The Ten Commandments and Exceptions

by Bryan Kemper

Imagine if when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, Moses had wondered whether the people would accept them as they were. Being the good leader, Moses might have decided that they were just too harsh, and that he should introduce them incrementally – or maybe just add exceptions so the people would accept them quicker.

What if they read:

Thou shall not bear false witness on thy neighbor (except when you are in an embarrassing situation).

Thou shall not steal (except when you think the price is too high).

Thou shall not commit adultery (except when your spouse is in a coma).

Thou shall not commit murder (except when a situation arises in which your life may be inconvenienced due to your children).

Imagine then, some people complaining that these were too strict, and the adultery commandment should also have an exception for when your spouse is out of town.

I would hope that you would find this to be ludicrous.

Do you add exceptions to the Ten Commandments? Do you follow them like they are just suggestions? God’s law is not something to be played with to fit our needs and ideas. The Ten Commandments are set by God for a reason, and we do not have the right to judge what we will or will not obey, depending on our circumstances. There are certain things in life that are just plain wrong.

“Thou shall not commit murder” cannot be any clearer. Murder is something that we all know is wrong, and whether we try to justify it or not, it does not change God’s absolute truth. If you ask any child if it is okay to kill a baby, he or she will tell you “NO!”

Now why is it that politicians who are supposed to be well-educated, strong, principled leaders can’t see this? Why is it that they would try to distort the truth in any way? How come when it comes to laws that outlaw the murder of innocent children in the womb, they suddenly forget what it means to follow the commandment, Thou Shall Not Kill?

I say it is because they are concerned with re-election and what people may say about them, not with doing what is right, and what they were voted into office to do. Suddenly they are lifting themselves above God’s law and deciding that the commandant about murder is too harsh and we should have exceptions to it so we can please the voters.

I am not just talking about politicians who are not Christians. I am talking about men and women who profess Christianity and then deny God’s truth with their actions. They have fallen into the lie that they must be pragmatic about their approaches to passing laws. They must base their actions on the possible outcomes instead of the truth they know in their hearts.

By doing this, who are they bowing to – man or God? Who are they trying to please? I would ask them to think beyond whom they will answer to on this earth – and remember who they will answer to when they die.

When I talk to people, I am often told that this is why I could never be a politician. I do not have the ability to compromise. I say praise God for that.

I may not be a politician, but I am a voter. I don’t look at elections on the basis of who has the best chance of winning. I look for someone I believe in, and that is who I will vote for, whether they have a chance of winning or not. I know that some people will tell me that my vote is no good then—that it is wasted. I ask them to show me precisely how, by voting for someone who puts God's truth aside, I am winning. What am I winning? What is anybody winning?

I do acknowledge that we are stuck with a two-party system. But I refuse to believe that we cannot change that. The more people who vote for what is right instead of what they think can win, the better the chance that we can actually get things done. We cannot continue to settle for the scraps that the Democrats and Republicans throw us, or things will never change.

I, for one, refuse to believe that standing on principle and rejecting compromise will get me nowhere. Christ stood on principle and truth and never compromised. He paid the ultimate price and was crucified on the cross so that we may be set free. It is His courage and faithfulness to us, that motivate me to stand on His truth. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the truth will set us free. I will continue to pray that our nation’s leaders will turn to the truth and be set free from the bondage of compromise.