1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,760
Day 24, or January 24. The Ten Commandments are a great start.

2
00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:14,960
Our thought today is rooted in Exodus chapter 19, verses 7 and 8.

3
00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,660
So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people, and said before them all the

4
00:00:19,660 --> 00:00:26,320
words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, We will

5
00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:30,320
do everything the Lord has said.

6
00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:35,800
Now the big picture surrounding these verses. This is one of the most important parts of

7
00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:41,360
the whole Bible. All the people are at the foot of Mount Sinai, and are instructed to

8
00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:47,720
cleanse themselves as preparation to receive what their holy God has to give them through

9
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:55,720
His servant Moses. They are then given a basic legal framework in the form of the Ten Commandments,

10
00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:02,800
which is a series of laws that are the foundation of many legal systems in the world today.

11
00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:09,400
At this time, Moses gives the commandments verbally. He simply declares them, and people

12
00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:16,020
listen. It's at a later time that they are written by God Himself on two tablets of stone.

13
00:01:16,020 --> 00:01:23,480
This is a truly momentous occasion, and marks mankind's history forever.

14
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:29,280
And now our action step for today. Many think the Ten Commandments are all negative and

15
00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:37,280
restrictive, but personally I like the concept of restricting murder, stealing, and not bearing

16
00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:43,400
false witness, to name but three. These are qualities that make our world a better place

17
00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:50,120
to live in. God knew what He was doing when He gave them to us. They are designed to encourage

18
00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:55,880
us to be better people. Having said that, they are impossible to keep simply by being

19
00:01:55,880 --> 00:02:02,560
determined or strong-willed. If we could keep them by our own willpower, thus making ourselves

20
00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:08,680
acceptable before God, then Jesus needn't have died. It's what is produced in our

21
00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:14,680
lives when we live by them that may be equated to Paul's idea of the fruit of the Spirit

22
00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:21,640
in Galatians chapter 5. They are a permanent reminder that we need God's Spirit every

23
00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:48,640
day if we are ever to have a truly civilized and godly society.