One of the rarest qualities in our global society is “respect”. Criticism, ridicule and comedy about anyone and everyone is the order of the day. Our society enjoys pulling people down to take them apart… making them objects of ridicule. God commands us to respect Him, and each other.

Otis Ray Redding Jr. composed a song, entitled “Respect”. In 1967, popular recording artist Aretha Franklin released her adaptation of the song and by doing so made it legendary. It propelled her to stardom and earned her the title of The Queen of Soul. The following is a sample of Franklin’s R.E.S.P.E.C.T…. 

“What you want, baby, I got it. What you need, do you know I got it? All I’m askin’ is for a little respect when you get home… Just a little bit, hey, baby. Just a little bit, when you get home. Just a little bit, mister …  Just a little bit.“

While the cry of Franklin’s song is for just “a little bit” of respect from her “mister”, God demands from humanity (from you and me) “a lot” of respect… “total” respect.

The Ten Commandments is God’s version of Franklin’s R.E.S.P.E.C.T. It comprises ten verses. God first published the lyrics while Moses was on top of Mt Sinai 3500 years ago. The lyrics were etched on two stone tablets with God’s finger (Ex. 31:18) – spelling-out in clear terms how God expected His people to live. The lyrics of the Ten Commandments can be summarised in just one word… “Respect”.

Those who have two hands, with five fingers on each, please consider the five fingers of your right hand as representing commandments 1-5 — they speak about how we are to respect God: 

• Respect His position by not having any other gods besides Him; 
• Respect His character – have no images of His personhood; 
• Respect His name above all other names; 
• Respect His sabbath day by reflecting on His goodness and greatness; and 
• Respect His earthly delegated representatives – your mother and father.
  
  Now, consider the five fingers of your left hand as representing commandments 6-10 – they speak about how we are to respect each other: 

• Respect our neighbor’s life; 
• Respect his marriage;
• Respect his possessions; 
• Respect his reputation; and 
• Respect his property.

The commandments are “ten” but they are in fact one “double-sided” command (Matt. 22:36-40). Together they are a unit, like one perfect necklace strung with ten pearls of God’s wisdom. They are a unit and therefore the Bible says quite clearly that if we break them at any point, we have broken the whole law (James 2:10). Yes, the Decalogue is one whole. With God, there is no such thing as a “6, or 7, or 8, or 9 out of ten” pass mark. Break one and you have broken the lot! The commandments give a picture of God’s perfect will for our lives, and if we break His will at any point, we have spoiled His pattern of perfection and our lives will be spoilt!

Friends, it’s important to stress that when it comes to showing respect, God must be the first Receiver. Why? The desired degree of our success in respecting “one another” is contingent upon the degree of respect we are showing to God. E.g., If a husband desires to achieve a “ten” in his marriage he must first score a “ten” in his respect for God. If his marriage is not a ten, he has work to do in raising the level of his respect for God. It doesn’t take the brilliance of a rocket scientist to understand this universal principle.

The Ten Commandments are not for everyone! They are scripted exclusively for those who have been brought out of slavery by God into freedom from sin.

Friends, God wants His universe right – He wants it perfect – and if we break just one of His commands, we have spoiled His universe and He can’t let us go on living in it. So where does this leave you and me? Clearly, our sin-nature has failed us! However, on the cross, on our behalf, Jesus satisfied God’s demand of perfect respect – and by doing so earned us a “pass” mark with the Father. Once we were ignorant, unsaved law-breakers, but now we are saved law-keepers…conscientiously living respect-ful lives that honor God and every person we encounter in life… Yes, every person without exception!

How can we show righteous respect for God, and for others? Firstly, we must humble ourselves by adopting a pride-free attitude, and, secondly, we must esteem God more highly than ourselves and any other person or thing. Esteeming God and others cannot be accomplished by exercising our mouths but by exercising His commandments with our lives, privately and publicly.

Why is our world in such a mess? Simply, humanity no longer respects the God who created us and the universe in which we live.

Does your life RESPECT God?

Best wishes
Bill