Vertical by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
When Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, I thought they were commandments blanketing all of the Israelites as well as us. Hey Everyone—“You shall have no other gods before Me.” All of you—“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Listen up people—“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” Commandments to all people for all time.
However, yesterday in Hebrew class, I saw the Ten Commandments in a different light while studying imperative verbs. Our professor, Dr. Stuart Chepey, showed us how all of these commandments were written, not in the plural, but in the singular. In other words, the LORD was talking to each of us individually. These ten laws spoken to Moses on Mount Sinai were personal.
From the very beginning, God created us to have a one-on-one relationship with Him. He and Adam and Eve were lodging together until sin came in and separated them. It’s not about your mom or your dad or your sister or your brother. He wants to know you intimately. The Hebrew word for “know” is yada. It also means to know someone like a husband knows a wife. It’s a covenant relationship similar to marriage that God chooses to have with us. Close. Just Him and you in a room. He wants to be your best friend, Abba Father, the One you share everything with.
How about another imperative in the Bible?
The Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is also written to you rather than the crowd. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (NKJV).
Through this imperative written to you, singularly, The LORD of Hosts is zeroing in and asking you to love Him first and with everything you have inside of you. After all, he created love.
For many years as a Christian, I’ve talked about having a “personal relationship” with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who bridged the gap that sin created. However, what I am realizing now is that the LORD has always desired a one-on-one, vertical relationship with His people, even after “the fall.” Today, will you spend some time with the God who loves you and who desires for you to know Him better? He is waiting to have a conversation—with you alone.