Live Long and Prosper Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Mr. Spock’s trademark benediction–“Live long and prosper”–has a nice ring to it.  But did he ever offer any advice as to how one ...

The First with a Promise Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Paul observes that this is the first commandment with a promise (Eph. 6:2).  But not the only one. Some people make ...

On the Path of Everyday Life Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” “Honor” has a kind of formal-sounding aspect: give an award, celebrate an achievement, show public homage and respect. But the honor ...

The “Hinge” of the Law Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Those who see “two tablets” of the Law–some devoted to inculcating love for God and some devoted to loving our neighbor–divide on ...

The Basis of a Well-Ordered Society Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Here is the basis of a well-ordered society: honor and respect for those who give life and embody the goodness ...

The Choice Is Ours Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” God has appointed the Lord’s Day as one of holy convocation and rest in Him. We can choose to submit to His purpose for the Lord’s Day, or we can disobey Him and do with it whatever ...

Holy Convocations Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” We are to remember the Lord’s Day and to guard it against anything that threatens its holy, restful purposes. In Leviticus 23:3 the Lord tells us that He has appointed this as a day of holy convocation–a time ...

Observe the Sabbath Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” We are to “remember” the Lord’s Day–to give diligent attention to preparing for it and keeping it holy. But in Deuteronomy 5:12 Moses changed the word from “remember” to “observe.” And if we thought “remember” was important, ...

Serious Attention Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” That word, “remember,” is very significant.  In the Hebrew it’s zachar, and it means something much more active and attentive than just “call to mind” (which is how we tend to use that word). To “remember” in OT terms is to ...

The Redemptive Work of God Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Creation (and providence) provides the first focus for our Lord’s Day rest.  The second is God’s work of redemption: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God ...