there you have it. 11:45 Jesus summary of what you find on the two tables 11:48 of God's moral law. 11:50 One of those tables deals with loving God 11:52 and the other one deals loving your neighbor. 11:54 And of course, the key word there is love. 11:57 And this is not just an arbitrary set of rules, 11:59 it's not a matter of God trying to ruin your fun. 12:02 He's telling you the best way, the most loving way to live. 12:06 And of course most of us get it wrong a lot of the time, 12:10 but still if you look at it, 12:12 it's pretty much the perfect guide 12:14 to living a successful life. 12:16 If everybody just lived by the commandments, 12:18 I think the world might quickly become a much better place. 12:22 Now, historically speaking, people have struggled 12:25 to figure out which of the commandments 12:27 belongs on which table because well, 12:29 the Bible doesn't actually specify. 12:32 I grew up believing that the first four commandments went on 12:35 the first table because they deal explicitly with God 12:38 and the next six commandments belong on the second table 12:41 because they deal with interpersonal relationships. 12:44 You might say that the first table deals 12:46 with vertical relationships 12:48 and the second one with horizontal, 12:51 but wouldn't you know it? 12:53 Not everybody sees it that way. 12:55 Over the centuries, 12:57 a lot of really good scholars have put the fifth commandment 13:00 on the first table, like this model 13:02 that I've got here in studio. 13:04 And that's the commandment that deals 13:06 with honoring your parents. 13:09 So why did they do that? 13:10 Because your parents are just human beings, aren't they? 13:13 But they're not just any human beings 13:15 because well, they created you. 13:18 In your earliest years, 13:20 your parents really kinda stood in God's place. 13:23 They were the way that you were supposed to learn 13:25 about what God is like. 13:27 No, I'm not convinced that I did an excellent job of that 13:30 as a dad because I'm a rather flawed human being. 13:33 But I was aware that Gene and I kind of served 13:36 as intermediaries between our kids and God, 13:39 at least to the point where they grew up 13:41 and acquired the ability to exercise their own free will. 13:45 From that point forward, 13:47 our job shifted from regulating our kids to praying for them 13:51 and continuing to point them toward the creator. 13:55 But in the very beginning, 13:57 parents hold a place in a child's life 13:59 that is somewhat analogous to the role 14:01 that God plays in my life. 14:03 That's why some medieval rabbis rightfully said 14:06 that the fifth commandment could fit on the first table 14:08 because well, it's a vertical relationship. 14:11 And when you do that, 14:12 some people have noticed you suddenly 14:14 get a very interesting pattern. 14:16 It's almost like the commandments on the two separate tables 14:19 kind of start to line up with each other. 14:21 They show the same principles applied 14:23 in different directions. 14:25 On the first table, you get a principle 14:27 for how to relate to God. 14:29 And then on the second table, 14:30 you get that same principle applied 14:33 to interpersonal relationships. 14:35 Now, I've gotta admit, this is not an original idea with me 14:38 because I learned it from a well-known teacher 14:40 of the Torah, Dr. Foreman. 14:43 But you know, the more I look at it, 14:44 the more it begins to make sense. 14:46 Now, unfortunately, we're not gonna have time 14:48 to unpack this in a lot of detail today 14:50 because I'm already more than halfway through this show, 14:52 but maybe I can get you studying this for yourself. 14:56 What is the very first commandments? 14:58 Here's what it says in Exodus 20, I am the Lord your God, 15:01 who brought you out of the land of Egypt 15:03 outta the house of slavery. 15:05 You shall have no other gods before me. 15:08 So what's that telling you to do? 15:10 Well, it's telling you not to ignore God. 15:12 Your relationship to the one who made you is too important 15:16 to compromise by rejecting your creator. 15:20 So, assuming that the fifth commandment fits 15:22 on the first table, what would the first commandment on 15:25 the second table be? 15:26 Well, it would be you shall not murder. 15:29 And what's that telling us to do? 15:31 It's telling us to value other people. 15:33 You don't get to terminate another member 15:35 of the human race just because you don't like them 15:37 or because they're standing in the way of your ambitions. 