Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Have No Other Gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3)
“You Shall Have No Other Gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3) The first commandment reminds us that everything in the Torah flows from the love we have for God, which in turn is a response to the love he has for us. This love was demonstrated by God’s deliverance of Israel “out of the house of slavery” in Egypt ( Exod. 20:2 ). Nothing else in life should concern us...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Make for Yourself an Idol” (Exodus 20:4)
“You Shall Not Make for Yourself an Idol” (Exodus 20:4) The second commandment raises the issue of idolatry. Idols are gods of our own creation, gods that have nothing to them that did not originate with us, gods that we feel we control. In ancient times, idolatry often took the form of worshiping physical objects. But the issue is really one of trust and de...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Make Wrongful Use of the Name of the LORD Your God” (Exodus 20:7)
“You Shall Not Make Wrongful Use of the Name of the LORD Your God” (Exodus 20:7) The third commandment literally prohibits God’s people from making “wrongful use” of the name of God. This need not be restricted to the name “YHWH” ( Exod. 3:15 ), but includes “God,” “Jesus,” “Christ,” and so forth. But what is wrongful use? It includes, of course, disrespectf...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“Honor Your Father and Your Mother” (Exodus 20:12)
“Honor Your Father and Your Mother” (Exodus 20:12) There are many ways to honor—or dishonor—your father and mother. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees wanted to restrict this to speaking well of them. But Jesus pointed out that obeying this commandment requires working to provide for your parents ( Mark 7:9-13 ). We honor people by working for their good. For many...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Murder” (Exodus 20:13)
“You Shall Not Murder” (Exodus 20:13) Sadly, the sixth commandment has an all-too-practical application in the modern workplace, where 10 percent of all job-related fatalities (in the United States) are homicides. * However, admonishing readers of this article, “Don’t murder anyone at work,” isn’t likely to change this statistic much. But murder isn’t the on...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Commit Adultery” (Exodus 20:14)
“You Shall Not Commit Adultery” (Exodus 20:14) The workplace is one of the most common settings for adultery, not necessarily because adultery occurs in the workplace itself, but because it arises from the conditions of work and relationships with co-workers. The first application to the workplace, then, is literal. Married people should not have sex with pe...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Steal” (Exodus 20:15)
“You Shall Not Steal” (Exodus 20:15) The eighth commandment is another that takes work as its primary subject. Stealing is a violation of proper work because it dispossesses the victim of the fruits of his or her labor. It is also a violation of the commandment to labor six days a week, since in most cases stealing is intended as a shortcut around honest lab...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:16)
“You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:16) The ninth commandment honors the right to one’s own reputation. * It finds pointed application in legal proceedings where what people say depicts reality and determines the course of lives. Judicial decisions and other legal processes wield great power. Manipulating them undercuts the et...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Covet … Anything That Belongs to Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:17)
“You Shall Not Covet … Anything That Belongs to Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:17) Envy and acquisitiveness can arise anywhere in life, including at work where status, pay, and power are routine factors in our relationships with people we spend a lot of time with. We may have many good reasons to desire achievement, advancement, or reward at work. But envy isn’t...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Nave No Other Gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7)
“You Shall Nave No Other Gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7) The first commandment reminds us that everything in the Torah flows from the love we have for God, which is a response to the love he has for us. This love was demonstrated by God’s deliverance of Israel “out of the house of slavery” in Egypt ( Deut. 5:6 ). Nothing else in life should co...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Make for Yourself an Idol” (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8)
“You Shall Not Make for Yourself an Idol” (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 5:8) The second commandment raises the issue of idolatry. Idols are gods of our own creation, gods that we feel will give us what we want. In ancient times, idolatry often took the form of worshiping physical objects. But the issue is really one of trust and devotion. On what do we ultimatel...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Make Wrongful Use of the Name of the LORD Your God” (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11)
