the rules

Scripture:  Exodus 20
 hen God spoke all these words:
 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before^* me.
 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation^* of those who love me and keep my commandments.
 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
 Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
 You shall not murder.^*
 You shall not commit adultery.
 You shall not steal.
 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
 You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid^* and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’ Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Observation:
 These are the Ten Commandments.  God gives them to Moses and the people of Israel when they gather at the foot of Mt. Sinai, after the harrowing escape from Egypt.  The escape was a massive rescue operation performed by their God --Yahweh--who detested the cries of suffering God heard rising from the Israelites, who were treated brutally as slaves.  They were slaves for 400 years before rescue.  The rescue required bold advocacy, public nonviolent resistance, and powerful opposition to the rule of the Egyptian king.  Now the people are free at last!
But their freedom was won for them by their God, whose desire is to live in a covenant relationship with the people.  Therefore, their freedom includes responsibility and rules.  If they are going to live together as a household of faith, they will have rules to follow that define their character and identity. Will they obey the rules?  What will be the consequences for failure to comply?  Like any household, what discipline will be applied to establish authority and obedience?    

Application
 With freedom comes responsibility.  There are rules.  If all of the rules are negative, what you cannot do, how do you know what you can or ought to do?  These rules mostly prohibit certain behaviors, including ancient customs around the crafting of idols for worship.  This God is not an object, but a person.  With language and presence and the ability to move and act.  The rules govern their relationship with God and with other people. Jesus says that the summary for all the rules is love. Love God, love the neighbor.  Love is to guide our action and our words.  
These are not suggestions.  They teach Israel how to live in relationship with their God. Israel will fail to comply.  There will be consequences.  But the relationship will remain intact.  In any household, good parents have rules.  But if a child breaks the rules, they still live together.  They still love one another.  There is forgiveness.  Some parents are harsh disciplinarians with limits to forgiveness.  But not God.  There is always forgiveness and mercy.  Think of a time when you broke the rules.  What were the consequences?  How was forgiveness or mercy shown? What can love do when someone fails? When guilt and shame are present, what provides hope?

Prayer     
Lord, you give us a certain amount of freedom to test our limits.  You give us boundaries and rules for protection and for identity as your people.  You command and we sometimes obey.  When we don't, there are consequences in our lives.  But with you there is mercy and forgiveness and love.  Help us to be loving toward others.  I pray for people who have been found guilty of a crime and await sentencing.  Amen.