Obedience to What?
We often think of the popular model of "The Five Love Languages" when trying to relate to and serve
others. Everyone has a "primary love language" that helps them to feel love. But what about our most
important relationship? What is God's love language?
"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."
1 Sam 15:22
"If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." Matt 19:17b
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." John 14:21
"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and
remain in his love." John 15:10
From reading God's word it is readily apparent that God's love language is obedience. The question is
then raised: Obedience to what? Jesus told us that all the law had a common thread:
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt 22:37-40
This seems to clear up the issue of what we are to obey nicely, but was this statement accurate? Does
all of the Law hang upon love? The Law, comprised of many hundreds of commands, is derived from the
first commands on how to live life: the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are first given to Israel at Mt Sinai in Exodus 19. At a cursory look they seem to
be legalistic commandments that are not in line with Jesus' statement about how all the Law is based
on love. When we dig a little deeper, we find that Jesus was correct. (I bet you were worried that He
was wrong weren't you?)
1. "You shall have no other God's before me." Ex 20:3
This at first appears to be a simple command. The deeper aspect of this verse can be seen by looking
for the reason the command was given. God desires that we love Him before all else. He wants us to
understand that He is the only real thing and that He should be the center of our lives.
Love God First.
2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them." Ex 20:4-5
The second commandment, like the first, is a simple instruction. But why would God command it? It means
that nothing is to take a place of worship in our lives. This includes people, activities, and things
that we enjoy. God is telling us that we are to love Him only. Everything we do - every activity we do,
every relationship we have - should be dominated by our service to our Lord.
Love God Only.
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." Ex 20:7
This is the most widely-remembered translation of this verse (KJV). The Hebrew word for "take" also
means to "bear" or "carry." We are not to carry the name of Christ as Christians in vain. Being known
as a Christian carries a certain burden. By being a hypocrite, we show that God is not really the Lord
of our lives. This commandment instructs us to love God sincerely and to display it in our lives.
Love God For Real.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." Ex 20:8
Any relationship requires a sacrifice of time. We tend to spend time with those whom we love. God wants
this more than we can imagine. (See the fifth and seventh commandments.) This commandment tells us that
we need to set aside time to nurture our love relationship with God.
Love God with Your Time.
5. "Honor your father and mother." Ex 20:12
God created parenthood to show us how much He loves us. God calls Himself our Father for a reason - He
loves us. He expects that we love Him back. Notice that this command does not say "obey" or even
"respect" your parents, it says to "honor" them. The Hebrew word means "bring to honor to" or "promote"
the object. (Strong's #3513) This means that we are to truly love with abandonment God and those whom
God has given to care for us.
Love God Actively.
6. "You shall not murder." Ex 20:13
We are to love everyone. Murder happens when we value another person less than our own desires. This
means that we are placing our own desires above God's - raising our own selves to the point of
idols.
Love God in Humbleness.
7. "You shall not commit adultery." Ex 20:14
We know from Matt 5:28 that this command is related to the heart. Like parenthood, God created marriage
to show us how much He loves us. We are told that in marriage a man and woman "become one flesh."
(Gen 2:24) The physical union of a marriage creates a new united flesh. What is simply amazing is that
God lives in us (1Cor 3:16) and, similarly, has become one flesh with us. In addition to this, He plans
to wed the Church as a whole. (Rev 21:9-14) God wants us to love us as a spouse in the way that Paul
describes in Ephesians 5:25.
Love and Treasure God more than even Your Spouse.
8. "You shall not steal." Ex 20:15
This command really cuts to the heart of the issue. When we steal, we are doing one of two things: We
are not trusting in God to provide for our needs, or we are placing our own desires ahead of God's
will. Both of these are opposed to love, so this command really tells us to love God (which requires
trust) to the diminishment of our own desires.
Love God by Trusting Him.
9. "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Ex 20:16
This command is a reminder that God hates falsehood. All truth is from God, He is the God of truth
(Psalm 31:5), and if we abstain from falsehood, we are actively loving God. God is truth, and if we
defile and pervert truth we are actively hating Him.
Love Who God Is.
10. "You shall not covet." Ex 20:17
This final command reminds us to be at peace with our desires. We are to love that which God has given
us. It corresponds to Jesus telling us not to worry because we know that God, who loves us, will care
for us. (Matt 6:25-33) This command also reminds us not to place our desires in such a high place. In
Col 3:5 Paul tells us that coveting is idolatry, bringing the commandments full circle.
Love God Above All Else.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..."
Isaiah 64:6a
It was always clear that legalism is not the goal. Even our best acts "are like filthy rags" before the
Lord’s holiness. God really is love. (1 John 4:16b) All His commandments are aimed to remind us to
love. The Law is not there to constrain us, but to guide us to real freedom. (Rom 3:20) God has
graciously given us a system that spurs us on towards love for Him and His people. How great a God we
serve!