Hello Saturday readers ( if you happen to read this the day it is posted). Saturday is one of my days off, and I am balancing it between taking care of responsibilities and using it as a time to rest and get in touch with my faith. Over the last few years, I have been reading and studying the bible from various angles and perspectives. I have come to understand a very specific perspective about the 10 commandments that may or may not have been interpreted differently by your church. In this blog post, I’ll dissect what each of these commandments entails based on my own interpretations of scripture. If you are new here, I use a variation of the KJV written in Modern English to interpret the message.
Here’s an overview of how I rewrote the ten commandments to have them stated as I understand them to mean in a biblical and practical context. Now onto the breakdown.
1) There’s no other God above the god that’s in you.
This is usually interpreted as “There shall be no other gods before me.” A lot of people use this to mean to not worship or idolize other figures, spirits, heroes, or other entities (religious or not). But I don’t believe that’s the actual meaning of the phrase.
When we look in the Bible, it describes God as a universal force of energy that’s within all of us.
Corinthians 6:19 “Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, a place of the Holy Spirit?”
Romans 8:9-11 “But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms.”
I bring in these verses to establish one simple concept; God is in you more than it is anywhere in the outside. And the path to finding and aligning with God is using and honoring the God that’s within you. The power of prayer is a different flowery way of saying an intention into the universe. And as long as you follow the powers of prayers, you’re aligning with the God that’s within you. The more you work on yourself and come to understand yourself, the closer you get to the God that’s in you. And that’s ultimately what is honored, sacred, and takes you closer to heaven.
2) Do not love material attachments above God.
This is usually written as “You shall not make idols”. But what does that really entail?
This is a commandment that talks about idolatry. While many people use this commandment to focus on not revering false prophets (it’s a good idea to research and come to one’s own conclusions), I take this a step further and think of modern day idols: money, power, reputation, sexuality, appearance, and knowledge.
Leviticus 19:4 “Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.”
Romans 1:21-23 “Idolatry is the fundamental sin”
Over-indulgence of behavior that leads to sin can lead to things like addiction and corruption is ultimately how i’ve always interpreted this phrase. If you love material attachment and temporary pleasure over the ongoing power of God’s energy, you subject yourself to the consequences of your actions.
3) Do not bad-mouth God and the divine
There’s one lesson my Grandma always taught me that she learned from her own mother. She always said “every thought you think, every word you say, and every deed you do is a prayer.” This is a simplistic kindergarten-friendly teaching of the metaphysical law of attraction. Anything you put out into the universe comes back around. Many faiths refer to this as the idea of Karma. Speaking ill of the divine is generally more just a piece of good advice to live by if you want what’s good for you. And it’s even taught in the Bible.
James 1:26 “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
Deuteronomy 5:11 “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
It also means do not be a hypocrite. Don’t say you’re a Christian then not live like Jesus. Don’t rely on prayer if you’re not going to follow through on your practicing. Be respectful of God, do not use God to do things that hurt other people. Don’t do bad things in the name of God.
4) Keep the Sabbath Holy (What would Jesus do?)
I am of the believer that the Sabbath is ceremonial, meaning it can be on any day that you are able to rest and sit down and make the time for God. I personally experience the divine most on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, and all three of those days have a bit of ‘Sabbath time’. I know that for a lot of people, the Sabbath is Sunday, but Jesus taught on all days of the week in all sorts of environments. Jesus will meet you where you are.
The Sabbath is indeed a time to rest and to connect with God. However, honoring the Sabbath also means practicing the things Jesus teaches us. This can include helping others and performing miracles in our lives.
Isaiah 56:2 “Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
John 5:16-17 “And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
Mark 2:27-28 “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even on the Sabbath.”
5) Learn lessons from those that raised you and forgive them for their mistakes
“Honor thy father and thy mother” is how this is usually written, but I think that’s only a fragment of what the verse is actually about. Yes, our literal biological father and biological mother are going to be the first people to teach us something. It’s our origins. But as many people know, we are products of our environment, so this can be applied to the other people in our lives from our childhoods that shaped us. And as humans, they are prone to sinning, so unfortunately they will make mistakes when trying to teach us our ways. That’s part of the cons with the pros of working with people that have different paths towards God than we do. We’re all on our own journeys.
Matthew 19:19 “Honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord is giving you.”
Essentially, learn what you need to learn from the people in your life that are there to guide you.
6) Don’t hurt others
“Thou shall not murder” is usually how it’s written. This is just good advice that ties back to not bad-mouthing God.
Colossians 3:25 “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
7) Keep your promises, especially with your spouse
Act with accountability. Especially with the person you vowed to share this life journey with. This is my interpretation of “Thou shall not cheat”, as this is more encompassing of the general message.
Numbers 30:2 “If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 “When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”
8) Don’t Steal
This is just good advice for good karma.
Proverbs 10:2 “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Corinthians 6:19-21 “Nor theives, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Proverbs 20:17 “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.”
9) Don’t gossip or spread lies about others
This is also good Karma about not spreading negativity and bad energy into the world.
Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.”
Proverbs 20:19 “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.”
Proverbs 21:23 “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”
James 4:11 “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.”
10) Don’t be jealous of others (follow your own divine path)
This is about not being jealous of other people. There’s a teaching in most religions about everyone being on a path that’s set up by mysterious forces. Some call it fate, some call it manifestation, some call it the divine plan. Whatever you call it, everyone is on their own journey, so it’s unfair to be jealous of the paths others are on, as you do not always know what brought them to their triumphs. Don’t squash their victory, but rather learn from them to figure out how to find your own.
James 3:16 “For the jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
Proverbs 14:30 “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”
Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love god does not know God, because God is love.”
In Conclusion….
These are the ten commandments retranslated as I have interpreted them based on various bible studies and thoughts. I hope this blog has brought clarity and peace to the teachings of the Lord. I like to end all of my Bible Study conclusions with some advice and wisdom to be put into the universe. Here is a psalm that has helped me feel closer to the teachings of Jesus and God lately;
Pslam 119 169-178 “Let my cry come right into your presence, God; provide me with the insight that comes only from your word. Give my request your personal attention, rescue me on the terms of your promise. Let praise cascade off my lips; after all, you’ve taught me the truth about life! And let your promises ring from my tongue; every order you’ve given is right. Put your hand out and steady me since I’ve chosen to live by your counsel.”
Syd Weldon 
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