Living the Commandments is a great 2016 Book by Bill Huebsch. It is quite useful as it lists each of the ten commandments and then teaches about them. Ever since Moses came down from Mt. Horeb with the stone tablets emblazoned with the ten commandments, they have guided human behavior. Living the Commandments gives a very useful treatment of the ten commandments and teaches about them. This book will appeal to just about everyone. Do you try to live your life by these laws?
Living the Commandments Example
Living the Commandments is presented session by session. It begins with an introduction, then has a scripture reading, then has some text from the Catholic Catechism, and interprets then in terms of the Cardinal virtues, and has something called images of God, which is a literal exposition of images of God. There are, obviously, ten core chapters organized in seven sessions entitled, “No Stange Gods,” “Keeping Holy the Lord and his Sabbath,” “Honoring your parents,” “You shall not kill,” “Called to chastity,” “Possessions, Greed, and Generosity,” “Honesty.” There is a short but useful introduction, but there is no conclusion.
The Story of Moses
The Ten Commandments are religious and ethical guides structured as a covenant between God and men. According to the Hebrew Bible, the laws were given to Moses. Their text appears in three markedly distinct versions in the Bible: Exodus 20:2–17, Deuteronomy 5:6–21, and the “Ritual Decalogue” of Exodus 34:11–26. That is a little confusing, but living the Commandments clears up that confusion.
They were given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. God told Moses to tell the Israelites in Exodus 19:25 and inscribed by the finger of God on two tablets of stone. God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. When Moses came down from the Moutain, he was transformed. He had grey hair and spoke with authority. It should have been clear to those Israelites present that Moses had seen God.
Mount Horeb was shrouded by clouds for six days. On the seventh day, Moses went into the cloud and was “in the mount forty days and forty nights.” And Moses said, “the LORD delivered unto me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.”
Before the full 40 days ended, the Israelites decided that should something happen to Moses, Aaron should lead the building of a golden calf, and Aaron “built an altar before it” and the Israelites “worshipped” the calf. That was the first of their misguided behavior. Behavior that led them to complain and gripe to Moses.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Commandments are considered essential and serve as the basis for social justice and individual well-being. The Catholic Church teaches the Commandments based on the Old and New Testaments and the writings of the early Church Fathers. Living the Commandments interprets these stories.
Here is a list of the Ten Commandments: First, do not put other Gods before me [the one true God]. Two, honor their mother and father. Third, do not murder. Fourth, do not covet thy Neighbor’s wife, and do not commit adultery. Fifth, do not steal. Sixth, do not covet his slaves, or his animals, or anything of thy neighbor. Seventh, remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Eighth, do not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Ninth, do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Tenth, do not make any graven image or idols and do not worship them.
Conclusion
Living the Commandments is useful for everyone because it provides a listing and teaching of the Ten Commandments. Living the Commandments is well-written, which only adds to its utility and appeal. Whether you believe in God or not, this social contract of humans with God is a must read.
