The Ten Commandments

[James]

Have you ever thought about the Ten Commandments collectively and conceptually? I have and I am puzzled. Nine commandments I get with no problem. Its the duplicate that puzzles me. Do not steal and do not covet address property rights. Why did God waste one of the ten basically repeating himself. It is not so much the repetition that bothers me. It is that other concerns might deserve some top ten attention.

For example, most of us now half to think about homosexuality and abortion whether we want to or not. If these are the most important sins on the table, why did God leave us to think for ourselves on this. He could have left out the covet line and inserted something clearly definitive on homosexuality or abortion. I think abortion gets a pass because it was rare. Lev 18&20 repeat the verse on men with men, but it could be along the lines of "wasting seed" not homosexuality.

Just wondering. Two "sins" tearing us apart as a nation should have been spelled out and were not. Now we have the new "new order" which threatens to recriminalize homosexuality and resend roe v wade.

God could have made it so clear.

[William Thornton]

The Tenth Commandment is why the push to make the TC into law is impossible, unless you criminalize thinking. My explanation is that covetousness deals with attitude and thought while stealing is a concrete act.

Yeah, God messed up by not making it clear. We have that conclusion on good authority from one of His created beings.

[Dave Roberts]

I'm afraid that we Christians often get our accents on the wrong syllable. For example, we want to put the Ten Commandments on the wall, but there is no outcry to put the Beatitudes beside them. Does that mean that we think Moses is more important than Jesus?

[James]

Thanks guys. I think both responses are helpful and to the point.