15:40 So on one table we have a command telling you, 15:43 you don't get to toss God aside 15:44 when you think his presence is standing in your way. 15:47 And then on the other table, 15:48 you have a parallel commandment telling you the same thing 15:51 about your horizontal relationships with other people. 15:55 We're being told to value the existence of God 15:58 and our fellow human beings and wouldn't you know it? 16:01 You find the same kind of parallel 16:03 with the second commandment, which reads like this. 16:05 You shall not make for yourself a carved image 16:08 or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above 16:11 or that is in the earth beneath 16:13 or that is in the water under the earth. 16:15 You shall not bow down to them 16:16 or serve them for I the Lord your God, 16:19 am a jealous God visiting the iniquity 16:21 of the fathers on the children to the third 16:23 and fourth generation of those who hate me, 16:26 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me 16:30 and keep my commandments. 16:32 What it's saying is that we're not supposed 16:34 to insert any other God into our relationship, 16:36 nothing between us and the one who made us. 16:39 So what do you find in the same position 16:41 on the second table? 16:42 Again, assuming the fifth commandment 16:44 goes on the first table, you shall not commit adultery. 16:47 And of course, that's reminding us that you're not supposed 16:49 to insert a third party into your marriage, 16:52 or if you're not married, you're not supposed 16:55 to insert yourself into someone else's marriage. 16:58 These are parallel concepts. 17:00 Again, it's not original with me, I'm not all that clever. 17:03 These are the observations 17:04 of some pretty bright medieval sages. 17:06 But they're telling us 17:08 whether it's describing our vertical relationship with God 17:10 or our horizontal relationship with others, 17:13 it's telling us don't betray relationships. 17:17 And even though we're gonna unpack each 17:19 of these commandments just a little more in future episodes, 17:22 let me throw a little bit of extra light 17:24 on this one just to get you thinking. 17:26 The second and seventh Commandments 17:28 are really a command against cheating. 17:30 They emphasize the sacred nature of covenant relationships, 17:34 and there's this really fascinating link 17:36 between the sins of idolatry and adultery 17:40 that I don't have time to show you 17:41 before we take a break. 17:43 So hang tight, I'll be right back. 17:45 [upbeat music] 17:48 - [Narrator 3] Life can throw a lot at us. 17:51 Sometimes we don't have all the answers, 17:54 but that's where the Bible comes in. 17:57 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 18:00 Here at "The Voice of Prophecy," 18:01 we've created the Discover Bible guides 18:03 to be your guide to the Bible. 18:05 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 18:08 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 18:11 and they're absolutely free. 18:13 So jump online now or give us a call 18:15 and start your journey of discovery. 18:18 - Alright, just before the break, 18:19 I was talking about the second and seventh commandments, 18:22 the second for forbids the practice of idolatry, 18:25 which is adding other gods 18:26 to your sacred relationship with the creator. 18:29 And the seventh commandment prohibits adding other people 18:32 to the sacred relationship you have with your spouse. 18:36 Now, I don't know if you've ever noticed this, 18:37 but way back when in ancient history, 18:40 there were religious prostitutes 18:42 that often worked in the pagan temples. 18:44 And a few years back I found myself wondering, 18:46 "What did these have to do with each other?" 18:48 I mean, these were temples dedicated 18:50 to multiple gods in direct violation 18:53 of the second commandment. 18:54 And when you line up the tables of the law, 18:57 the commandment against idolatry appears to be related 19:00 to the prohibition on adultery. 19:03 So is there an intellectual connection? 19:05 The answer is yes. 19:06 I mean, just think about it. 19:08 Adultery is an attempt to take a shortcut 19:11 to a genuine human relationship. 19:13 Today, the most prominent example we have 19:15 of breaking the commandment is probably the explosion 19:18 of porn here in the West. 19:21 What you get with a prostitute 19:22 or with pornography is an attempt to get some 19:25 of the benefits of a relationship 19:27 without the actual relationship, there's no accountability, 19:31 there's no love, there's no respect. 