A Ten Commandments
Day?
“Now all has
been heard; here is the conclusion of
the matter: Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the whole
duty of man. For God will bring every
deed into judgment, including every
hidden thing, whether it is good or
evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:
13,14)
You may recall that
Chief Justice Roy Moore, a member of
the Supreme Court of Alabama, was
removed from that state’s
highest court in November 2003
because Moore refused to remove his
personal Ten Commandments monument
from the state capital building. (The
monument was removed eventually, but
not by Judge Moore.) Then in June
2005, the Supreme Court of the United
States took a position on the Ten
Commandments that upset a number of
Jews and Christians. The court ruled
that the Ten Commandments could be
displayed in public places as long as
no religious significance was
attached to them.
Later that year, Ron
Wexler (a real estate developer from
Israel) and Pastor Myles Munroe
(Bahamas Faith Ministry International
– a Pentecostal organization)
organized ‘The Ten Commandments
Commission.” Their stated
objective is to elevate the
importance of the Ten Commandments by
placing monuments, plaques and
symbols throughout North America.
Many nationally known preachers,
pastors and evangelists are
supporting the objectives of the Ten
Commandment Commission and together,
they are calling for a nationwide
“Ten Commandments Day” on
May 7, 2006. Thousands of pastors and
rabbis have been asked to host
special celebrations on that day and
to deliver stirring messages
centering on the enduring value of
the Ten Commandments. Why are they
doing this? I think a number of
honest and heart Americans from all
religious backgrounds are concerned
about America’s rapid descent
into Godlessness. They see degeneracy
rapidly overtaking our nation and
they know it will not be long before
Americans careens into total anarchy
if something is not done to revive
our religious values!
Even though I am fully
persuaded that the Ten Commandments
are extremely important and
obligatory, and the goals and
purposes of the endeavor might sound
like a good idea to most Christians, I
cannot support this particular
program. Let me clarify the
problem and use an illustration to
make my point. I believe everyone
reading this article! Realizes that
the United States has been fighting a
so-called “war on terror”
ever since the United States invaded
Afghanistan in October 2001. The
‘war on terror”
significantly escalated in March 2003
when the United Stated invaded Iraq.
Now that a few years have passed and
we understand the issues more
clearly, I believe the phrase
‘war on terror” has become
misleading and inappropriate. Our
‘war on terror” has turned
out to be a war against certain
Moslems who are determined to stop
the spread of western decadence.
Islamic fundamentalists view the
United States as “the Great
Satan.” They believe we arte a
nation of infidels and that we are a
corrupt and immoral people. They see
our foreign polices as self-serving
and unfair. To a great extent, the
Moslem world forms its attitudes
toward the Unites States when they
see American TV programs and movies.
They also see the results of our
foreign policies – particularly
our contribution to unrest in the
Middle East through our support for
Israel. They often regard our charity
to third world countries as bribery
or as “buying influence.”
The point I am making
is that the secular term, ‘war
on terror,” has become a
misnomer. The United States is
fighting certain Moslem zealots who
are willing to die for God’s
honor. In other words, the “war
on terror” has become a war
against a specific religious ideology
and honestly, it should be presented
that way. The United States may think
it is fighting a secular war, but let
us be clear – our enemy is
fighting a religious war. In my
opinion, the core conflict in Iraq
today centers around religion. Some
Moslems want a
“church-state” (which is
popular among Moslems) and the United
States is trying to set up a secular
state.
Similarly, the Ten
Commandments Commission appears to be
one thing, namely, religious revival
and unity. However, with the passage
of time, I suspect their endeavor
will morph into political power.
(Yes, I know I could be wrong.)
Legislative elections in the United
States are coming this fall and in
two years, we will vote for a new
president. Unfortunately, the Ten
Commandment Commission has a similar
ring to it as Jerry Falwell’s
“Moral Majority.” Why am I
suspicious? I believe there will be a
hidden agenda within the Ten
Commandments Commission. From its
inception, the Ten Commandments
Commission has not been primarily
concerned with what the Ten
Commandments actually say. The Ten
Commandments are not an icon and
should not be used as a banner for
political power and influence. God
wrote the Ten Commandments by His own
finger and the commandments declare
His sovereign will for mankind. If a
group of people want to exalt the Ten
Commandments by encouraging people to
obey them, I could certainly support
that!
Think about this for a
minute. The Ten Commandments
Commission was organized by a Jew and
a Christian. I can understand how a
Jew would want to uphold the
obligatory nature of the Ten
Commandments, but I cannot understand
how hundreds of Christian’s
leaders can participate in a
“Ten Commandments Day” when
the same religious leaders
teach that the Ten Commandments were
nailed to the cross. I believe our
nation is in moral trouble largely
because pastors have led their
members to believe that the Ten
Commandments are no longer
obligatory! How can there be a lawful
society when the prevailing theology
of that society is lawless? Bible
history indicates that once a
majority of people within a nation
become rebellious toward God’s
laws, that nation cannot recover.
(See 1 & 2 Kings.) Can sinful man
cure his own degeneracy?
America is like a
termite-damaged house – still
standing, but seriously weakened. If
china and other nations were not
investing heavily (buying our assets)
in the United States, this nation
would be bankrupt. Our enemies have
become more numerous and more
powerful than ever before. As this
nation turns further away from God, I
guarantee that it will face
increasing perplexities. These
matters should not surprise us, since
they clearly parallel the fall of
ancient Israel.
Let me ask you –
are the Ten Commandments observed in
politics or big business today?
Consider the corruption in Washington
D. C. that has recently surfaced
about the Abrahamoff scandal or the
eight-year jail sentence of
Congressman Duke Cunningham for
bribery. Consider the corruption that
was swirling around the Enron
Corporation and the various banks
that participated in its fraudulent
schemes. Consider the demise of
WorldCom and the 25-year jail
sentence imposed upon its CEO,
Bernard Ebbers. These situations make
me wonder just how much corruption is
occurring that we do not know about.
Have we come to a moment in United
States history when the relentless
forces of moral degeneracy, false
religion and powerful special
interest politics are causing
compromise for expedient purposes? Do
we want a decadent nation promoting
the Ten Commandments as an icon or do
we want a nation that loves and obeys
God’s Ten Commandments?
Let me be clear. I do
believe this nation would benefit
from obeying the Ten Commandments. If
people honestly wanted to obey the
Ten Commandments, we would have a
“Ten Commandments Day”
every Saturday. God has commanded
mankind, in the fourth commandment,
to rest from our work just as He
rested from His. (
Genesis 2: 1-3) This
is why the apostle Paul wrote, “There
remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the
people of God; for anyone who enters
God’s rest also rests from his
own work, just as God did from his.
Let us, therefore, make every effort
to enter that rest, so that no one
will fall by following their example
of disobedience.” (Hebrews
4: 9-11)
