A major misunderstanding arises when we
attempt to take every single commandment in the Bible and apply them to each of
us personally, as people living in the 21st century. Some commandments, such as the 613
commandments found in the Law (Torah), were never meant to apply to anyone
other than the Jewish people (Exodus 19:3-6, 31:16, 34:27; Deuteronomy 5:1-3). Even among those commandments, some of them
were never meant to apply outside the land of Israel, or in the absence of the
Temple (Deuteronomy 12:8-14). Some
commandments found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) were given to specific
people, for a specific time period (Genesis 6:9-22; Exodus 7:1-6; Joshua 4;
Judges 4:6, 13:13-14).
So
how can we know which commandments apply to us today? There are a few guidelines to observe when
reading and studying the Bible:
1. Context. When you see a commandment in the Bible, make
sure to study the surrounding verse, chapter and book. Is this a time-specific commandment? Was it given to a specific person or
nation? Is this a commandment that was
only given to the nation of Israel?
2. Historical background. Many of the commandments in the Bible were
given during the time period and culture of the Ancient Near East. We must take the historical and cultural
background of the text into consideration when reading.
3. Repeated commandments. Some commandments in the Bible are given
multiple times. Some are given to all
mankind, not just to a specific person, group of people or nation. The following commandments are repeatedly
given to all people:
- To fear God (Ecclesiastes 12:13;
Zechariah 2:13; Malachi 1:14)
-To worship God (1 Chronicles 16:28-31; Psalm
22:27-28; Isaiah 66:23; Jeremiah 3:17; Zephaniah 2:11; Zechariah 14:16; Malachi
1:11; John 4:21-24; Revelation 14:7, 15:4, 19:10, 22:9)
- Not to murder (Genesis 9:6;
Deuteronomy 18:9-12; 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chronicles 28:3; Matthew 19:16-19)
-Not to worship idols or engage in
occult practices (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; 1 Kings 14:23-24; Revelation 9:20)
-Not to have sex outside of marriage
(marriage being defined as a lifelong commitment between two unrelated adults
consisting of one man and one woman; see Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6) (Leviticus
18, 20; 1 Kings 14:24; Matthew 19:16-19)
- Not to blaspheme (Leviticus 24:15;
Isaiah 37:23; Luke 12:10; Romans 2:24)
- Not to steal or be dishonest (Genesis
2:16-17; Matthew 19:16-19)
-Not to treat animals with cruelty
(Genesis 9:4; Proverbs 12:10; Matthew 12:11-12)
4. If there is a statement in the Bible
that describes an act as something that God views as "evil", "disgusting", an "abomination"
or "detestable", it stands to reason that it is something to clearly
avoid (Leviticus 18:22; Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 15:23; 1 Kings 14:9; Proverbs
6:16-19; Ezekiel 14:6).
5. Finally, consider the teaching of
Jesus, who emphasized that there are two commandments which all the other
commandments hang upon:
"One of them, an expert
in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'
Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Deuteronomy
6:5) This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is
like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.'” (Matthew 22:35-40, NIV)
