PURSUING THE FLOURISHING OF ALL HUMANITY (6 OF 10)
Scripture: Exodus 20:13
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Pursuing the Flourishing of all Humanity (6 of 10)
Series: 10 Commandments
Patrick Edwards
Exodus 20:13
Introduction
David writes in Psalm 8,
When I observe your heavens,?the work of your fingers,?the moon and the stars,?which you set in place,?what is a human being that you remember him,?a son of man that you look after him??You made him little less than God?and crowned him with glory and honor.?You made him ruler over the works of your hands;?you put everything under his feet:?all the sheep and oxen,?as well as the animals in the wild,?the birds of the sky,?and the fish of the sea?that pass through the currents of the seas.
Lord, our Lord,?how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9)
When you consider the size and beauty and diversity of God's whole creation, it can make you feel pretty small; it can make you feel a little insignificant. When you listen to biologists and geneticists remark on how our genome is nearly identical to that of most mammals, especially apes, it can make you feel rather ordinary and beastly. Even among other human beings, when you watch what others are doing and accomplishing around you, you, yourself, can feel banal and unspecial.
And yet, the Word of God tells us something quite different about the dignity of the human being. That among all God's creation, nothing is as special to God as humanity. And it's not just humanity as a whole that is valued to God, but each individual within humanity. Genesis 1:27 tells us that every human being is made in God's very image and likeness. Exodus 20:13 tells us that every human life is to be protected and enabled to prosper.
Thus, as we transition this morning now fully to the four words of the Decalogue which pertain to human relationship, we begin with an affirmation of the dignity of human life. While a cursory and superficial reading of Exodus 20:13 would seem to suggest that this commandment is rather straightforward and simple (I mean it just s ...
Series: 10 Commandments
Patrick Edwards
Exodus 20:13
Introduction
David writes in Psalm 8,
When I observe your heavens,?the work of your fingers,?the moon and the stars,?which you set in place,?what is a human being that you remember him,?a son of man that you look after him??You made him little less than God?and crowned him with glory and honor.?You made him ruler over the works of your hands;?you put everything under his feet:?all the sheep and oxen,?as well as the animals in the wild,?the birds of the sky,?and the fish of the sea?that pass through the currents of the seas.
Lord, our Lord,?how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9)
When you consider the size and beauty and diversity of God's whole creation, it can make you feel pretty small; it can make you feel a little insignificant. When you listen to biologists and geneticists remark on how our genome is nearly identical to that of most mammals, especially apes, it can make you feel rather ordinary and beastly. Even among other human beings, when you watch what others are doing and accomplishing around you, you, yourself, can feel banal and unspecial.
And yet, the Word of God tells us something quite different about the dignity of the human being. That among all God's creation, nothing is as special to God as humanity. And it's not just humanity as a whole that is valued to God, but each individual within humanity. Genesis 1:27 tells us that every human being is made in God's very image and likeness. Exodus 20:13 tells us that every human life is to be protected and enabled to prosper.
Thus, as we transition this morning now fully to the four words of the Decalogue which pertain to human relationship, we begin with an affirmation of the dignity of human life. While a cursory and superficial reading of Exodus 20:13 would seem to suggest that this commandment is rather straightforward and simple (I mean it just s ...
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