The Holy Ten Commandments – What Does This Mean?

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

We all know that we memorize songs on the radio much better than articles we read on our computers. We know that kids want to sing in VBS, not just listen to the Bible stories. This also we must do in the church. Even Issues Etc. recently remarked that a Roman Catholic priest after the time of Luther wrote that Luther “destroyed more souls with his hymns than he did with any of his writings.” And this is most certainly true. We may read words on the page, but Romans has clearly said: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” What we hear we believe, and not just what we see or read.

So today, let us turn to the hymn “These are the Holy Ten Commands.” Let us sing about the Law of God this morning:

These are the holy Ten Commands
God gave to us by Moses’ hands
When high on Sinai’s mount he stood,
Receiving them for our good.
Have mercy, Lord!

These Ten Commands we call the Law. But many Christians today would love to get rid of the Law, of the negative parts of the Scriptures. They do not want to be confronted by their sin, because they are good people who do not need a Savior at all. But that’s the pesky thing about laws: they don’t go away. In today’s world, it is still important that people go to church. In today’s world, we still expect that children obey parents and citizens obey their rulers. In our immoral society, we still hold that murder is wrong and that adultery is cause for divorce. This is because God’s Law never changes with the times. Though the Ten Commandments are no longer found in the courthouse, the courthouse still enforces them.

Let us sing of the First Commandment:

“I am alone your God, the Lord;
No other gods shall be adored.
But you shall fully trust in Me
And love Me wholeheartedly.”
Have mercy, Lord!

Much like the Law of God never changes, neither do His promises. Thanks be to God His promises are new every morning. Thanks be to God, His promises never fail. When God says He is your God, at baptism, at church, at the Lord’s Supper, then He is. Only we can change our minds and run away like prodigal sons and daughters. This commandment demands and commands faith, that God is all that matters to each and every one of us.

Let us sing of the Second Commandment:

“Do not My holy name disgrace,
Do not My Word of truth debase.
Praise only that as good and true
Which I Myself say and do.”
Have mercy, Lord!

While the First Commandments speaks of faith, the Second Commandment speaks of worship. Faith without doctrine is not faith. Faith without worship is not faith either. It matters that God’s Word is spoken and heard in this church. It matters that we believe God’s Word to be true and without error. This is why we call pastors, so that we have confidence that he knows God’s Word and teaches it faithfully. This is why we go to Bible Study, so that our faith may not waver no matter what we go through in life.

Let us sing of the Third Commandment:

“You shall observe the worship day
That peace may fill your home, and pray,
And put aside the work you do,
So that God may work in you.”
Have mercy, Lord!

This commandment more than all the others is sinned against the most. How often did Jesus teach about the Sabbath, come into controversy with the religious leaders on the Sabbath, and do miracles on the Sabbath? It was far more often than we would be comfortable to admit. The world Jesus entered is the same world that we live in. The sins are the same: we don’t go to church.

But Luther shapes for us what worship is all about, that God may work in us. Church isn’t about what we want, but about what God does. What does God do? He teaches the Word and administers the Sacraments. He asks me to carry it out, to deliver the goods, as it were. For it is at worship that God calls His children by baptism, teaches His people right and wrong, Law and Gospel, saint and sinner, Word and Sacrament. It is at worship that the Lord God feeds us His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of all our sins. It is so much easier and so much more joyful to come to church for the right reason, for the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the dead, and the life everlasting. We come to church for the promises of God, and not for our own desires.

Let us sing of the Fourth Commandment:

“You are to honor and obey
Your father, mother, ev’ry day,
Serve them each way that comes to hand;
You’ll then live long in the land.”
Have mercy, Lord!

The Lord Himself has ordered creation as husband and wife. The world will continuously create other arrangements of sinful behavior, but God created us in families for a reason. This is the foundation of all society. Fathers, teach your children what a Christian father is. Mothers, show your children what a Christian mother is. Husband and wife, be the example you want your children to follow. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.

Let us sing of the Fifth Commandment:

“You shall not murder, hurt, nor hate;
Your anger dare not dominate.
Be kind and patient; help, defend,
And treat your foe as your friend.”
Have mercy, Lord!

This commandment governs all life. But notice what Luther focuses on. He does not focus on “murder,” the act of taking life. He focuses on our thoughts, hate, anger, and kind and patient, help and defend. This is often when we sin against this commandment, in our thoughts and not in our deeds. For this, we repent this day, and turn once again to the Lord of Life.

Let us sing of the Sixth Commandment:

“Be faithful to your marriage vow;
No lust or impure thoughts allow.
Keep all your conduct free from sin
By self-controlled discipline.” Have mercy, Lord!”

Before God, we vow to one another that we love one another. Let our word of confidence always remain between us, that our deeds and thoughts may not wander. This commandment is not outdated or changed by government definition. Marriage shall always be between a man and a woman. Our promises to one another are more important than our feelings or anything else that may tempt us to flee one another.

Let us sing of the Seventh Commandment:

“You shall not steal or take away
What others worked for night and day,
But open wide a gen’rous hand
And help the poor in the land.”
Have mercy, Lord!

This commandment we shall discuss in further detail later this month on Stewardship Sunday. We cannot take what does not belong to us. But of the gifts that belong to us we give freely, generously, and cheerfully. When we have more, we give more, and when we have less, we give less. But we give without strings attached, not for our own sake, but for the needs of our neighbor.

Let us sing of the Eighth Commandment:

“Bear no false witness nor defame
Your neighbor nor destroy his name,
But view him in the kindest way;
Speak truth in all that you say.”
Have mercy, Lord!

This commandment tears up the church. In every parish in this country, there are meetings after the meetings, and this should not be so among us. There are lies and slanders, because gossip is juicy. This is the commandment I repent of the most; this is the commandment for all of us to repent of the most. For everything done in the church should be done publicly. There should be no secrets and there should be no darkness. There should be no cliques or special treatment. As Paul reminded the Galatians, there is no rich and poor, there is no young and old, but we are all one in Christ Jesus. There is one Sacrament that binds us together, there is one Church that waits patiently for the coming of the Lord.

Let us sing of the Ninth and Tenth Commandments:

“You shall not crave your neighbor’s house
Nor covet money, goods, or spouse.
Pray God He would your neighbor bless
As you yourself wish success.”
Have mercy, Lord!

Coveting leads to other sins. There is one clear thing about the world around us: people desire what they cannot have. Whether a house or boat or business, or a spouse or workers or friends, the world is not content with what they have. So they murder, love, or steal. They take by deeds what they thought in their hearts.

Dearly beloved, let us sing the final stanzas in conclusion this day of these holy Ten Commands:

You have this Law to see therein
That you have not been free from sin
But also that you clearly see
How pure toward God life should be.
Have mercy, Lord!

Our works cannot salvation gain;
They merit only endless pain.
Forgive us, Lord! To Christ we flee,
Who pleads for us endlessly.
Have mercy, Lord!

In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.

Rev. James Peterson
First Lutheran Church
Phillipsburg, Kansas