Ten Commandments vs Two Commandments

Friday, October 20, 2017

Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall make no idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

Two Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40)

1.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 

2.   Love your neighbor as yourself. 

The first four Commandments are reflected in verse 37 of Matthew 22. And the last six are summarized in verse 38. According to Matthew 22:40, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I think it’s pretty neat that God gave us such careful instructions for our lives. He loves us too much to let us run around in chaos and lawlessness. So if we meditate on these ten and two commandments and apply them to our lives, we will be well on our way to a blessed life. 

I remember an acronym I learned in Bible School a long time ago: JOY. 

• Jesus
• Others
• You

I think these ten and two commandments can be found in this acronym. If we put the Lord first in our lives and treat others with utmost respect, putting ourselves last in the scheme of things, we will experience inner peace and joy. 

That is my prayer for us today — that we will find the Lord’s joy as we prioritize things in our lives based on these Scriptures. 

Lord, thank you for the guidelines you have given us all through the Bible. May we adhere to them so that we will have peace and joy all the rest of our lives.