One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Saturday, March 26th "The Relevance of the Ten Commandments"

Click Here to Listen to the Readings

Read Deuteronomy 5:1-6:9

There are several things noteworthy in today's Old Testament readings. 

1. The Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. This was the second major covenant God made with Israel, the first being the covenant God made with Abraham. While the first covenant was unilateral, "I will bless you and make your name great", the Mosiac covenant is bilateral.  As the Israelites stay obedient to the commandments God gave them, as summarized by the Ten Commandments, they would lead a prosperous life. But if they disobeyed then would miss out on the abundant life. 

2. God's will for our lives is summarized by the Ten Commandments. Though there are other commandments God gave Israel, this was the basis of a moral code that if obeyed would set them apart and keep them safe. The first three commandments deal with how to have a right relationship with God, the fourth commandment how we treat our parents, and the final six deal with how to treat our neighbors. Though keeping the law does not save us, as only God's grace in Christ does, the Ten Commandments are a reliable guide for how we should live our lives. And we WILL be blessed if we live by them. 

3. The importance of teaching the commandments to our children. We are to teach the Ten Commandments to our children and grandchildren, and they will be equally blessed. Moses even gives practical ways to teach our children. 

Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

One can only wonder how much hardship we would and could avoid in our own lives, and how much better the world would be, if we obey these straightforward commands God has given us through His servant Moses. 

Read Luke 7:11-35

Read Psalm 68:19-35

Read Proverbs 11:29-31


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