Boundaries

Rediscovering the Ten Commandments for the Twenty-First Century

Brian N. Winslade

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781532665325
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

In an age of moral relativity, is there a place for rules? They govern acceptable behavior on the sports field, but do they have a position in general life and relationships?3,500 years ago, a new nation emerged as Moses led the Israelites on a journey toward the land God had promised them. They needed boundaries that would govern their worship, interpersonal relationships, and property, and God wrote them down. We refer to them as the Ten Commandments. Over the centuries, they have formed the basis for rule of law in most countries of the world, defining boundaries of fairness and interaction, within which we live and have our being.But are they still relevant in and for the twenty-first century? Some regard them as anachronistic and outdated, superseded by more enlightened thinking. For others, they are timeless. Clearly, Jesus regarded them as pertinent for all who follow him, although in many instances he clarified their intent and application.This book takes a fresh look at the boundaries God gave his emerging special race and how they apply in our current age--a resource for pastors, individual Christ-followers, and a discussion-starter for small groups.

Chapter 1

Behavior Boundaries

Talkback radio is a major component of audio broadcasting in the twenty-first century and is at times deliberately contentious. On occasion, it can fascinate and enlighten the opinions of supposedly average citizens in a society. At other times, it leads to embarrassment and shame at sharing citizenship with some of the opinionated nonsense that gets phoned in! A disproportionate amount of discussion on talkback radio focuses on the role governments play in regulating (or deregulating) what people can and cannot do. Some advocate for a nanny-state with rules and laws for everything; others project a more civil-libertarian agenda, arguing in favor of minimal legislation and more personal choice.

Regardless of one’s stance on social debates of this nature, over the past 100 years there has certainly been a lot of rethinking about the moral codes and ethical values that govern developed societies. Many values, once taught as self-evident and immutable, are being rethought or are no longer regarded as absolute or even relevant. Questions are raised as to whether there is room anymore for absolute moral codes by which everyone should live, and by which it is possible to determine right from wrong.

The goal posts of moral law have certainly shifted considerably over the past few decades and morality is becoming increasingly based upon current popular consensus, rather than an objective time-honored standard. For instance, if enough people think the age for purchasing alcohol should be lowered, or marijuana decriminalized, or speed limits increased, then the law is changed. Determining right behavior from wrong behavior in a post-modern twenty-first-century world rests upon this type of consensus and doesn’t appear to be anchored to anything solid.

By way of an analogy, if individual lives were likened to a series of boats floating on “the sea of life,” it could be argued that their moral anchors have been pulled up from anything solid on the seabed and their boats are merely tied to each other—giving the illusion of safety. Together they drift on the tide of popular opinion. Whatever the majority believe is right, becomes permissible behavior, and is potentially passed into law.

What are followers of Jesus Christ to make of all this?

In short, the Bible (as the primary source for understanding God’s will) offers a rather different perspective. The worldview of the Bible suggests that God has offered the people of planet Earth an objective standard by which to live and determine what is, and what is not, acceptable behavior. Three and a half thousand years ago, by means of divine revelation, God gave humanity ten principles or core values by which they should live. We know them today as the Ten Commandments or the Decalogue. They are recorded in the Old Testament in two places: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The objective of this book is to examine each of these value statements and to explore their relevance and their implications for the contemporary world in which we live.

The Ten Commandments are a series of statements given by God that offer an objective basis (we could call them anchors) for determining right from wrong. They are like a set of core values for humanity. Exodus 20 records them this way:

And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Exodus 20:1–17

As with any passage of Scripture, acquiring a true understanding requires investigation of the original setting or context in which it is found. While it might be said that the Ten Commandments have become the basis of law in many societies around the world, they were originally given to a specific group of people at a particular place and time in history.

In short, they were a set of moral codes given to a disparate group of recently-liberated slaves, most of whom were probably uneducated and illiterate, and who were living at the time in the desert. Many years before, God had selected a man called Abraham whose offspring were to be a special nation in the eyes of the Lord. The Hebrew people were to become especially close to the Lord, and a community through whom the will of God would be worked out in the world.1 For several hundred years they lived a hard life in Egypt. They were treated as slaves and greatly oppressed. Through a series of dramatic miracles, and under the leadership of Moses, God rescued them and brought them out of Egypt. He was giving them a new promised land where they would be a nation in their own right. These moral codes or principles of life were like a charter or a constitution for the new nation. A new community of God’s people was forming. God, at the point of initiating a covenantal relationship with them, was providing them with boundaries for their attitudes, conduct, and interpersonal relationships, that would allow them to prosper. It was as if God was saying to them, “Live within these boundaries or guidelines and life will go well for you. Step outside of them, or disregard these values, and the fabric of your community will begin to unravel.” 2

The big question to consider concerning a passage of Scripture like the Ten Commandments is how relevant they are for the twenty-first century? While these values were pertinent for a group of people 3500 years ago, are they still applicable in our context today, or are they just a quaint piece of ancient history?

Some obviously think the Ten Commandments are way past their use-by date. Contemporary scholars and ethicists have objected to the continued use of ancient values in a contemporary world. The cultures way back then, and now, are vastly different they say, and the values of an ancient past don’t fit with contemporary wisdom or a supposedly more enlightened view of life.

There are some who read the Ten Commandments as being unhelpfully negative. They are predominantly a list of “Don’t” or “Thou shalt not.” What we need today, they say, are positive statements of “How to” or “You can” rather than restrictive commands.

Then there are those who object to the idea of an outside source imposing their values onto other people. What authority does God or religion have to determine what is right and what is wrong for all? Surely today we have the freedom and liberty to ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Behavior Boundaries
• Chapter 2: Honey, I Shrunk the Lord!
• Chapter 3: What’s in a Name?
• Chapter 4: The Law of Self Maintenance
• Chapter 5: Honorable Honor
• Chapter 6: Killer Instincts
• Chapter 7: God and Sex: How Do They Mix?
• Chapter 8: To Catch A Thief
• Chapter 9: Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth
• Chapter 10: The Law of Enough
• Bibliography