Who Will You Follow?

The original Ten Commandments were given to us by God Himself so that we might live a full and prosperous life. One that will provide us with peace, harmony, and holy life. Throughout history, those countries where the majority of people practiced these commandments have prospered. Those that have not have perished. Nobody can keep all these rules all of the time, but when a society tries to keep them, it makes a much happier and peaceful existence: 

Exodus 20:3-4, 7-8, 12-17 CSB:

[3] Do not have other gods besides me. 

[4] Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. [7] Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. 

[8] Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…

[12] Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 

[13] Do not murder. 

[14] Do not commit adultery. 

[15] Do not steal. 

[16] Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. 

[17] Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

As I wrote in a previous post, there is an order if things set forth by God so that we may live properly. Angelic beings are subject to Christ (1 Pet. 3:22); believers are subject to one another (1 Pet. 5:5); the church is subject to Christ (Eph. 5:24); the Son shall be subject to the Father (1 Cor. 15:28); servants are subject to their masters (1 Pet. 2:18); children are under their parents (1 Tim. 3:4); wives are subject to their husbands (Col. 3:18); young people are to be subject to their elders (1 Pet. 5:5); church members are to be governed by their leaders (Heb. 13:7, 17); and believers are to be subject to their government. It is part of a total doctrine of obedience. This works great until a group decides that it no longer wants to live righteously. 

However, a society that rejects God and prefers making up its own rules often finds itself in a state of confusing flux. This is happening now in the USA. The Black Lives Matter and Antifa thugs have a new set of commandments that they live by and expect others to do the same. Those that don’t comply are a target of their wrath. 

1. Thou shalt wear a mask. Wearing a mask is now the epitome of social awareness and virtue. “There is no greater love than this, that thou apply one’s mask before going out.” It is going to save us all from this terrible virus. It shows concern for one’s fellow man, whether one has that concern or not. It is also convenient as riot-wear so no one can identify you breaking into a store or destroying other people’s property. 

2. Thou shalt stay home unless there’s a riot going on nearby. Attendance at those events is mandatory for guilt-ridden millennials and will earn an earnest rioter merit badge to wear on his/her Che Guevara T-shirt. Bricks will be provided, but bring a personal shopping bag. Babies and young children are welcome. White people are welcome as well as long as they hate being white and still live with their parents. 

3. Thou shalt hate President Trump. Thou shalt hate all those who support him. Thou shalt abhor any action he takes and shall claim that he lies and is a racist. Thou shalt also hate white men, all police, capitalism, guns, the Constitution, and freedom, in short — the USA. 

4. Thou shalt kill (or at least advocate for such killing) all unborn (or newly born) unwanted babies–Especially black babies. Black lives matter that much.

5. Thou shalt have any kind of sex one desires, when and where one desires it, with whom or with what one desires. Grooming of potential partners will be done by the local school, with help from the Boy Scouts and the public libraries.

6. Thou shalt not think logically, make an effort to become informed or knowledgeable, or develop a vocabulary beyond words like “oppressed” or “racist” or “f—k.” 

7. Thou shalt destroy. Anything will do, but the more valuable, the better. Statues and monuments are prime targets, private or public property works as well, especially if there’s lots of glass to break; police stations and federal courthouses are real prizes. 

8. Thou shalt steal in bulk — on a wholesale basis –- shoes, smart TVs, jewelry, designer clothing and accessories, exotic cars, whatever is expensive and can be fenced easily. This will have the effect of righting all the wrongs in the universe.

9. Thou shalt strip the rich of whatever they have because if they have it, you don’t. When you see the world without God, you take whatever you want because you deserve it.

10. Thou shalt speak ill of –- or physically attack — anyone who gets in the way, be they police, the elderly, mothers and children, clergy, parents, or grandparents. Don’t let them get away with being normal, kind, or Christian. That’s some kind of privilege, but no one has identified exactly what kind.

If we carefully follow those rules, we can be in with the in-crowd. As a whole, the in-crowd seems pretty nasty, but if murder and mayhem appeal to a person, then this is the way to go. Note that there are no rules against judging one’s neighbor, because we are encouraged to do so — anyone not participating in demonstrations, not following the social distancing rules, deserves to be outed. We are also allowed to go naked, to shoot lasers, guns, mortar rounds, and throw Molotov cocktails, There are no rules against being rude because rudeness is one of the talents we’ll need in this Brave New World. 

In this new world, love and justice have no place. “Social justice” is an interesting term because the word “social” cancels the meaning of “justice.”

This new society sees no point in truth, in duty, in individual rights and responsibilities. It places no value on self-control, on objectivity, on gentleness, on righteousness. We’ve been educated to think that the world offers us an unlimited selection of belief systems, but that’s not true. There are only two options –- you either follow Jesus or you don’t. 

“Therefore, fear the LORD and worship him in sincerity and truth… [15] But if it doesn’t please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship… As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15 CSB)