In our women’s Bible study, we have spent some time discussing the Ten Commandments. I wrote a few thoughts about the first four – you can find those posts here. The last five Jesus summed up in one statement, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
Romans 13:8-10 NLT
I know you may be thinking that you are not a murderer, an adulterer, a thief. So, what’s the big deal with these commands? They seem relatively easy to avoid … until you consider the favorable implication of each “do not!” We might word the commands this way:
- Revere life by helping to keep others alive and safe.
- Respect each other without objectifying or consuming one another in lust.
- Respect the property of others, giving generously to those who need our help.
- Speak well of one another, respecting the reputations of others.
- Be content with what you have and hold earthly possessions loosely.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and defined our neighbors as the ones who are most unlike us, the ones we might typically avoid or even despise. I’m reminded of what God said to Israel when they were taken into captivity in Babylon. He could have told the Israelites to be stubborn, resist their captors, and even overthrow the Babylonian government. After all, it was a pagan country, one that worshiped idols. But He didn’t. Instead, God told them to work for Babylon’s peace and prosperity and pray for it. He said that the welfare of Babylon would determine their welfare (Jeremiah 29).
I think of that story when I consider how to apply the last five Ten Commandments today in our “cancel” culture. In what ways do we show respect for the lives of the poor, the marginalized, and the foreigners? How might we give generously to others in need? What words do we use when discussing others with whom we disagree on significant topics? How might we be content with what we have?
Sure, we are not murderers, liars, or thieves. But in what ways are we actively and intentionally loving our neighbor? How are we seeking peace and prosperity and praying for our enemies?
Prayer
Father, you who loved us first,
Loved us so completely, that
You gave your Son for us, to
Save us, transform us, to make us
New creations, teach us to channel
Your love in our lives – so that
All that cross our paths will flourish, will know
Shalom, experiencing Your Peace
And Prosperity. Amen.
