The Great Commandments

The Bible holds the world record for world-wide sales.  The Guinness Book of World Records estimates that over 5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold. There are many reasons for this phenomenon.  The main reason I would guess is because the words of the Bible have touched so many people in so many ways over the globe for generations. Broken lives have been completely turned around by reading the Bible.

However, I would guess that the Bible is one of the least read of books as well.  By that I mean relatively few people have  read the Bible like a book from cover to cover. For that matter relatively few have read the entire Bible in any order of chapters and books. Most people read the Bible devotionally a few verses at a time, and at most a few chapters at a time.  Most people also have their favorite books, their favorite chapters and their favorite verses. They return again and again for help and for inspiration.

But there are passages that are universally known and loved. The 23rd Psalm is perhaps the most beloved.  This beautiful poetry, a Psalm of David, is read and quoted, especially at funerals, to provide help and comfort. It is also read in quiet corners during times of deep distress.  After this psalm, the Lord's Prayer is most quoted and most universally recognized.  Then I Corinthians Chapter 13 has been used for millions of Christian weddings world-wide to compare Divine love with the love of the couple being married before God, family and friends.

Next in recognition and personal usefulness are The Ten Commandments, as written in Exodus Chapter 20.  Besides the fact that The Ten Commandments are considered to be a cornerstone of Judeo-Christian doctrine, these verses have become very political.  It's not the 23rd Psalm or The Lord's Prayer or I Corinthians 13 that are chiseled in stone and placed in public places, it's The Ten Commandments. Many evangelical Christian politicians consider these commandments to be not only a cornerstone of faith, but also a cornerstone of America.  This argument is currently being played out in courthouses around the country. Although many politicians and  their constituents believe these verses to be a part of the fabric of America's greatest documents, others quote the first amendment of the Constitution as reason enough not to post these verses in public places.

I've never quite understood how these ten commandments, of the hundreds of commandments, extracted from these seventeen verses in Exodus have grown to be so important above all others. In comparison to the soothing verses of the other popular passages, these words from God seem to be rather threatening.  But I have a hunch why these verses hold the place that they do in the hearts and minds of millions.

I think it's because so many people are inspired and comforted by the autocratic and authoritarian parenting  style of Jehovah God.  He matches and enforces so many parents' own parenting techniques.  I firmly believe that if these commandments had been written in the positive tense, then these verses would be no more or less important than any of the other commandments in  the Bible.  Consider this, only two commandments are "Thou shall"; the other eight begin with "Thou shalt not!"  Many other of God's commands in the Old Testament begin with "Thou shalt not" but these are rapid-fire specific prohibitions. What if God had said, "Thou shalt respect all living things" instead of  "Thou shalt not kill!"  It just does't have the same emphasis. Or what if He had said, "Thou shalt be faithful to your spouse." It just doesn't snap like "Thou shalt not commit adultery." You now have Jehovah God pointing his formidable finger in the world's face about several important issues.  Except for the subtle suggestion that you won't live very long if you don't respect your parents, God doesn't line out specific consequences for disobedience. But you get the feeling you don't want to find out.

Without delving into specific parenting styles, I have observed in public places how many parents speak to their children with angry pointed words,yanking them around by their arms to get their attention. And many even flail their children in public, If they do this in Walmart, what happens behind closed doors?  It is then my opinion that since so many people are personally familiar with this type of parenting and grew up this way,  they are very comfortable with Jehovah God lowering the boom on the world.  For that matter, like Jonah in Ninevah, many actually want God to lower the boom on the world. "Our Father who art in heaven" then takes on a whole different meaning from that in the Lord's Prayer.

I am personally much more fond of Psalm 23, the Lord's Prayer and I Corinthians 13 than I am of any commandment. Well except for two.   When someone asked Jesus, "What is the greatest commandment?" instead of saying  in a booming voice," Thou shalt have no other gods before me", He  said, "Love your God with all your heart."  Instead of  pointing his finger at the crowd and saying "Thou shalt not commit adultery",  He said, "Love one another."  So of all the commandments that he could have quoted -- including "The Ten",  Jesus simply said, "love God" and "love each other."  If Jesus had considered one of "the ten" to be the most important, don't you think He would have said so?

Before yelling at and hitting their children, it might be a good idea for parents to look at Ephesians 6:4. "Fathers do not provoke your children to anger."  If there is a generation of children raised not being slapped and provoked by their parents, then maybe all those "Thou shalt nots" won't even be necessary.