Devotion 

We will Do It

Why do you obey

Frances Taylor 

Moses came down from the mountain and told the people what the Lord had commanded. They all said, Okay! No problem! As we shall see in a few days, that didn't last long. The Israelites said yes over and over to God, and then said, no, over and over again. So much like us! It's a good thing God forgives us over and over again. It is always interesting to read the full account of the commandments and their amplified meaning in Exodus, because it gives an idea of what the civilization was like in those days. The commandments were not all totally new as many of them were based on the code of Hammurabi. The first three commandments were new as they listed the proper behavior towards God. The other seven concerned social behavior and social structure. So, what's the difference between Hammurabi's code and the Ten Commandments other than the first three? The difference is in the why. We don't obey the commandments because they promote civility within society; we obey them because this is what God has called us to do. Regardless of the punishments proscribed in Exodus for different offenses, we are called to obey God. Period! It is the same today with Jesus law of love which calls for us to work for justice, help the poor, etc. We don't help others because it's a nice thing to do, even though it is, we do it because we are called as Christians to take care of one another. Why do you obey, why do I? Is it because we want to avoid punishment, or because it's the right thing to do.

Prayer 

Loving and forgiving God, you call us to act toward our brothers and sisters in a loving way regardless of whether we might be punished or not. Help us to engrave your law on our hearts and be faithful to you. Amen.