Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-28
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
DUTIES TO MAN.
Elk, xx.12-2l.
Golden Text: Thou shalt love
thy neighbor as myself. LEV,
xix.18.
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.

BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.
The Ten Commandments sounded q
new note in the religions of the world
by uniting morality with spiritual reli-
gion. Previous to the decalogue re-
ligion was personal matter between
the individual soul and God. There
was demand for worship. but when
Moses gave to the Hebrews the law
it called for the union of three factors
to make real religion-God. man and
others. For centuries the message
given to Moses upon the commanding
heights of Mount Sinai has nodded
the lives Of men, because its rules
regulating mans relation to Jehovah
and his fellows has had a deeper
meaning. Underneath these COM
mands was a vital principle, so that
Christ summed all the law into one,
always realize the heart of the parents
spoken to them in a prohibition.
Israel probably did not understand
the fundamental principles that called
for the ten words" The laws re-
lating to human relationships appear
at first to be elementary, but they
furnish the foundation Of social, po-
litical and moral life. Society would
not exist long without the observ-
ance of these ideal rules of conduct
between men. If we interpret them
as our Lord Jesus did in His sermon
on the mount we will find them to
be searching in their demands and
comprehensive in their requirements.
Basis of Society.
''The first command with promise"
called for men to "honor thy father
and thy mother" The Hebrews have
always given a high place to their
home life. The people who set the
old folks to one side and forget to
honor them are doomed. The Rechab-
ties have demonstrated the value of
this commandment. China has pre-
served it's place among the nations,
because in that land the respect Of
ones parents has become so embedded
in their faith that they worship their
The New Testament has
given us the reason for this COM
mand. There we learn Of the
Father from whom every fatherhOod
in heaven and on earth is named"
This teaches us that the relation be.
tween a human parent and child Is
like the relation between God and
man. 1t points out that our duty
to our parents is a sacred privilege
because sit is a perfect type and
treatment Of God is involved in our
treatment of our parents. To honor
them is to honor Him; to despise them
is to despise Him."
In giving the mother a place Of
equal honor with the father this COM
was great advance over
the religions Of the ancient and pagan
people, where the father was lord
Of the child and the mother his slave.
God is no respector of persons, &C.
cording to the New Testament; so
that we can find the seed Of the mod
ern movement for the emancipation
of woman packed away in this COM
This calls for every child
to love his parents, reverence their
be obedient to them and
support them when old age enfeebles
to that extent that they can't support
Modern civilization Is
breaking down right at this point.
The fault cannot be wholly blamed
upon the children, for the lack OF re-
spect and honor for a parents au-
thority is due to the parental neglect
to properly train the child. The
neglect of family worship and lack
of family discipline is responsible for
much of the crime in our mad. There
are other factors. But prominent dis
criminals come out from the homes
"where the father insists that the child
love. respect and obey it's mother and
the mother insists that the child love,
respect and obey the father"
Criminal Law.
The criminal code of Moses took
special cognizance of all injuries to
human life and to personal properly.
No ancient law ever placed sucn
high standard upon the value or hu-
man life, as this commandment pro
hibited the taking of life and all that
endangers it, Man was created In
the image of God, murder, being con-
sidered the destruction Of His image,
was punished with death, because
it was a sort Of secondary violation
of the first commandment. There
was no possibility Of securing a diff
ferent sentence. 1t could not be
committed into a fine or. imprison-
ment for life. There was no escape
from paying the penalty of murder.
Although, in the case OF man
slaughter, a refuge was provided
during the Investigations; but DELHI
crate murder was always capltaliy
punished, and in one instance, typ1-
cal, probably of a class, inexcusable
carelessness which caused death was
similarly treated. The manner in
which they obeyed the command,
Thou shalt not KILL" by Furnishing
all offenders Immediately. teaches
us that by following. their example
we would diminish the number Of
murders in our land. We can find
the germs of. our coroner's. inquest in
the provisions that Moses made for
the investigation of the cause of all
deaths. Jesus taught that the real
cause was not the deadly blow, but
the angry passion which caused 1t.
Next to a mans life was placed
the sanctity Of the home. The COM
mand against the committing of
adultery was aimed at the protection
of the purity of the home, which is
the tap root of society. It condemns
mands for purity in all the sexual
relations, and every incentive that
would tend in any manner to impair
the sanctity of marriage. 1t pro-
hibits evil thinking, for our Lord
taught us that the impure look broke
this command as much as the act
itself The heavy penalty of death
is placed upon all guilty of violating
this commandment. and we are as
sured that the adulterer shall not
enter into the kingdom of God.
The command, Thou shalt not
STEAL" proclaims the sanctity of prop
erty. 1t recognizes the right of every
man to obtain the result Of his ef-
forts and toll. He lives and helps de-
velop industry, society and general
prosperity by the correct use Of
his possessions. This commandment
strikes at communistic teachings,
which deny the rights of personal
property and private ownership. Men
may very easily break this law with.
out knowing it, through their greed
and desire for bargains. 1t forbids
graft. fraud and cheating by teaching
that the taking of property of another
without giving a fair and equivalent