“You Shall Not Make Wrongful Use of the Name of the LORD Your God” (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11) The third commandment literally prohibits God’s people from making “wrongful use” of the name of God. This need not be restricted to the name “YHWH” ( Deut. 5:11 ), but includes “God,” “Jesus,” “Christ,” and so forth. But what is wrongful use? It includes, of c...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“Honor Your Father and Your Mother” (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16)
“Honor Your Father and Your Mother” (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) The fifth commandment says that we must respect the most basic authority among human beings, that of parents for children. To put it another way, parenting children is among the most important kinds of work there are in the world, and it both deserves and requires the greatest respect. Ther...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Murder” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17)
“You Shall Not Murder” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17) Sadly, the sixth commandment has an all-too-practical application in the modern workplace, where 10 percent of all job-related fatalities (in the United States) are homicides. * However, admonishing readers of this article, “Don’t murder anyone at work,” isn’t likely to change this statistic much. But m...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Commit Adultery” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18)
“You Shall Not Commit Adultery” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18) The workplace is one of the most common settings for adultery, not necessarily because adultery occurs in the workplace itself, but because it arises from the conditions of work and relationships with co-workers. The first application to the workplace, then, is literal. Married people should no...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Steal” (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19)
“You Shall Not Steal” (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19) The eighth commandment is another that takes work as its primary subject. Stealing is a violation of proper work because it dispossesses the victim of the fruits of his or her labor. It is also a violation of the commandment to labor six days a week, since in most cases stealing is intended as a shortcut...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20)
“You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20) The ninth commandment honors the right to one’s own reputation. * It finds pointed application in legal proceedings where what people say depicts reality and determines the course of lives. Judicial decisions and other legal processes wield great power. Manipulating the...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“You Shall Not Covet … Anything That Belongs to Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21)
“You Shall Not Covet … Anything That Belongs to Your Neighbor” (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) The tenth commandment prohibits coveting “anything that belongs to your neighbor” ( Deut. 5:21 ). It is not wrong to notice the things that belong to our neighbors, nor even to desire to obtain such things for ourselves legitimately. Coveting happens when someone...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy. Six Days You Shall Labor (Exodus 20:8-11)
Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy. Six Days You Shall Labor (Exodus 20:8-11) The issue of the Sabbath is complex, not only in the book of Exodus and the Old Testament, but also in Christian theology and practice. The first part of the command calls for ceasing labor one day in seven. The other references in Exodus to the Sabbath are in chapter 16 (ab...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
“Observe the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy” (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12)
“Observe the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy” (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12) The issue of the Sabbath is complex, not only in the books of Deuteronomy and Exodus and the Old Testament, but also in Christian theology and practice. The precise applicability of the fourth commandment, keeping the Sabbath, to Gentile believers has been a matter of debate since...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) The Ten Commandments are the supreme expression of God’s will in the Old Testament and merit our close attention. They are to be thought of not as the ten most important commands among hundreds of others, but as a digest of the entire Torah. The foundation of all the Torah rests in the Ten Commandments, and somewhere wit...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
The Role of the Law for Christians (Exodus 20:1-24:18)
The Role of the Law for Christians (Exodus 20:1-24:18) It can be a challenge for a Christian to draw a point from a verse in the book of Exodus or especially Leviticus, and then suggest how that lesson should be applied today. Anyone who tries this should be prepared for the comeback, “Sure, but the Bible also permits slavery and says we can’t eat bacon or s...
Theology of Work Project
Theology of WorkGenesis through Deuteronomy
The Meaning of Law in Exodus (Exodus 19:1-24:18)
The Meaning of Law in Exodus (Exodus 19:1-24:18) We begin by recognizing that Exodus is an integral part of the whole of Scripture, not a stand-alone legal statue. Christopher Wright has written: The common opinion that the Bible is a moral code book for Christians falls far short, of course, of the full reality of what the Bible is and does. The Bible is es...
Theology of Work Project