The 10
Offenses: Reclaim the Blessing of the Ten Commandments
By Dr. Pat
Robertson
Selected Excerpts for Each Commandment
I am the
Lord your God . . . Do not worship any other gods besides me. –Exodus 20:2-3 (NLT)
These
Ten Commandments, and the balance of the legal code that followed it, comprised
without question the most exalted legal code for human conduct in the ancient
world. Nothing in the history of that
time has been found to equal it. The
wisdom and the practicality of the Ten Commandments attest to their divine
origins. As wise as Moses was, nothing
in the record supports the premise that he was wise enough to draft the Mosaic
Code on his own.
The
Ten Commandments fit together as a unified whole. Each commandment can do much good, but the rationale for all the
commandments flows from the First Commandment: “I am [Jehovah] your God . . .
Do not worship any other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20:3)
On
the surface, it seems that America has become a nation that runs after many
other gods. But the truth is, in
America we worship our selves. To
worship something means to hold it in high esteem, to respect it as
sacred. If we were truly a people who
worshipped God, we would hold Him and His commandments in a place higher than
ourselves. But that is often not the
case. For some time, a major shift has
been taking place in our culture. Where
we once worshipped and held in high esteem the God of the Bible and His laws,
we now worship another god—that is, the individual. We worship us.
Anyone
who speaks against the worship of other gods besides Jehovah, the God of the
Bible, is going to rankle his fellow Americans. We are a nation that prizes religious tolerance. In fact, tolerance has become one of the
most popular words in our culture. We
believe, as a nation where free speech and the right of expression prevail,
that every viewpoint and belief should be represented without hindrance.
On
the surface, tolerance is indeed a good social stance. We do not want America to become a nation
where minority opinions and beliefs are repressed, or where individuals are
brutalized for beliefs that run counter to the mainstream.
But
tolerance has an extremely unhealthy aspect as well. What we have meant by “tolerance” is a weakening of the lines
between good and evil, right and wrong.
Do not
make idols of any kind . . . You must never worship or bow down to them. –Exodus 20:4-5 (NLT)
Having
successfully muzzled the truth in our universities and the media, the high
priests and high priestesses of political correctness have opened the doors in
once-Christian America to the onslaught and veneration of Hindu deities,
Buddhist monks, Indian Shamans, Satanism, black magic, and occultism. Those who protest are labeled right-wing,
fundamentalist, narrow-minded bigots.
It is now considered un-American to criticize anyone’s religion.
While
it seems that God is surrendering the United States and Europe to “shameful desires,”
His truth is spreading like wildfire in those countries once gripped by
idolatry. Christianity is the world’s
fastest growing religion and is on the way to three billion adherents
worldwide. Only in societies where the
cultural elites have deliberately suppressed the excellence of the Christian
gospel to transform lives has Christianity failed to have explosive growth.
Do not
misuse the name of [Jehovah] your God.
[Jehovah] will not let you go unpinished if you misuse His name. –Exodus 20:7 (NLT)
It
offends many Americans to be confronted about their casual cursing of others in
God’s name. Ours is a God with whom
people do not like to deal, because His very name calls them to account for the
wrong they have done and the good they have failed to do. People do not like to have their consciences
stirred. If you confront people about
using the name of Jesus as an expletive, they will likely consider you “a
religious fanatics” or “one of those holier-than-thou Christians.”
At
the root of their offense lies this fact: Americans do not like to have anyone
point out their lack of self-control as they vent their anger, jealously or
frustration in ugly and inappropriate ways.
They resent having their consciences stirred by someone who holds a
greater respect for God and for His Son.
Recently,
the Episcopal Church has shown a particular disinterest in honoring the holy
name of God by approving the appointment of its first openly gay bishop—even
though God, in many places throughout the Bible, expressly forbids the practice
of homosexuality. By going against
God’s commands, the Episcopal Church has said, in essence, “We take upon
ourselves the name and authority of the church of Jesus Christ, in the place of
God and place our approval upon an evil thing.” . . . In the name of God, they are telling their congregations
that it is all right to go against God’s express commands.
Even
more dishonoring to the name of God are the now widespread reports of clergy
who abuse members of their congregations.
We are being bombarded with reports of ministers and priests who
manipulate and coerce innocent people under their spiritual care to have sexual
intercourse with them. The sad, angry
faces of men, women and children who were pressured to perform intimate and
degrading acts with a spiritual leader who they trusted appear on our
television screens almost weekly. What
as done to them is beyond tragic. . . .
To those who have stood in the place of God and then put others though a living
hell, the words “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord” are an
offense. Because they have betrayed the
sacred trust that comes with representing the name of God, they will pay a
heavy price for their sins.
Remember
to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
–Exodus 20:8 (NLT)
Most
Americans seem to have the attitude that Sunday is the one day out of seven we
get to do exactly what we want without anyone else placing demands on our
time. Most of us—those who don’t have
to work weekends, at any rate—would likely say, “Sunday is my day.” To that, God would say, “Yes, and no.”
According
to the God of the Bible, Sunday belongs to Him. First and foremost, when God set aside one day of the week for
the Sabbath, He intended for us to take time out from all our other mental and
physical activities to focus our body, mind and soul on Him.
The
God who made us knows what will benefit us and what will harm us. Yet in our mad pursuit of money and success,
Americans have come to believe that God does not know what He is talking
about. We think that His laws stand in
the way of our achieving what we believe is the materialistic “American dream.” The Fourth Commandment is an offense to
commerce, entertainment, and sports.
