Last Friday's reading included the Ten Commandments, and yesterday's sermon was on the same passage (Exodus 20). Since I've written on this subject in my book Above All, Love, I listened especially carefully. Thankfully, my beliefs aren't in conflict with those of my pastor, although they are slightly different. Here's an excerpt from Above All, Love:
GOD'S TOP TEN LIST
The Bible doesn’t give a reason as to why the Ten Commandments are given in the order they are, but it’s interesting to note that the tenth commandment correlates to the first sin—desire: You shall not want what isn’t yours.
From an earthly standpoint (i.e., looking up from our perspective rather than down from God’s), it makes sense to consider the Ten Commandments in reverse order, kind of like a David Letterman Top Ten List, giving first consideration to commandment number ten. After all, if we don’t covet, we will pretty much eliminate all of our reasons to lie, steal, or commit adultery.
Even the popular psalm of David, known for its comfort in times of loss, gives prominence to the subject of covetousness by reminding us, first of all, that those who follow the Good Shepherd have no reason to covet: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Psalm 23:1), or, as the Jewish Bible translates it, “I lack nothing.”
I don’t always feel as if this is true, however. My emotions keep telling me that God is withholding something good or trying to trick me into settling for something inferior.
Nevertheless, I know that I ought to want God’s will. So I pray, “Lord, I want to want your will. I want to want what you desire. I know this falls short of where I ought to be, but is it anything you can work with?”
Thankfully it is, and He does.
[excerpted from Above All, Love]
What makes me feel good tells me a lot about myself—and sometimes even about what I worship. Do I feel good when everything is in order? Then maybe I worship order. Do I feel good when I have approval, comfort, or sensual pleasure? Then I probably worship those things.
—C. D. BAKER
During the sermon, I realized that Saturday's Our Daily Bread / ymiblogging article was a good illustration of what happens whenever we disobey the first commandment. Whenever something, anything, is more important to us than God, we put ourselves and those we love in danger.
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/100600110/Delight_Turkish_Delight_Candy.jpg
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, the White Witch needed to know only one thing about Edmund to get him to betray his siblings and endanger their lives. By asking a few simple questions, the witch learned that Edmund’s weakness was his love for a candy called Turkish Delight. The piece she gave to Edmund was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted. Soon Edmund could think only about “trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as possible.” But “the more he ate, the more he wanted.”
Each of us has a vulnerability like Edmund’s that Satan is eager to exploit. It may be something addictive like drugs or alcohol, or it may be something seemingly harmless and perhaps even good like food, friendship, or work.
After His resurrection, Jesus asked Peter this personal and probing question: “Do you love me more than these?” Many have speculated as to what Jesus meant by the word “these,” but it’s probably better that we don’t know. It allows each of us to personalize the question and ask ourselves, “What do I love more than Jesus?”
When Satan finds out what we love more than God, he knows how to manipulate us. But he loses his power over us when our delight is in the Lord.
I AM HERE (#19): No Other Gods
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