The Plumbline

There are times when words in the Bible are plain and simple.  At others, the words may be "types" or "symbols" of something else.  The words are used in a way which describes the action or attitude behind the action.  Today, we look at our next "rule" for living under the safety of the wing of our Almighty God.     14  “You must not commit adultery."  (Exodus 20:14 New Living Translation) Okay, before you "check this one off" and move on, you know from my introduction there may be more to this one than first meets the eye!  In fact, throughout the scriptures, this word not only implies the action of adultery (having sex with a married man/woman), but it also implies an attitude of heart and an action of our minds! In a very real sense, the "action" of adultery is evident throughout scripture with some accounts so familiar to us we can recite them from memory.  We have the account of David and Bathsheba - David took Bath...

Have you ever been so frustrated with someone, boiling over with all kinds of not so nice kinds of thoughts about them?  At some point, you may have even thought someone would just be "better off" dead because they are a total loss according to the standards of our society, or in some other world, just as long as it was not YOURS!  Most of us would never consider murder as an option for dealing with someone we'd rather eliminate from our lives, though!  So, why does God feel it is so important to tell us not to murder someone? 13  “You must not murder."  (Exodus 20:13 New Living Translation) Society classifies murder into two buckets - premeditated (deliberate and planned) and without premeditation (more of an accidental thing in the commission of another crime such as speeding).  Without getting too deep here, God really does not approve of the loss of life at the hand of another when it is deliberate.   I believe God is aiming at the ...