These chapters contain the words of God to the nation of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. We often refer to these words as the "Ten Commandments." God was not just setting out some strict commandments for His people, rather simple guides for His people. These commandments speak of honoring our neighbor and respecting our neighbors property. These commandments speak of those moral concepts that make a person great and a nation great. These commandments focus on the sovereignty of God. If we will make a place for God in our lives, then God will bless us beyond our own imagination. These chapters will be good for all of us to read. They will show us our need to grow closer to God and He will bless us in this life.
If we can view these chapters in a broader sense, that of a guide for moral and ethical existence. If we view the different societies that have used these concepts as the basis for their government, we find strong and growing societies. Where these concepts have not been used as a foundation, we find only chaos and moral decay.
For centuries these commandments were only used by the nation of Israel. God was proving this nation and giving them as the example of how humans react to His commands and how He responds to either the faithfulness or disobedience of humans. Through these centuries we find that God's people failed more than they succeeded. When they failed, they failed because they did not uphold these basic human principles or relationship with their God. The result was final defeat and oblivion. When they obeyed and held these principles in high regard, they prospered greatly. We can understand why Paul says that they are examples for us (comp. Romans 15:4).
Today, by the Grace of God, through Jesus Christ, these principles have been given to the whole human race. What was once reserved for the nation of Israel is now for all human kind. If you review those commandments and the teachings of Christ, all but the observance of the Sabbath have been included in the doctrine of Christ. With the spread of the Christian religion and the adoption of these principles in other societies, the world has changed. In a matter of a couple of centuries, these principles brought moral decadence to its knees. Human life became valuable. Human rights, as we call them today, became the norm. The world was forever changed!
With the advent of the Apostate church, however, these principles were corrupted and the world entered into an error of darkness. When the Reformation period began, once again these principles took hold and the world changed again for the better. Only when these principles are not revered do we see a decline in human rights and a lowering of society. History reveals this truth. The trouble is that we do not learn the lessons of history.
There was a time, in our nation, when these basic principles were honored and cherished by most of our citizens. During this time our nation was strong and grew in power and might. Today, however, we see a severe decline in the acceptance of these principles. We are now living in a time where the amoral and anti principled attitudes have power to dictate to us what is right and wrong. We have become a society that does not honor these principles as we should. If there is not a change in direction, then we are doomed to fail, as all other societies who have adopted such an attitude in the past.
Read these chapter again, my friends, and begin to apply these principles in you daily life. You might not be able to change the world at large, but if you change, and can influence someone else to change, then you can begin a revolution that could, in time, save our nation and souls of those who have been trapped in this great evil. We cannot enforce these principles on others, but we can influence others. Your life can make a difference! What will you do?