When the Hebrews received the Commandments, they had seen God’s works and God’s power, God had rescued and provided, and more. In our time the 10 Commandments are used more often as a weapon instead of what they are, a gift from God to the community of his followers. Many Christians demand that the commandments be hung in prison and jail cells as well as in classrooms and government buildings. A southern Judge who defiantly put a monument to the commandments on a courthouse lawn quickly becomes a hero and a saint at the same time.
The 10 commandments were taken away from the Hebrews when it became obvious that they did not deserve it, then given back after they proved their commitment to fully receive God’s gift. It was never meant as a tool to persuade people to follow God, nor was it a magical list to change a person’s propensity to sin. Our view of the Ten Commandments is similar to us blaming the other driver for a collision because they are driving on the left side of the road and not on the right side when we are driving in England or Europe.
Order, Words, & Voices 