Wisdom has three aspects:
Commandments of God are what God asks us to do. What He asks us to do is invariably enacted through who He really is. God is love (1 Jn 4:8). Keeping that in mind we cannot separate God’s commandments from His call to love.
The Ten Commandments of God given through Moses to the population of Israel is a list of do’s and don’ts. It is a set of boxes that you tick to ensure yourself righteousness. Jesus, however, does not see Exodus 20 as the true commandments of God. When he recites the true commandments of God it is Deuteronomy 6: 4-6 and Leviticus 19:18b. Let us understand the implication of these two commandments.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 22:36-40)
Let us discuss the first one.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (Deu 6:4-6)
Obedience does not stem from fear. It stems from love. Because you love the Lord, you obey Him. Often we forget the root of obedience is love. Now God is love and because of His very nature, all disobedience is paid for through the blood of Jesus. God is not charging you for your disobedience, IF, (and it is a big if), you love the Lord.
This love is not a license for disobedience. If we love someone it is our prerogative to please them. When we desire to please them it means we desire to be pleasing and acceptable to them.
The second one is similar.
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD. (Lev 19:18)
Both instructions hinge on the identity of God. We can say that the second instruction originates from the first.
The most difficult thing – but an essential one – is to love Life, to love it even while one suffers, because Life is all. Life is God, and to love Life is to love God.
– Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace)
This love of life tends towards all life, not just yours or mine. Humanism is deeply rooted in Spirituality because the source of human life is the breath of God. Yet we often wish to view God's commandments as a group of mechanical instructions. In light of 1 John 4: 8 let us view the ten commandments.
Your response to the commandments of God reflects your position with God. Are you in a position of servitude, obeying the laws with your body or are you in a position of love, showing your devotion through obedience. If you love God your response should be honour and thanksgiving.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mat 6:33)
2. If you put God first then your actions must be aligned to bring praise to God and thereby worship Him by giving Him glory.
3. That kind of praise reflects an intimate knowledge of God and that intimacy grants you the privilege of knowing God by name. Hence you must honour His name, making sure to glorify it not only with your lips but through actions as well.
4. Honour the Sabbath day. It is necessary to disconnect from life and indulge in some spiritual manna so that one may survive in the material world.
5. Honouring the Heavenly Father automatically reflects on honouring the mortal parents. If you cannot honour the parents that you have seen and known how are you expected to honour the father whom you have not seen.
6. Life is a divine gift. You must honour the life that you have as well as others. Do not murder either yourself or others. However, respect your life and try to make every moment count because it is a gift from God.
7. Honouring commitments is a part of honouring God. Marriage was the first institution established by God on earth, long before he established government or church. Any commitments made in marriage must be honoured with the same zeal you possess for honouring God.
8. Any action that brings shame to the name of Your God should not be undertaken. Theft is one of them. Also, it goes against the sense of contentment you need to possess as a child of God.
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Php 4:11)
9. God's word is the truth. Truth is a characteristic of God and as a child of God one must honour that truth and abstain from any falsehood.
10. Lastly being a child of Jehovah Jireh one must believe in the Providence of God and not pine for the possessions of others. Do not be jealous of others. But is all jealousy bad? Be jealous for God's work. Be jealous when someone dedicates more time to God's Kingdom than you can or when someone can recall God's word more readily than you can and do not be jealous alone but act on it to make yourself walk closer to God.
Obeying God's commandment is not about walking according to the law. It is about an inclination to please God through your attitude to life. Are you willing to change your attitude to God's liking?