Brethren and Sistren
It has come to my attention that not only are many of our members unable to correctly recite all of The Ten Commandments, but those who can remember even a few, invariably get the
sequence wrong.
Let me set the record straight: The commandments do not come in a random sequence. With the exception of the 7th Commandment -- an obvious anomaly -- the Commandments appear
in order of severity. The harsher the punishment, the closer to the top.
I hope this handy color chart will make the intrinsic beauty of God's word more comprehensible to all:
Commandment | Alert Level | Punishment |
---|
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. | Severe | Genocide. Entire cities with men, women, children and animals must be killed. (Deuteronomy 2:33-34, Numbers 21:34-35, 1 Samuel 15:2-3, Joshua 6:21. Joshua 10:40) In some cases you can keep the girls alive for raping. (Numbers 31:15-18) |
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image | Severe | Genocide. Entire cities with men, women, children and animals must be killed. (See above.) |
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; | High | Capital punishment (Leviticus 24:16, Deuteronomy 18:20, Mark 3:28-29) |
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. | High | Capital punishment (Exodus 31:14, Exodus 31:15, Exodus 35:2 Numbers 15:32) |
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: | High | Capital punishment (Exodus 21:15, Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9) |
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. | High | Capital punishment (Leviticus 20:10) |
6. Thou shalt not kill. | Elevated | Capital punishment in some cases (For killing Cain, yes, for killing Abel, no: Genesis 4:15). |
8. Thou shalt not steal. | Guarded | Excessive fines or slavery: (Exodus 22:1-3). Only in rare cases such as stealing slaves, capital punishment (Exodus 21:16). Thieves caught in the night are to be executed (Exodus 22:1-3) |
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. | Low | Despisement and scorn (Proverbs 12:8) |
10. Thou shalt not covet . . . | Low | Despisement and scorn (Romans 7:7-8) |