10 things that stand out from the 10 Commands

I have taught through the 10 Commands on Wednesday night at church, and have been impressed in many ways by what I have learned by taking a fresh look at a familiar subject.

1. God's rescue comes before He tells His people what to do. After saying "I brought you out of Egypt," he says, "You shall" and "You shall not."
2. Each of the commands represent a host of sinful of activities. For instance, "do not kill" also speaks to anger, revenge, etc.
3. The 'negative' commands have positive implications. So not only is there evil to be avoided but good to be done if we are to honor the spirit of the command. For instance, if we "shouldn't steal," we should be generous, hard-working, sharing people.
4. The 'positive' commands have negative implications. Honoring our father and mother means we won't do certain things.
5. Christ obeyed these commands perfectly. He fulfilled the law.
   
6. These commands speak to a relationship. Four speak to our relationship with God, while the other six speak to our relationship with each other.
7. Too often the commands are used as a club to use against non-believers. We get frustrated by 'godless people' who are commandment breakers, when in reality the commands were given to people inside the covenant.
8. The world would be a better place if people lived by God's intention in these 10 words.
9. There are big categories involved in these 10 commands: God's name, how we worship, how we spend our time, how we love others, how we behave with regard to the truth.
10. God is good to tell us how to live and what He expects.