19:33 There's just a selfish attempt 19:34 to bypass the hard work required 19:37 of an authentic loving relationship. 19:40 And the same thing happens with idolatry. 19:42 What people did way back when was create a bunch of gods 19:45 in their own image. 19:46 Gods who exhibited all kinds of flawed behavior 19:49 ranging from violence to sexual immorality. 19:52 I mean, just go and read the ancient mythology, 19:54 read the stories of Zeus. 19:56 And because all of us 19:58 or at least most of us carry some sense of guilt 20:00 over our own shortcomings and sins, 20:02 we feel the need to address that guilt. 20:05 So what did the ancients do? 20:07 They paid off their imperfect gods. 20:09 All they had to do was give a little money at the temple, 20:12 offer a quick sacrifice, and then go on living 20:14 however they pleased. 20:16 It was another shortcut, an attempt to reap the benefits 20:19 of a genuine relationship with God. 20:21 But again, without responsibility, no accountability, 20:25 without the love and hard work 20:26 that goes into genuine rewarding relationships. 20:30 So both idolatry and adultery 20:32 are actually shortcuts that rob you 20:34 of an authentic human life. 20:36 They're violations of sacred covenant relationships. 20:40 And at the end of the day, 20:41 it only makes sense to observe these laws 20:43 because you're cheating yourself when you break them. 20:47 Okay, maybe let's look at one more set 20:49 of parallel commandments before we wrap things up. 20:51 The third one found in Exodus 20 says this, 20:55 you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain 20:58 for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 21:00 who takes his name in vain. 21:02 So what exactly does that mean? 21:04 Well, the way I learned it growing up was 21:06 that it's a prohibition against cussing. 21:08 And of course, the Bible does condemn 21:11 what it calls foolish speech, 21:12 and it tells us to hold the sacred name 21:14 of God in the highest regard. 21:17 But what's the essence of the commandment? 21:19 Well, there's an important clue over 21:21 in the Book of Revelation, which shows us a group of people 21:23 with a profound relationship with Christ, 21:25 and this is how it describes them. 21:28 Then I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the lamb 21:31 and with them 144,000 who had his name 21:34 and his father's name written on their foreheads. 21:37 Now, Mount Zion, of course, is the sacred mountain of God 21:40 and the people who get to stand there 21:42 with the Lamb or Christ, well, they have the father's name 21:46 written on their foreheads. 21:48 And of course, it's symbolic language. 21:49 It's not talking about a physical mark, 21:51 it's talking about God's character. 21:54 You may have noticed that when we say 21:55 someone has good character, we'll say they have a good name. 21:59 And that's because historically speaking, 22:01 your name was supposed to be your character. 22:04 These people have the father's name in their foreheads 22:06 because they exhibit the character of God. 22:09 And here's how the description continues. 22:11 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women 22:14 for they are virgins. 22:16 It is these who follow the lamb wherever he goes. 22:19 These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits 22:21 for God and the lamb and in their mouth, 22:24 no lie was found for they are blameless. 22:27 So, the commandment against taking God's name in vain 22:30 is dealing with a whole lot more than just your language. 22:33 It's telling you if you're going to call yourself 22:35 a believer, if you're going to associate with God, 22:38 then make sure it counts. 22:40 Make sure your character lines up with God's character 22:43 so that his name on you doesn't become a public lie 22:47 about who he is. 22:48 And what would be the corresponding parallel commandment 22:51 on the second table? 22:52 You shall not steal. 22:56 In other words, do not take what doesn't belong to you. 22:58 If you're gonna take God's name, 23:00 make sure you have the right to do that. 23:01 Don't run around calling yourself a Christian 23:03 if you're not gonna live like Jesus. 23:05 And yes, that's a really tall order for most people, 23:08 and I know for sure I still fall a long-way short 23:11 of the glory of God. 23:12 Just go and ask my family. 23:13 I'm sure they can help you uncover a lot of my flaws 23:16 because they're the primary victims of my imperfection. 