In the Bible, Moses received ten commandments from the Lord. Many Christian religions follow these commandments and they are still applicable to today.
Commandment #1 : Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Moses led the children of Israel out Egypt, a place that worshiped many different gods. The children of Israel had been under this influence for many years.
Not many Christians worship golden statues but this commandment gives what should be our first priority. "If God is not first, then all other things are affected. Nothing in life, not even life itself can come before God." (LDS Institute Old Testament Manual) We often put things before God; like TV, work, movies, books, and more. When we put anything before Him in importance than we are breaking this commandment. "Anytime His children set anything before God in importance, they begin to thwart His work for them." (Manual) God wants to help us, but when we put other things before Him we are not listening to Him and he can't help us. A Bible scholar said "God is the fountain of happiness, and no intelligent creature can be happy but through him...The very first commandment of the whole series is divinely calculated to prevent man's misery and promote happiness, by taking him off from all false dependence and leading him to God himself, the fountain of all good." When we put God first, we can be happy. Despite trials, and problems, we can be happy if God is first in our lives.
Commandment #2: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
When Moses didn't return from talking to God as quickly as they thought he should, the children of Israel built and worshiped a golden calf.
This commandment is forbidding the worship of idols. Idols don't have to be graven images, like golden calves. They could be anything that is put before God, like clothes, homes, businesses, or degrees. When we put aside what God has said or requested for an object or idea then we are worshiping a graven image. The graven image is whatever is more important to us than God and results in interfering with worshiping and obeying Him. If we put an object or idea before God, then we have a graven image, which in the long run will not give everlasting happiness.
Commandment #3: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Vain can mean useless, and can be substituted with the word empty or having no real worth. "It is difficult to understand how a person may truly and sincerely approach God in prayer, seeking a blessing at his hand, at the same time be so disrespectful as to take his name in vain." (LeGrand Richards) The Lord expects people to show him a reverent and respectful attitude. He does not want us to fling His name around in swearing or light, irreverent talk. How we use His name shows the respect and love we have for God. This commandment also covers any oaths or covenants we make. "In addition to religious oaths and covenants many formal acts in modern society are accompanied by solemn oaths and vows. And frequently these oaths are dismissed or set aside. Clearly the violation of such oaths is a violation of the third commandment." (Manual) When we make an oath or covenant, essentially we are invoking the Lord in that promise and by breaking it, we are taking His name in vain. If the world followed the third commandment then we could trust people to keep their promises and use clean language.
Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, they were told that now they would have to work to have food, clothing and shelter. Even though we need to work to live, we still need to put the Lord first. He set aside one day a week where we are commanded to rest from our labors and remember Him. "Resting on the Sabbath, then, implies far more than taking a nap or stopping normal activities. Mankind must enter into the Lord's work on that day...Doing the work of the Lord (sanctification) often involves great activity on the Sabbath day and the day may not be restful in the usual sense." (Manual) The Sabbath is not only to go to church, and then forget about the Lord. It should be time that we set aside from the world and focus on the Lord. This is not easy, because in today's world there are many enjoyable activities that occur on the Sabbath. If we participate in these activities we are breaking this commandment. "[The Sabbath] is a day on which to surrender every worldly interest and to praise the Lord humbly, for humility is the beginning of exaltation. It is day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment." (Spencer W. Kimball) Unfortunately, there are many jobs that require people to work on the Sabbath, like doctors, police, military, and others. This does not mean that this commandment should not be kept. During time off they can still concentrate on the Lord and do his work. The hardest thing to do is find activities that are appropriate for the Sabbath. President Kimball gives a great list of things that can be done on the Sabbath.
"The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory--to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord. It is a day on which to fast in 'sackcloth and ashes.' It is a day on which to read good books, a day to contemplate and ponder, a day to study lessons for priesthood and auxiliary organizations, a day to study the scriptures and to prepare sermons, a day to nap and rest and relax, a day to visit the sick, a day to preach the gospel, a day to proselyte, a day to visit quietly with the family and get acquainted with our children, a day for proper courting, a day to do good, a day to drink at the fountain of knowledge and of instruction, a day to seek forgiveness of our sins, a day for the enrichment of our spirit and our soul, a day to restore us to our spiritual stature, a day to partake of the emblems of his sacrifice and atonement, a day to contemplate the glories of the gospel and of the eternal realms, a day to climb high on the upward path toward our Heavenly Father."
