July 1 Esight, 2007

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” —Isaiah 43:2, KJVI would like you to notice the phrase, “Thou shalt not,” in the above passage. What’s most interesting is that in this verse, that phrase is perceived as a promise. Why is this significant? Because this is the exact same phrase used in Exodus 20.

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . .

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them . . .

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain . . .

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy . . .

Honour thy father and thy mother . . .

Thou shalt not kill . . .

Thou shalt not commit adultery . . .

Thou shalt not steal . . .

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour . . .

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house,

thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife . . .

(Exodus 20:1-17 KJV)

Why is it then that, when we read the phrase in Exodus 20, we perceive it as a prohibition, if the phrase used in Isaiah is a promise? Could the Ten Commandments actually be ten promises? Absolutely! These were never ten rules God expected us to live up to, but rather ten principled descriptions of how we would live if we could simply encounter God and His great love for us. By encountering His love, that same love is awakened in us, and love is the fulfillment of the law. This is why the Ten Commandments do not begin with the first “Thou shalt not” but the revelation of God’s love for Israel in bringing them out of bondage. It is by believing in His love and His love for us alone that the following principles will manifest in our life. Rather than trying to keep His commands, try focusing on His great love for you this week, and see if that awakens in you the other-centeredness described in those ten holy precepts.

“All His biddings are enablings.” (Ellen White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 333)

“The law of ten commandments is not to be looked upon as much from the prohibitory side, as from the mercy side.” (Ellen White, Letter 96, 1896.)

“The ten commandments,” “Thou shalt,” and, “Thou shalt not,” are ten promises . . .” (Ellen White, Bible Echo, June 17, 1901 par. 3)