Exodus 20:12-18
The People Attributes
We have looked at some of the Foundation Attributes, the Gracious
Attributes, and the Just Attributes. Tonight, let us consider some
of the People Attributes.
May I tell you something I say quite often? I often say, "People are
strange." The reason I say that so often is because "People are
strange." Sometimes it seems that the only normal person I know is
me and then I remember, I’m strange too. There is a cause for it.
The cause is we think differently and we all see things differently.
No two people ever agree on everything. Not people who have been
married for 50 years. Not twins who have been joined together since
before birth. No one.
God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that for different and strange
people to get along, there had to be some instructions on how we are
to treat one another. Man would never be able to come up with such a
list of rules because man would never agree to the same ones. so God
created them. He said this is right and this is wrong and to
encourage us to follow the rules, God made them commands. However,
for today, forget that these are commandments. For today, just
recognize that these are codes of conduct that God says man is to go
by in the way he treats his fellow man.
This Bible passage is the beginning of character. This passage is
where God formally began to teach us what He desires in a person.
What is character? It is God in us, God’s nature, God’s teaching,
God’s Word. Here is God teaching, God telling man what His nature
says is right and wrong.
Notice that six of the ten instructions teach people how to deal
with people. It does not matter if you live in a New York apartment
with 1,000 people living in one building or if you live in rural
Alabama with 10 miles between you and your nearest neighbor, these
rules are needful. Without them, there will be trouble. Without
them, there will be anger, violence, revenge, and personal justice.
These are some of the most basic of characteristics. Some might find
them boring but they are the basis for humanity to be able to get
along with one another.
I. \\#Ex 20:12\\ Honor your parents.
Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that
thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD
thy God giveth thee.
A. Why start here?
1. This is the first relationship one human being has with
another.
2. If you fail with this relationship, you are likely to fail
with all the rest. Dr. Sigmund Freud wasn’t completely
wrong in saying the relationship a child as to his or her
parents will likely fail with most others.
B. There is so much parents need to teach their children.
1. Basically everything.
a. Submission and obedience
b. Courtesy and politeness
c. Responsibility and duty
2. However, parents need to must also teach their children
how to lead others, how to communicate, respect for all
authority, and how to get along with people!
3. Too many parents are only concerned that their children
learn to obey THEM and some not even that.
4. That is not nearly enough.
C. The characteristic that God specifically mentions in this
verse is HONOR.
1. As a small child, to honor is to obey.
a. Obedience is one of the first lessons a child needs to
learn.
b. Not only for the sanity of the parent but also for
the sake of the child.
2. As a growing child, to honor is to respect.
a. Respect is a step beyond obedience.
(1) It is a sense of admiration.
(2) It is also a level of exaltation, a reverence.
b. The reason parents in the south taught their children
say "Ma’am," and "Sir," "thank you," and "please"
was to help to create respect.
c. Someone says, "They don’t do that any more. Saying a
few words didn’t make any difference any way."
(1) There are a lot of things that people don’t do
any more.
(2) Has things gotten better or worse?
(3) How do you know that it didn’t help? The
empirical evidence would suggest that it did.
3. As a grown child, to honor is to cherish or to prize as of
a great worth.
D. To honor your parents is not a reward or payment made to them
for being good parents.
1. It is a command given from God to the child.
2. The command’s purpose is not just to make your parents’
lives easier.
3. It is also given to mold you, the child, into the right
kind of person.
E. This attribute of honor (obedience, respect, and cherishing)
is not just for parents.
Romans 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues:
tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom
custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
1. The context here is authority.
2. Give them tribute (toll), customs (taxes), fear, and
honor.
3. Give it to whomever it is proper to give it to. In this
day, that is many. In fact, I cannot think of any that
honor is not due.
4. Without honoring others, no society can long endure.
II. \\#Ex 20:13\\ Don’t kill
Ex 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
A. The command here is "Do not murder."
1. It is not dealing with war, self defense, or the lawful
execution of a criminal.
2. Does a person ever have a reason to kill another?
a. Yes.
b. All three of the above are justified reasons to kill
a person.
3. Does a person ever have the right to murder another?
a. Never.
b. I do not say that lightly. I know there are
situations in which evil needs to be dealt with, but
God forbids it.
B. I find it interesting that the second on God’s list is do not
kill.
1. I suppose the reasoning is that if break this code of
conduct, none of the others can be exercised.
