An Essential Commandment

Exodus 20: 1-17 & 1 Corinthians 1: 18-25

The Reformer's Fire
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Exposition by Max A Forsythe

Question 79:
Which is the tenth commandment?
Answer 79:
The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet they neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet they neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.

 

As we look at the text of this last commandment, we should realize that this is not the least of the commandments, but an essential one to prevent us from falling into the desperate sins of the other commandments in the second tablet of social obligations. As we consider the importance of this commandment let us focus our attention first on the positive responsibilities that parents must accomplish in the lives of their children. Then in closing we may consider the desperate life of living in contempt of God's laws which a life long ignorance of this commandment can lead to.

We must use the essential nature of this commandment to teach out children that wants and desires are not always sinful, but within God's providence there is a proper time and place for the attainment of our dreams. Further, some of our wants and desires are actually bad for us and for those whom we love. The Brother's Grimm in their telling of fairy tales once prepared children for the blooming of life and love at a later more appropriate stage in life. Let me give you some examples of helping little ones work toward life's goals that they may not yet be ready for.

When our youngest was three years old, he was with grandpa and grandma who were picking apples in an orchard. The owner asked him if he would pick up some apples from the ground so that cider could be made. He was really surprised when he came back to find six bushels full. At the end of the day, Daddy was pleasantly surprised to learn that his three year old had earned $3.00 for an hours work! Then there was the privilege of helping plan the spending of that earned salary.

An eight year old may well dream of the day when they can drive an automobile on the highway with all the personal freedoms that come with that responsibility. Certainly, it would be the height of folly to put eight year-olds on the highway. But, a small investment in a lawn mower and the training in its use can prepare a child to earn money summer by summer for the eventual purchase of their first car!

An twelve year old with a meaningful allowance earned from family or neighborhood chores may want the newest pair of fancy footwear with the appropriate brand name in full view. Parents can make a very important point of paying the normal cost of less fancy shoes with the child paying the difference. It really is amazing how realistic small shoppers can be with their own hard earned money!

So if we train up a child in the way that they should go in reference to this commandment, we may well hope and pray that having learned to manage their own wants in childhood, then they can apply what they have learned to larger and more important goals.

Parents and children, you say that you want a million dollars? This is not out of the question in our day and age in America. Even an average family like my own can attain that goal. My wife and I have been working since 1963 and in keeping my personal records over the years, I have discovered that my sixty hour weeks and her various employments have put us within five to seven years of attaining that once impossible goal. Unfortunately, we have not kept it all, we have had a rich uncle to support and three young men to raise. Yet, the average person can certainly attain any necessary financial goals if they follow their vocational calling and work steadily over the years to fulfill their reasonable desires and wants.

However, their is a flip side to this coin - every last human needs to learn that they cannot have everything their little heart desires. Yesterday afternoon I saw a small child throw a public tantrum because mother would not grant its wish. Wisely, the mother carried the child out to her car and returned to the privacy of her family home, where hopefully some essential character training was reinforced.

Far too many people in the last few decades have not been told no often enough. A friend of mine was asked what he wanted for Christmas on year. He announced that whatever he wanted the most was probably not good for him or his wife and pastor might object to his deepest desires, so they would have to go unfulfilled. Obviously, my friend is not a politician!

Whenever people do not learn that everything is profitable, there is the unfolding of tragedy. At home, I have a collection of catalogs - all sorts of wants and wishes to choose one from for a Christmas gift. One year I found a $500 Bearskin hat, like those worn by the Queen's Coldstream Guards. Unfortunately, Sherry did not see the investment potential and I learned to live without it!

I once heard of a man who bought everything he wanted for his assorted collections. As he neared bankruptcy he panicked and committed suicide. His widow was able to pay most of the bills by selling his several collections. Such is the tragedy of an undisciplined life.

We can even see the tragedy of an undisciplined life being played out in our public square. There in our nation's capitol, one who has acquired coveted wealth - power and the intimacy of sordid relationships is running out of time, respect and support.

The abuse of this essential commandment has serious implications for a whole country and the necessary lessons of a regulated life have yet to be learned. A whole world is watching and hopefully, some will finally learn that character does indeed count.

When I was growing up, my teachers told me that in America "anyone could grow up to be president!". I don't think that the "anyone" in their mind was quite what we got, because we were also encouraged to work and prepare ourselves for greater responsibilities.

Sadly, as we realize that training in this commandment has been lacking in the life our our elected leader, we can see that this lack has lead to a whole catalog of sinful disregard for the first nine commandments.

1. We can see that the rightful Creator God of this universe is not respected when the selfish wants and needs of a personality out of control puts every friend and institution below his own personal carnal "needs".

2. We can see that a lifelong indulgent style of living serves to worship the heightened image of a personality whose cult has unfortunately caught the attention of a majority of baby boom voters.

3. We can see the vane permissive theology whereby the resident in the White House has dared to lecture the leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention on issues of ethics and morality as he has sought to redefine a once proper fear of the Lord.

4. We hear of one Easter Sunday where he went to church carrying a Bible, only to return home and frolic in the play pen of the oval office.

Certainly, we could excuse all of that if he had not claimed to be under the Lordship of our God and King as a member in Christ's Church, because the fulfillment of the first four commandments are the loving response of those redeemed by grace.

5. We can easily see a distinct lack of respect for the constitutional rule by law established by our ancestors and founding fathers.

6. In spite of various rumors on the internet we can well appreciate the apparent wagging of the dog that lead to lives being lost and a third veto of the partial birth abortion restriction.

7. Further, any discussions of adultery result in nothing but semantics - semantics and more verbose semantics. These lame excuses so blatantly laid before the voters are more appropriate for randy teenagers caught in the back of their vehicles!

8. White Water, Savings & Loan, Cattle Futures, turning public buildings into private bed and breakfasts and on and on through so many scandals that can't even be listed, the cases of evidence keep multiplying.

9. Perjury - thirty-six cases of evidence, what more can be said?

Except this: sadly, there is not a single commandment of our God and King that has been or is being honored by the current resident in our own White House.

Let us carefully encourage our children to not grow up in imitation of our current and temporary president! Further, and this is the hard part, let us earnestly pray that God's divine providence will allow conversion for our president. Baring that, may the working out of constitutional processes bring appropriate judgment in a timely manner.

God has already spoken on this matter. Some months ago, a tornado blew threw a junk car yard, opened up the trunk of an abandoned car and scattered canceled checks all over the pavement. One of those checks had the president's name on it. If I had been the person whose records were found in such a manner, I would have gotten religion right then and there! But, unfortunately history must proceed so that God's lessons may be applied more widely to a culture that needs to hear His honest and necessary judgment!

Now let us be fair in this regard, like several congressmen whose sins have been shouted from the housetops, none of us will stand judgment on our records! I would hope that the last year we have spent in the commandments has taught us that the law convicts every single one and that we all are in need of the shed blood of Jesus Christ to cover our manifold and on going sins!

May we praise the God of heaven for using His glorious and precious law to bring us to Christ and convince us of our need for His atoning death on the cross.

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Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America)
Westminster Shorter Catechism Series