The Dual Structure of the Ten Commandments
"On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
As we discussed previously, Jesus summarized the whole Bible in four verses in the book of Matthew. He said that there are two primary commandments. In the New David Roberts Version, these commandments were paraphrased as:
Love God completely.
Love other people as much as you love yourself.
Or, as some like to put it even more succinctly: Love God; love people.
Again, it’s that simple. If you want to know what the Bible says about how to live and what to do with your life, that’s your answer.
Simple, but not easy.
In Matthew 22:40, Jesus says, “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Let’s take a quick look at the Old Testament Law. The key foundation of God’s Law are the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20.
For context, remember that this chapter takes place right after Moses has gone up onto Mount Sinai and has spoken with God. God tells Moses to go down the mountain and tell the people to be ready because he’s going to speak to them directly. Then, God speaks from the mountain and the people hear his voice. After God is done speaking, the people are so terrified that they cry out, “Speak to us yourself [Moses] and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die” (verse 19).
20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:1-17 (NASB)
So, let’s consult the New David Roberts Translation again and renumber everything to keep it straight:
You shall have no other gods (verse 3). God is the only god. Period.
Do not worship idols (verses 4 - 6). God is a jealous God and I have a long memory. Idolatry will damage not just you but your family line. And in contrast, obedience will bless you and your family line.
Don’t misuse God’s name (verse 7). It it holy and it should be kept that way.
Take one day a week off (verses 8 - 11). This is a gift from God and you need to trust him that things are not going to fall apart while you’re not working.
Honor your parents (verse 12).
Don’t murder (verse 13).
Don’t commit adultery (verse 14).
Don’t steal (verse 15).
Don’t lie and bear false witness (verse 16).
Don’t covet anything of your neighbor’s (verse 17). Your neighbor’s stuff is your neighbor’s. Get your own donkey.
So, what’s the relationship between the Ten Commandments and the Two Greatest Commandments?
Well, the first four of the Ten Commandments are concrete things that you should do to show God your love for him.
If you love God, you’ll put him first and reject all other gods. You won’t worship any idols. You’ll revere his name, keep it holy, and not profane it in any way. God is unique and special and above all HOLY. So, treat him like it in all respects.
If you love God, you’ll also respect the sabbath that he created and made holy. It’s a gift to you where you can rest, just as he did. If you obey him, he will bless you. You don’t need to pursue your work all seven days. Thank him for the gift, and worship him.
The last six of the Ten Commandments are concrete things that you should do to love to your neighbor.
If you love your parents and you want your children to honor you, you’ll honor your parents. Do this and you and your children and their children will be blessed.
Nobody wants violence committed against them, so don’t murder anybody. We know that in the New Testament, Jesus raised the bar on this commandment and said that even swearing at somebody in your mind is equivalent to murder.
If you want a great relationship with your spouse and with your neighbor, don’t go having an affair with your neighbor’s spouse. Again, we know that in the New Testament, Jesus said that even giving somebody a lustful look is to commit adultery with them in your heart.
Nobody wants their stuff stolen, so don’t be a thief.
Nobody wants to be lied about, particularly in the court of law. So, don’t bear false witness against your neighbor.
And nobody wants a neighbor that is always coveting everything that they have. So, don’t do it yourself. Live within your means and get your own stuff.
So, you can see how the Law and Prophets do stand on the Two Greatest Commandments. If you love God with everything that you are and you love your neighbor as yourself, the Ten Commandments show you a set of concrete ways of expressing that love.
The Two Greatest Commandments are generalizations of the Ten Commandments. You could meet the strict letter of the Law with the Ten Commandments and still be a jerk to your neighbor, for instance. I also think that’s why Jesus raised the bar on murder and adultery. He doesn’t want you to think, “Well, I haven’t murdered my neighbors, so I must be righteous.” He’s looking for more. He wants you to love them.
Also, the Ten Commands are mostly a list of “don’ts.” Jesus turns that around and says, “Do this: love God; love people.”
Jesus takes the Law and turns it up to 11. If there was any doubt before, Jesus makes it clearly impossible to be righteous on your own. The commands are simple, but the action is not easy and you have surely failed.
The Good News is that Jesus sacrificed himself and paid the penalty for all those sins on the cross. Now, even if you’ve broken the commandments (and we all have), Jesus provides a way out. Repent of your sins, turn and follow him, putting your faith in his power of atonement. Once you’ve done that, committing yourself to loving God and loving people, even imperfectly, becomes a joy, not a chore. In effect, the Good News makes it easier, even if it isn’t yet easy.
What have you done to love God today? Who in your sphere of influence needs your love today? What concrete action can you take to demonstrate your love?
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