Then God spoke all these words: “ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:1-3).

“Look both ways before you cross the street!” “Wash your hands before dinner (and after you use the bathroom)!” “Wear your helmet!” 

When our boys were little, my husband and I felt like we were “broken records.” We were constantly repeating ourselves and reminding them of the “House Rules.” Sound familiar? Of course, we didn’t impose these, and other rules, as punitive restrictions or to take all the fun out of life. We wanted to protect them from injury, sickness, or worse. We wanted our family to live well together, in shalom.

As they got older and they would get into pretty heated arguments with each other (and us!), we sought to establish a foundation of mutual respect and forgiveness (or we would just tell them to be quiet and go to their rooms.) Our goal was not to create morally good robots, but to help them see that the world did not revolve around them.

Naturally, they didn’t like most of our rules or boundaries (unless, of course, they restricted the other brother). The boundaries were there to protect them from dangers they were unable to foresee. Not that we were all knowing, but we know the God who is. 

In Exodus 20, God established ground rules for His children. The people of Israel had just spent 400 years in slavery in Egypt. They were surrounded by a polytheistic culture where people worshiped all manner of gods. The One True God had to reframe their thinking. He wanted them to know how to live as His Chosen people and worship Him alone. He saw that they needed some clear boundaries in which they could flourish in their relationship with Him and one another. By his mercy, He gave them some “House Rules.” We know them as the Ten Commandments. 

The first four commandments were to guide Israel how to be in relationship with God. The final six were how they were to live in relationship with one another in community. God instructed them to live faithfully under these laws, and He would keep his covenant to deliver them into the land He promised to Abraham. 

As we journey through this new series, Age to Age: The Big Story of God's Faithfulness, we will see the Israelites break the rules and test the boundaries that God established. While their disobedience is not without consequence, God demonstrates his love by first creating a “house” for them to live in (Creation), then by choosing them as family, and by lovingly and graciously giving them his House Rules. 

We sing the song “Goodness of God” in church which includes the refrain, “And all my life You have been faithful. And all my life You have been so, so good.” This is true of God, regardless of what we do. Take a moment to reflect on the ways God has demonstrated His faithfulness to you even when you were not, and offer this refrain back to God in gratitude.