Rules vs. Commandments

Rules, rules...everywhere. For everything.

Rules for driving.
Rules for drinking.
Rules for driving and drinking.
Rules for working.
Rules for banking.
Rules for school.
Rules for raising children.

Rules limit and guide behavior and are in place to avoid chaos. Because if everyone acts on his or her own thoughts and feelings, in the abscence of common sense and compassion for others, chaos breaks loose. People get hurt, in more ways than one.

The sound of the word "rule" is harsh, constricting, limiting. There is little grey area with a rule. It is like a gate, or a fence. There are always consequences to breaking a rule, usually meted out by the person or authority who established the rule in the first place.


When I was raising my children, rules were critical. Rules provided their structure. Even when they were pushing against the rules as they turned into teenagers, they still needed them. They didn't like them; they complained about them. Worse yet, they broke them. Over and over again. Maybe they were hoping for different consequences. They were most times disappointed. And, to this day, they are, for the most part, respectful of rules. But, they still engage their free will, despite the rules.

One of God's most precious gifts to mankind - free will. Free will was tested in the Garden of Eden. Sure, the rules existed. God had set them down Himself. And, luckily for Adam and Eve, there was only one rule.

Don't eat the fruit of that tree.

But God knew what Eve would do before she herself even knew.

And, the maker meted out the consequences. Sometime after that, He followed up with the 10 Commandments.

Now, if you think "rule" sounds harsh, try letting "commandments" roll off your tongue, out loud, a few times. If "rule" sounds like a gate or fence, "commandment" sounds like a huge concrete wall. What comes to my mind is the Great Wall of China. Yah, that sounds about right. Much taller, much thicker. All encompassing, impenetrable, colossal.

We still had free will. But God had raised the stakes and imposed more consequences.

Rules are things of man. Commandments are made by God.

Why do we have rules? It is my belief that rules are man's attempt:

• to impose upon man a way to mediate the chaos of a society in which man does not operate by principles, morals, "doing the right thing". {A society from which God is being pushed.}

• to aggrandize man with money and power. {Think about all the government rules that are imposed, and carry a fine if they are not followed. Think about the power those government officials feel over the "little guy".}

• to keep man "in line", particularly when one man's ideas cross or contradict those of another man. {Remember all the differences and debates on health care, abortion, taxes, not to mention a host of other fun topics. Need I say more...}

Man's rules circumvent God.

And what other "rules" do we need? The Ten Commandments are perfect, by design.

If every man lived by these simple commands, there would be peace, humility, respect, understanding. Many of the ills of society that drag man down, that require rules to keep under control, would be mitigated.

What is left over, God will deal with.

Just in case you are reading this and have never seen The Ten Commandments, or have forgotten them, here they are: