Did you know there are over 1000 “commandments” in the New Testament? That is almost twice as many as the religious Jews identified from their Torah (first five books of the Old Testament – 613 of them). God originally gave Moses ten all-encompassing commandments which the children of Israel had a hard time keeping, let alone the 613 that were added! Interestingly, one of the definitions for the Hebrew word for commands is “mitzvah” which comes from the root word “tzavta” meaning among other things “connection.” Connection carries the sense of a relationship with another person. I think that is probably the highest priority our God has for us – to be in a relationship with Him where we are connected spirit to Spirit. His commandments are to help us have a relationship with Him and with others. I think of it like social etiquette – those “do’s and don’ts” when you are with others. There are different ways to interact with certain people of higher social class than the casual interaction that may go on among friends or peers. I would not talk to the President or a Prime Minister the same way I would one of my family members or friends. Our God wants us to be family, but we must not treat Him with disrespect or dishonor Him in any way. Proper protocol is something we should desire and strive for. He is God, He is Creator but He also desires to be our friend and He is preparing us as a bride for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

These commandments are divided into things one is required to do (positive) and things one may not do (negative). Many of the commandments are in line with the heart of God towards His creation. For example, we are not to take advantage of foreigners, widows, or orphans. Mitzvah can also refer to an act of kindness or good deed performed to fulfill a commandment. James 1:27 describes this similarly – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

When Jesus, the Son of God, was asked by a religious scholar what was the greatest commandment, He immediately said, “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)  In reality, all of the commandments Jesus gave us are summed up in these two commandments. If we can grasp the fullness of what these two commandments entail and live our lives with that focus, we will please God and bring ultimate glory to Him.

Almost every definition of commandment I found on Google included “the Ten Commandments” but several other definitions include “an authoritative command or order; mandate; precept. Because of the fallen nature of mankind, in general, we usually hear the word “commandment” and think of the negative connotations – limiting us, restraining us and keeping us from just “doing our own thing.” We like the word “freedom” but have carried it to such an extreme that many have moved into license or licentiousness, which goes beyond the boundaries of “loving your neighbor as yourself” and even loving God with all that we have and are. His commandments are like fences to keep us protected not to make us miserable or restricted.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 119. It has 176 verses (the longest chapter in the Bible). It is an amazing description of the Word of God. I love to read it straight through every once in a while, but in reality, it is such a magnificent banquet that is better broken up into bite-size pieces and meditated on to get the most insights and nourishment from these verses. This chapter alone has enough insight to keep us on track for the rest of our lives!

Verse 18 is a powerful prayer we can all pray: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law… (v20) My soul breaks with (irresistible) longing, (these cravings) for Your judgments (commandments) at all times.”(v24) “Your commandments are my counselors; your word is my light and my delight.”

Verse 97-100 “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all of my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.”  That is pretty profound – just meditating regularly on the word of God can make a person wiser than his enemies as well as those who are his teachers and mature people without the understanding of His word.

I don’t know about you but when I was born-again at the age of seventeen, I immediately wanted to begin reading the Word of God with understanding. I was not as fortunate as some to have good guidance or mentorship for the first couple of years but once I found a church, several individuals, and some training that became available to me, I began to grow in my understanding. The hunger was there from the beginning, but the opportunity to be trained and mentored was never presented to me at the church I was attending at the time I got saved or born-again.

I applaud churches that do understand and take the responsibility of discipleship seriously. Jesus told us to “Go and make disciples of all men.” The eleven and the seventy that were with Him for three and a half years were discipled by the greatest teacher of all. He modeled what the Kingdom of God should look like and encouraged them to say and do what He did. He taught them to pray. He taught them to heal the sick. He taught them Kingdom truths that they could apply to their lives. He taught them to have compassion and mercy. He taught them the importance of forgiveness. He lived His life in such a way that they could model what they had learned from him to others after He departed and went back to heaven.  These early followers were all Jews and had been schooled in the Torah. They knew the laws and commandments and tried to follow them but He was writing His laws upon their hearts and they became “living epistles known and read by all men.”(2 Corinthians 3:2)

We have the same opportunities today! The Holy Spirit is our teacher, comforter, and guide and He is faithful to lead us into all truth. Truth known is not always truth experienced. We want to know the Word and follow His commandments but it is because we want a living relationship with Him that we can then share with a world that is so in need of the same thing. Lord, make Your commandments our delight.