Moral truth

We've completed videos of The Ten Commandments this month, and I hope you enjoyed it. Some Jewish perspectives on the "decalogue" were new to me, as they would be for most Christians. 

Is moral truth for real? If the God of the Bible exists, then He is intensely engaged with humanity and has revealed timeless moral truth. Even atheists will sometimes agree that morality is just made up by society unless a good and sovereign God exists.

A free society needs moral truth, not just moral opinions. The human heart is inadequate as a universal standard.

“Generations of Americans since the 1950s have been raised with 'how do you feel about it?' rather than 'this is right and this is wrong.' The heart has substituted for the code. The heart has substituted for God. And the result is civilization in decay.”

10th of Ten

When it comes to my neighbor's house or car, I could admire it and aspire to get one like it. That is not a sin. Or I could admire it and desire to take that specific one away from my neighbor. That's the sin of coveting. As Dennis points out, it is a thought sin - the only one of the ten that identifies a thought rather than an action.

9th of Ten

Is truth important? It's important to me, and probably to you. In this one, Dennis Prager explains that knowing and telling the truth is a must.

8th of Ten

One of God's ten commandments is "Do not steal." Nothing specific is mentioned; it's open-ended to include anything that may be stolen. So if you have inherited or received or worked for anything - even your reputation in the neighborhood - your neighbor has no right to take it from you.

7th of Ten

Good family relationships are just vital to a thriving, stable culture. Dennis lays out sound reasons for God's seventh commandment, "Do not commit adultery."

6th of Ten

Notice, the video below says "do not murder," rather than "do not kill," as most Bibles say it. Dennis Prager explains the difference and the reason that the difference makes sense.

5th of Ten

Parents give society its next generation. They may do a good or bad job in that role, but this commandment tells their children to honor them. Interesting, it does not command those children to love their parents.

4th of Ten

That commandment to "remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy," that's kind of insignificant, isn't it? No, watch as Dennis explains the benefits of keeping the Sabbath Day -  benefits for everyone who follows it.

3rd of Ten

Dennis Prager has a singular interpretation of the third commandment based on his knowledge of Hebrew.  It's much more far-reaching than the usual reading of this commandment.

2nd of Ten

The second commandment is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," Exodus 20:3. Contrary to the modern assumption that we don't worship idols anymore, Dennis argues that there is a lot of competition for first place in our thinking today - and if one of those things, like power or education or even romance,  etc., comes before God and his moral standard, then it's a path leading to cruelty.

1st of Ten

As a Jew, Dennis Prager takes the "ten commandments" as the "ten statements," and so "I am the LORD thy God" (Exodus 20:1) is the beginning of the ten statements.

Two things to notice:

1. Significance of "ethical monotheism" - changed the world
2. Significance of freedom - American founders knew God wants people to be free

You don't have to agree with every point he makes, but these two are important.

Good world

The "Ten Commandments" were authored by God and given to Moses who then delivered them to the Jews after they left Egypt (see Exodus 20). They were widely known in our Western culture for hundreds of years, but they are not known well or understood today.

Time for a refresher course on the Ten Commandments. Dennis Prager, Jewish, has some good insights for us, whether we're real familiar with them or not.

Think about how much better the world would be if they were observed by everyone.