23:20 But still, when you're learning to ride a bike, 23:23 there's a huge difference 23:25 between falling off while you're trying to learn 23:27 and throwing your bike in the lake 23:28 and rejecting it, saying, "That's it, no more bike." 23:31 But wearing your cycling gear around town 23:33 to convince people you're an avid cyclist. 23:36 I'll be right back after this. 23:39 [ominous music] 23:43 - [Narrator 2] Are you searching for answers to life's 23:45 toughest questions like, 23:46 where is God when we suffer? 23:48 Can I find real happiness? 23:50 Or is there any hope for our chaotic world? 23:53 The Discover Bible Guides will help you find the answers 23:55 you're looking for. 23:57 Visit us at biblestudies.com 23:59 or give us a call at 888-456-7933 24:05 for your free Discover Bible Guides Study online 24:08 on our secure website or have the free guides 24:11 mailed right to your home. 24:13 There is never a cost or obligation. 24:15 The Discover Bible guides are our free gift to you. 24:18 Find answers and guides like, 24:20 "Does my life really matter to God?" 24:22 And "A Second Chance at Life," 24:24 you'll find answers to the things that matter most to you 24:27 in each of the 26 Discover Bible guides. 24:29 Visit BibleStudies.com 24:31 and begin your journey today to discover answers 24:35 to life's deepest questions. 24:37 [gentle music] 24:41 - All right, the clock on the wall assures me, 24:43 I've rattled on way too long, 24:45 but let me recap what I'm saying because well, 24:47 we're gonna spend a lot more time looking 24:49 at the 10 Commandments really carefully, 24:51 and we're gonna ask ourselves 24:52 if they don't make really good sense, 24:54 if they're not an important key 24:55 to finding an authentic human existence. 24:58 We started today by exploring the decision in Louisiana, 25:01 which appears to be an attempt 25:03 to force God's moral law on everybody using the power 25:07 of the state. 25:08 That's a mistake because, well, God doesn't force people. 25:12 I mean, take a moment to read through the Bible, 25:13 I mean all of it. 25:15 And you'll see God believes in freedom of choice, 25:17 ultimately even the choice to reject him. 25:21 The 10 Commandments are a personal code of ethics, 25:24 something God intends for you to internalize 25:26 because you're interested in a relationship with him 25:30 and you're interested in living the best life possible. 25:33 They're not supposed to be a bludgeon 25:35 that you use on other people. 25:38 Then we explored the possibility 25:40 that maybe the fifth commandment, 25:41 the one that tells us to honor your parents. 25:44 Well, it might not belong on the second table 25:46 because it's not exactly describing 25:48 a horizontal relationship like Number 6-10. 25:52 Your parents are not exactly on the same level as you 25:55 because they created you. 25:56 They gave you life, it's more of a vertical thing. 26:00 And then once we thought about the possibility 26:02 that there were five commandments on each table, 26:05 we started to line them up. 26:06 We compared them and asked ourselves if the five laws 26:09 on each table were each describing an important principle 26:13 on the first table, those principles are applied 26:16 to our vertical relationship with God. 26:18 And then on the second table, 26:20 we find those same five principles applied 26:23 to our horizontal relationships with each other. 26:26 And then, I ran out of time, 26:29 and you can finish exploring the other four commandments. 26:33 Ask yourself this, "Is there a relationship 26:36 between resting on the Sabbath 26:38 and not bearing false witness?" 26:40 I think there is, and I think that the ancient rabbis 26:42 who studied this were onto something. 26:45 But of course, what I want to do is encourage you 26:48 to read this for yourself. 26:50 So go ahead, give it a try, see what you find. 26:53 And if you want some help getting started in your studies, 26:55 maybe go to BibleStudies.com 26:58 where the good people at the Voice of Prophecy 27:01 have provided an unbelievable lineup of free resources. 27:04 That's right, free 27:06 to help you read the Bible like you've never read it before. 27:10 I want you to find the satisfaction, the deep lasting peace 27:14 that comes from living in harmony with the one who made you. 27:17 Because honestly, that's the secret 27:20 to living an authentic life. 27:22 Thanks for joining me today, I'm Shawn Boonstra, 27:25 and you've been watching another episode of ""Authentic." 27:29 [upbeat music] 27:39 [upbeat music continues] 27:49 [upbeat music continues] 27:59 [upbeat music continues] 28:09 [upbeat music continues] 28:18 [upbeat music continues] |
Revised 2024-11-06