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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 1 of 5
Exodus 20:1-17
Here now is the law which the LORD gave to His people. It throws into relief the wickedness of man, disposed to commit every act which is here forbidden. That such commandments should be necessary only goes to prove the perversity of his nature (read 1 Timothy 1:9 . . .). The first four commandments concern the relationship of man with God: God who is One alone, who is Spirit, who is holy, but also full of goodness, and who has prepared a rest for His own. Honour is first due to God, but after that, in accordance with the fifth commandment, it is due to parents. Then we have four commandments which deal with relationships with our neighbours in our social life. Finally, the last concerns ourselves individually, since it plumbs the depths of our hearts to uncover there our most intimate desires, about which we do not speak to anyone. In short, the essence of the law is love. "He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" – so Paul writes to the Romans – for what it says: thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, and every other commandment whatever it be, is summed up in this word: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Romans 13:8-9; cf. Matthew 22:34-40).