Honor your
father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days
may be long, and that is may be well with you . . . . –Deuteronomy 5:16 (KJV)
Consider
the example of a nation that chose to honor their patriarchs. When he was 68 years old, my wife’s
father . . . went overseas to Beirut,
Lebanon, where he established Sipes International Paint Company. . . . My father-in-law was an active man who
wasn’t content to sit in an office but enjoyed getting out on the factory floor
with the men to lift the bucket of pigments, oil and solvents that made up each
batch of paint.
However,
in the Middle East, he found that this was not possible. His Middle Eastern employees had such a
respect for a seventy-year-old man that as a mark of honor they refused to let
him do any menial work. . . . a man of age is considered to be a repository of
wisdom and therefore a venerated treasure.
Such
honor is not unusual. It is built into
the very fabric of the society of many civilizations. Shouldn’t this honor also be our heritage in America?
You shall
not murder. –Exodus 20:13
The
liberty of self-actualization, not life, has become the most important right an
individual can have. In America, a woman’s personal freedom, her “right to
choose,” has taken priority over the right of the child in her womb to live its
life. Whereas the founders of our
nation took God’s sixth commandment seriously, recognizing that life is the
single most important personal gift He gives, the liberal faction today insists
that the right to personal freedom is preeminent.
The
same self-centered attitude generally prevails in our culture when it comes to
making decisions about caring for our elderly.
Though it is true that some elderly parents need constant monitoring by
skilled medical professionals, most really do not. But it seems that fear prevails.
In the American mind, it has become a given that caring for an elderly
parent is going to demand too much of our time, energy, and financial resources
and that it will diminish our quality of life.
All
told, the Sixth Commandment affirms that an Almighty God is the Creator of life
and, therefore, He has ultimate authority over the issues concerning life and
death. By extension, God holds the
ultimate ownership of our bodies. These
concepts are heinous to the liberal mind that holds sway in America, and anyone
who supports life is considered oppressive.
Yet
the opposite is true. The more we have
allowed the liberal line to grant the individual his or her “right” to make the
ultimate decisions about life, the cheaper life has become and the more
endangered our infants, our elderly and our sick have become.
You shall
not commit adultery. –Exodus 20:14
Leaving
aside the corrosive effect that breaking the Seventh Commandment has on our
society, consider the blessing of keeping it.
Think
of the peace of mind that comes to a woman who can say, “My husband has chosen
me as his unique partner and companion for life. He loves and cherishes me and I can rely on his faithfulness to
me.” Or the husband can say, “My wife
has chosen me as her husband for life.
Together we will build a home, raise our children, and labor together
for the mutual good of our family. I
love her and she loves me, and neither of us will give ourselves to any other.”
That
marriage is built on trust, not jealously and suspicion. God’s commandment gives complete peace of
mind that each partner can be secure in his or her marriage—the most precious
of possessions other than life itself.
Husband and wife build on a secure foundation. Their children never have to face the tragic consequences of a
broken home. And they, in turn, have an
example to follow when they marry and build a secure home of their own.
You shall
not steal. –Exodus 20:15
America
under the influence of today’s liberal thinking is about entitlement. Whereas the biblical world-view on which our
country was founded promotes diligence and work as the road to success, we have
become a nation of people who believe we should have that for which we have not
worked. The “American Dream” was once
founded on a principle: Hard work will get you what you want. Today that dream has transformed into an
illusion, a form of mental derangement.
We think that because we live in the wealthiest nation on earth, someone
should give us what we want regardless of the quality of our work or the level
of our achievement.
We
hear every major Democratic presidential candidate beating the drum for class
warfare. Despite the disturbing
disparity of wealth that exists in America, the simple truth is that the bottom
25 percent of the income earners pay no income tax at all. The top 1 percent pay 34 percent of all
taxes, the top 5 percent pay 53 percent, the top 25 percent of income earners
pay 83 percent of all taxes, and the top 50 percent pay 96 percent of all taxes!
You shall
not give false testimony against your neighbor. –Exodus 20:16
The
Ninth Commandment clearly was given to protect reputations from slander. “You shall not give false testimony” about
someone’s life, character or activity to destroy that person’s reputation.
It’s
truth, and the virtue of truthfulness, that paves our public dealings and our
private relationships with stability.
And it is God’s Word alone that tells us, when a lie would be easier, to
tell the simple truth—and to live by eternal truth instead.
You shall
not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor. –Exodus 20:17 (NLT)
The
first Iraq war began because of coveting—first the thought, then the deed. The armed forces of Iraq invaded Kuwait and
quickly took over. Hopeless Kuwaitis
saw their lives destroyed, their women raped, and their men killed or imprisoned
and tortured.
Of
course, had Saddam’s mind not been blinded by covetousness, he would have
realized that the nations of the world were not about to permit a megalomaniac
to gain hegemony over the key source of the world’s oil. Soon a great force was assembled that drove
the Iraqis from Kuwait, crushed their military and imposed punitive sanctions
on the nation. Saddam’s refusal to
abide by the United Nation’s mandates led to Gulf War II, the downfall of his
regime, the death of his sons, and the occupation of his country . . . all
because Saddam violated the Tenth Commandment.
Coveting
precedes shoplifting, grand theft auto, and armed robbery; coveting precedes
adultery and rape; coveting precedes breaking and entering and murder; and
coveting can lead to perjury under oath in a court of law. Coveting can lead to trafficking in
narcotics, counterfeiting, money laundering, and white-collar crime, or it can
lead to identity theft and fraudulent use of credit cards. Coveting can even lead to blood feuds and
wars.
Excerpts have not been compared to final text of The
Ten Offenses. Please check with final
text.