This morning, I want us to examine another biblical principle of honoring.  To honor is “to regard with great respect; to esteem highly.  This principle is not only laid out in the giving of the law to the Israelites, but the New Testament speaks much about this as well.  Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”  1 Peter 2:17 “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”  What would change in our culture if we applied this one simple principle in our daily lives?  Notice how Jesus responded when asked about the greatest command: Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God.  The next 6 commands were absolutely unheard of in that day because they elevated everybody’s status.  During that time, those that were in positions of authority were the law givers and above the law.  You could change the law when it applied to you.  In the instance of the commandments, God Himself was establishing the Law, so everyone became accountable to the Law. No one was above the Law: no judge, no king, no prophet! 

You and I are the very crown of God’s creation.  In God’s value system, regardless of who you are, you are created with God’s very image stamped on you.  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27  This doesn’t mean that God looks like we do – it means that our spiritual being is shaped like his. God has a mind; we have a mind. God has a will; we have a will. God has emotions, and we have emotions.  This is what God said from the beginning; that we are made in His image and we all have value and should be treated with respect and dignity.  God was elevating the value of man once again, and it was woven into His law given to man. 

Every culture founded on ethical standards includes injunctions such as these, whether expressed biblically or not. They have never been recalled, rescinded or reversed. 

The Commandments give us guidelines to experience ultimate freedom.  Currently, one battle that is taking place in our nation is the battle about who is responsible for determining what is law and what’s not.  To the degree that this nation loses sight of the fact that there is a divine law giver, to that degree we will take responsibility for establishing our own laws, and eventually those that establish the law will feel free to be above the law.  Our responsibility is NOT to establish law, but to discover the law and to determine how it is applied in our culture. 

Commandments 5-9 deal with the specifics of honoring and treating others.  Paul stated in Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” 

5)     “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”  – Exodus 20:12  Notice the promise: “live long in the land.”

6)    “You shall not murder” – Exodus 20:13  This means to honor the life of people. 

7)     “You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14  Honor marriages! 

8)    “You shall not steal.” – Exodus 20:15  Honor people’s property! 

9)     “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16  Honor the reputation of other people. 

The 10th commandment deals with a matter of the heart, something that cannot be seen by men from the outside.  Not only are we to guard our actions, but we are to guard our hearts.  Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  To covet means to “desire strongly,” to be unhappy with one-self because of what you do not have that it begins to erode relationships.  (In Matthew 5, Jesus covered this in the Sermon on the Mount with adultery.)  We are accountable to God for what is in our hearts though man may not see them.  God wants us to be aware of what is going on in our thoughts and hearts.  This last command if violated is what leads to all the other commands being violated. 

Basically, God is saying to mankind: “Honor me, honor others and guard what is in your heart.”  The goal was to protect the relationship with Him and with others so that the nation could live in freedom.  It’s what He wants for us today.