#1 Most Difficult Commandment of All - Can You Keep It?Shembull

Did you know that there are a total of over 600 commands given by God in the Old Testament?

Of course, there are the Ten Commandments that God engraved on stone and gave to Moses, but over 600 more commands were given to the people of Israel after that—mostly recorded in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.

The orthodox Jewish community sees these 600+ laws as guideposts to righteous living and knows them as the “Mitzvot.” These laws cover how to relate to God and to each other, what to eat (or not eat), and much, much more.

Today, we can see that some laws focused on building the nation of Israel no longer apply. The example of “The Family of the Unsandaled” is a clear example of this (ref. Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

In addition, by Jesus’ coming, laws related to temple sacrifice were fulfilled, and laws related to “clean” & “unclean” foods were also ended after that (ref. Leviticus 6:8-13, Mark 7:14-19, Acts 10:9-16).

So, what does this mean for us today?

Do the Ten Commandments still apply?

The answer to this is found in the words of Jesus himself:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus further directly reinforced many of the Ten Commandments, saying:

“If you want to enter life, keep the commandments … ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 19:17-19

In these readings, we will find the one commandment that trips up almost all of us – even if we’re not aware of it.

Check in next time to see which one that is. In the meantime, re-read the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:1-17 again and compare God’s will to your life.