01/26/2022
Reflections...
The Ten Commitments
Most of us have heard about the Ten Commandments and where they originated from.
The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were spoken by God (referred to in several names) to the people of Israel from the mountain referred to as Mount Sinai [2] or Horeb,[3] and later authored by God and given to Moses in the form of two stone tablets. They are recognized as a moral foundation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.[4]
I prefer to call them the Ten Commitments as Neil Donald Wash refers to in his book Conversations with God #1.
1-I am the Lord your God
Most people believe in a higher intelligence or awareness
The first one leads to:
You shall have no other gods before me
Perhaps worshiping things is not the same as respecting each other as equal human beings. Are not we creations of Creation? Perhaps things or idols are not the same as real people.
You shall not make for yourself an idol
It seems to confirm what it suggests as these people came out of slavery and wanted to create a free space where they could get along as one and the same...
2-You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
The second one suggests perhaps not to enforce our believes onto others. Live and let live. Perhaps we are meant to be of service and not servants.
3-Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Perhaps it suggests to take time to take care of ourselves, rest and spend time with friends and family. Enjoy the rewards of our creations. All OUR CREATIONS
4-Honor your father and mother
Perhaps our history is important good or bad. We may not understand our elders however we deserve to honor them because without them and our history as humans we would not be here...
5-You shall not murder
Pretty straight forward as a commitment from one human to another
6-You shall not commit adultery
Perhaps if we do not get along in a relationship or partnership or contracts, we can either work on it or move on? It is perhaps healthier than hiding..It is interesting how the 6th commitment is separated form the 9th"you shall not covet your neighbor's wife". It makes me ponder on the fact that maybe what it means is that adultery signifies ignoring our own wisdom. When we ignore our wisdom we are actually behaving like a child. So perhaps adultery does not just mean cheating on someone else at any level. Perhaps it starts with cheating our own selves...
7-You shall not steal
Perhaps we can learn to share so that no human lacks?
8-You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
Perhaps we can respect other people's privacy?
9-You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
Perhaps we can be happy with our choices?
10-You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor
Perhaps we can appreciate what we have rather than envy what others have. Perhaps the only reason the grass is greener on the other side is because it is being worked on..
We can choose to consider these commitments as commandments or we can choose to consider them as agreements. I for one do not respond very well to a commandment. My entire being shivers and I rebel. I choose to consider them as agreements because they make sense and they teach consideration for each other as human beings.
