Joel M Bradshaw

32So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.–Deuteronomy 5

When I was in seminary, we were challenged to mentally have an idea where everything is at in the Bible. Some verses will always be memorized and other chapter locations will stand out. But one that we always remembered was that the 10 Commandments are in the Bible twice…Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5!

You can break down the 10 commandments into showing appropriate love for God and for your neighbor. The swing commandment is 5, which bridges the two themes in the honoring of your parents. The numbers below will correspond to the Commandment in order. Commandment 10 is also unique for it involves a matter of the heart.

Trivia: you can’t prove the last one on it’s own in a court of law for it involves your inside feelings that nobody can know. The only way you could know if a person coveted something is if they broke another commandment and stole it, for example. Any time somebody tells me that feelings are neutral and can’t be sinful, I point them to the 10th Commandment.

1. LOVE GOD WITH THE MOST UNIQUE LOVE.
2. LOVE GOD IN A WAY THAT YOU WON’T SEEK TO MANIPULATE HIM.
3. LOVE GOD PUBLICLY BEFORE OTHERS. REPRESENT HIM WELL.
4. LOVE GOD BY FOLLOWING HIS SCHEDULE.
5. HONORING PARENTS ALSO HONORS GOD.
6. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S RIGHT TO HIS LIFE.
7. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S RIGHT TO HIS SPOUSE.
8. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S RIGHT TO HIS PROPERTY.
9. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’ RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL.
10. BE SATISFIED WITH HOW GOD HAS PROVIDED FOR YOU.

4 “Love God” commandments, 4 “Love Neighbor” commandments, a bridge commandment in the middle, and a heart-check at the end! Now don’t swerve to the right or the left of these.–JMB