Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 5:17; 19:4-13
One of my favorite Christmas movies of all-time is the movie “Jingle All The Way.” In the movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger is an overworked father who has neglected to pick up a toy for his son to open on Christmas day. When he makes a quick run to the store to pick up the toy, he finds that it is all sold out.
The rest of the story is about his adventure to find the toy, which happens to be the most popular toy of the season, and his attempt to be reconciled to his disappointed wife and son. The movie reminds us to commit to what we value the most.
Whatever we value, we will commit to it. God values human life and expects His people to commit to the value of human life as well. The Ten Commandments remind us of just how much God values life.
In the retelling of the commands in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, God prefaces His law with His reminder for the Israelites: That He is the one that brought them out of Egypt where they were in bondage.
God valued the life of the Israelites. They were His image bearers. One way they were able to do this was to set up three cities in the land for refugees who had been driven out of their own land. It was God who directed Moses to lead this initiative in order to minimize the revenge of those whose loved ones had been killed. God’s people will commit to what God values. God’s people are to work for the sanctity of human life and seek the dignity of all people as God’s image bearers.