The Ten Commandments

Full version
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an image 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; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:2-17).

Lil’s version
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
The Lord God, who freed Israel from the land of slavery and gave them a land of milk and honey, freed me from the bondage of sin and enabled me to live a sweet holy life by the power of His Spirit.

“You shall have no other gods before me.”
Having a god means conforming to an authority higher than me and molding my life to the expectations of that authority. If I don’t accept the idea of an authority higher than me, then I am like a child who doesn’t accept the authority of his parent. When I accept another person’s authority as higher than mine instead of God’s I act like a child who accepts another child’s authority instead of his parent’s. I don’t know a person who is absolutely free from sin. I know some very good people who are an example for me to follow, but as regards absolute freedom from sin I can have only one authority: the Lord God of Israel.

“You shall not make for yourself an image 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; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
If I make an image of someone or something from the surrounding world and I bow down to it, this will mean that I consider it higher than me, let alone God. However, God doesn’t call me a fool for doing this, but appeals to my reason by saying He is jealous of His authority being unlawfully transferred by me to another creature or thing and threatens to punish what I love most ─ my children and my grandchildren, hoping I would understand how great He is and worship Him for what He is.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
A misuse is when I don’t use something properly. If my children used my computer improperly, I wouldn’t allow them to use it again. If they were to use something much more expensive and valuable than my computer, I wouldn’t allow them to use it at all. If I don’t use God’s name properly after experiencing His liberating power, I am not responding to His love respectfully and I am not appreciating it adequately. I am robbing Him of His due honor and respect. This means I am guilty and God has all the right to hold me such.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Six days work for me; one day set aside for God’s worship: that’s not much. If I were God, I would probably command my creation to worship me six days and work for them one day. I like being worshipped. That’s the first part. The second is worse. If I didn’t have this commandment, I would probably labor without rest and I would make everyone around me labor without rest.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Obviously I don’t honor my father and mother, otherwise God wouldn’t have had to mention it. I need a specific instruction to do so. And again, instead of punishing me for not doing what is right and proper, the Lord God encourages me to do it by promising me to prolong my life.

“You shall not murder.”
I have violated this commandment many times. God entrusted me with several lives, which I didn’t keep. As for the murders I have committed via my thoughts and words, I have no idea of their number.

“You shall not commit adultery.”
I have violated this commandment as well ─ not actually, but in my mind.

“You shall not steal.”
I don’t steal material things now, but I have stolen material things in the past. And I suppose I steal other people’s things like services, feelings, ideas, time, etc. without even noticing it. However, I notice very well when other people steal from me and I know how much it hurts.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
I don’t remember testifying falsely against my neighbor, but I don’t always describe a person to another person truthfully. My description is sometimes affected by my liking or disliking him or by my preferences or prejudices.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Just two weeks ago I coveted my friend’s new shoes and perfume. I have a problem with coveting. I covet many things other people have.
In fact, I have violated all the Ten Commandments ─ some of them actually, others only in my mind or with my mouth. If I were to become part of God’s holy kingdom on the basis of fulfilling these commandments, I would never be permitted to enter it.
However, God still wants me. He wouldn’t talk to me if He didn’t want me. That’s what I do when I don’t want someone ─ I stop talking to them and I sever all my connections with them. I don’t tell them what to do and what not to do. I tell this to my children whom I love. It’s just that I want them to be true about themselves and know me better. I want them to admit and correct their mistakes and become better friends with me. If they can’t make it by themselves, I offer to help them or expect them to ask me for help.