Commandment #5: Honour thy Father and thy Mother
The Lord respects the family unit. "In obedience to this law the family unit and all other parts of society remain stable and healthy." (Manual) When children honor their parents, they are showing respect. Many people think that honoring your parent means obeying them, but that is not always true. When parents are righteous and teaching good behavior than honoring a parent would include obedience. When parents ask for wicked behavior than the child should honor the parents but not obey them. Honoring parents does not always mean obedience to parents. "Anytime a child lives righteously he brings honor to his parents...The opposite is also true. Anytime a child lives wickedly he brings shame to his parents." (Manual) Parents are representatives of God and that office deserves honor. For example, the President of the United States is an office that deserves honor, even if we do not agree with the person holding the office. Parents as representatives of God must teach their children or they will have severe consequences given to them by God. This is the only commandment with a promise. The promise is "that thy days may be long upon the land." (Exodus 20:12) When we honor our parents we can live happy, long lives.
Commandment #6: Thou shalt not kill
Murder is a very serious crime. It is the act of destroying a life. "It seems clear that to be guilty of destroying life is the act of 'rebellion' against the plan of the Almighty by denying an individual...the privilege of a full experience in this earth-school of opportunity." (Harold B. Lee) When someone is murdered then their chance to live a full, long life is taken from them. This commandment does not necessarily extend to military service. Murder is the act of deliberately taking a life. While serving in the military if you kill someone then you are working under the direction of your government and doing your duty. It is not murder. "There is, then, a vast difference in destroying a life while acting under the mandate of a sovereign nation whom we are in duty bound to obey and wantonly killing on our own responsibility." (Lee) Military service is not wanton killing, it is out of duty. When killing becomes deliberate or unprovoked, then it is murder and breaking this commandment.
Commandment #7: Thou shalt not commit adultery
Family is sacred to God. He commanded Adam and Eve to procreate. Throughout the Bible we are taught that the family is important, but we are given the ability to choose and make decisions. To help with the procreation we were given a powerful sexual urge. To help guide us, God gave us rules for sexual relationships. Sexual relationships should stay between a husband and wife. Intimacy should remain between husband and wife in marriage. There should be no sexual relationships outside of marriage. There really is no excuse for committing adultery. When we marry we covenant with our spouse and God that we will honor and cherish each other. When we commit adultery we break this commandment and the third commandment to keep covenants.
Commandment #8: Thou shalt not steal
"When one seeks to reap the benefits of another's labor without adequate compensation, it is theft." (Manual) Stealing covers a lot of territory. It includes shoplifting, cheating, improper legal actions to avoid debt, giving less than a full day's work and getting the full days compensation. Anything done dishonestly falls under this category of stealing. If we try to take anything without proper compensation, it is stealing.
Commandment #9: Thou shalt not bear false witness
Bearing false witness sounds outdated or like something someone might do in court, but this commandment is more applicable to us then it sounds. "To bear false witness is to testify to or pass along reports, insinuations, speculations, or rumors as if they were true, to the hurt of a fellow human being." (Adam S. Bennion) Bearing false witness is not always done on purpose because it could just be a lack of information, lack of understanding, or misunderstandings. It could also be done purposely to distort or misrepresent. We should always be careful about passing on the negative things we here about others. It could destroy their character and we would be breaking this commandment.
Commandment #10: Thou shalt not covet
Coveting is the intense desire to have someone else's stuff. It is not wrong to have an ambition to have better things, or to even admire what our neighbor's items as long as we try to honestly earn better things. When we covet, we may be tempted to use underhanded means, like stealing, or murder, to get it these items. It is better to work hard and achieve goals then to covet.
All the commandments relate. "[They] are so intertwined that none can be broken without weakening all the others." (Manual) The Bible gives many examples of this concept. When King David saw Bathsheba bathing, he lusted after her, or coveted. From there David committed adultery, and stealing her from her husband. When her husband came back, David had him sent to the place most likely for him to die in order to hide what he had done. By breaking one commandment, David broke many more. Coveting led to lying, stealing, adultery, murder, taking the Lord's name in vain by breaking a covenant of marriage and dishonoring his parents. The commandments hold each other up and as we strive to live them we can have better and happier lives.