2. How proned is a person to murder another? Very. It seems
to be our very fallen nature to retaliate bigger than the
wrong done to us. That nature will always lead to
killing our enemy and most of the time, murdering them.
3. It is not interesting that mankind fell in Genesis 3 and
by Genesis 4, one brother rises up against another to
murder him?
C. I am not going to dwell on this for several reasons.
1. I hope none of you have a problem with it.
2. There is nothing difficult to understand about this topic.
III. Integrity
A. The next four characteristics can be grouped together to speak
of a person’s integrity.
1. Integrity means moral soundness.
2. I think these characteristics are listed in the order
of what will cause the greater conflict.
B. \\#Ex 20:14\\ Do not commit adultery.
Ex 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
1. I do not know of anything that would cause a greater
conflict faster than adultery.
a. However, that is not the reason not to do it.
b. The reason not to do is that God said not to.
2. Adultery is a form of stealing which God will mention in
the next verse.
a. However, it is a thief far greater than stealing a
person’s cash or goods.
b. It is stealing a portion of person’s soul. God binds
a man and wife together. When one steals another’s
mate, they are stealing something far more personal
than material possessions.
Pro 6:28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his
feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife;
whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to
satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore
sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of
his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman
lacketh understanding: he that doeth it
destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his
reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore
he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will
he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
3. There are many lines which should not be crossed over.
a. In fact, every command is a line that should not be
crossed over.
b. But by crossing the line of adultery, you risk
crossing a line that people will murder over and
often not think twice about doing so.
C. \\#Ex 20:15\\ Do not steal.
Ex 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
1. I think this is the second fastest way to stir up conflict
with a fellow human being.
2. This theft is the stealing of earthly possessions.
3. Both of these two attributes, do not commit adultery and
do not steal, can be summarized in the attribute be
trustworthy.
a. Trustworthiness is something that must be taught,
desired, and developed.
b. A trustworthy person is a person that you could leave
your money, your possession, even your mate in their
hands and they would not steal them.
c. I do understand temptation; however, we have to grow
ourselves to resist whatever temptations God allows,
knowing that God will not allow us to be tempted
beyond our endurance level.
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but
such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation also
make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it.
(1) That does not mean that God will never allow a
temptation that we will not succumb to.
(2) It means that He will not allow a temptation that
He has not given us the time and means to grow
strong enough to overcome.
4. There is illegal or legal stealing.
a. There are forms of legalized stealing, i.e. over
taxing and over charging.
(1) Just because they can doesn’t make it right.
(2) Be careful who you work for.
b. And there are so many kinds of illegal stealing that
it would be difficult to name them all.
D. \\#Ex 20:16\\ Do not lie about your neighbor.
Ex 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbour.
1. This is a specific command.
a. Do not lie about your neighbor.
b. No one likes to be lied about.
c. Most people understand the importance of their
reputation and they want to keep it accurate and
clean.
d. If you damage it, you are again striking at something
very personal.
2. I notice that this command does not say "Do not lie TO
a neighbor."
a. That makes me think that laying ABOUT a person will
cause a conflict larger and quicker than lying TO
a person.
b. That is not to say that either of them are acceptable.
3. Both of these could attributes can be covered under the
common attribute of being honest.
a. An honest person would not lie ABOUT another nor
would he lie TO another.
b. So just be honest.
4. However, being honest won’t necessarily get you a lot of
friends either.
a. Telling people the truth or telling the truth about
people—especially today—will cause conflicts.
b. I am not saying do not do it. I am just saying
conflicts are not caused by lies alone.
E. \\#Ex 20:17\\ Do not lust.
Ex 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s
house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife,
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy
neighbour’s.
1. This is the last attribute mentioned and yet it can
scarcely be called the least likely to cause conflicts.
a. It is placed last in the list because it is not an
action that is easy to view in public.
b. However, it is the motive that causes all of the
other.
c. It is the reason why people steal mates, steal money,
steal cars, and steal anything else.
2. So this characteristic goes after the motive of our sins.
3. The positive characteristic that covers this command is
to be content. It is taught throughout the Bible.
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things
as ye have: for he hath said, I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee.
All of these commands are given with two thoughts in mind:
1. It violates God’s nature for us to do them.
2. It should violate our nature to do them.
May God give us that kind of character.
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