The Twelve Days of Christmas, verse ten: On the Tenth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, ten lords a-leaping….

The Tenth Day of the Twelve Days of Christmas celebrates tens as in the Ten Commandments which are found in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21

1. I am the Lord your God. Have no other Gods before me.
2. Don’t worship idols of any kind.
3. Don’t take the name of the Lord in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Don’t murder.
7. Don’t commit adultery.
8. Don’t steal.
9. Don’t bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Don’t covet.

These are simple to say, but are difficult to do, otherwise, God wouldn’t have needed to mention them. If they came naturally to people, why comment on them? People often make #6 as “don’t kill” and say the Bible contradicts itself when God says to kill the enemies of the Israelites. Murder involves personal and individual action and gain. All murders involve killing, but not all killings are murders. Similarly, #9 does not mean ‘lie’ but rather making up stories to injure a neighbor. In Scripture, the Hebrew people used Rahab to lie to save the lives of the spies sent into Canaan. Bearing false witness is lying, but not all lies are “bearing false witness against a neighbor.” Thus, many, who lied to protect Jews from being carried off to concentration camps, were not disobeying God’s laws.

In today’s lessons from the RCL Daily Lectionary, the epistle to the Hebrews recalls the way that in the Old Testament, great stories told of the faith involving Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Esau and Joseph. God gave them credit for their faith, long before there were resources such as we have today.

This Tenth Day of Christmas, with its emphasis on the Ten Commandments provides one of the greatest challenges going against our natural inclination. Our goal must be to find ways to incorporate the small actions which help us become the people that please God.

All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.

Click on the Scriptures for links to biblegateway.com, where many translations of the same text enhance the understanding the readings, which come from the (RCL) Revised Common Lectionary -- Daily Lectionary Readings. I add a Daily Prayer to bless you with God’s Favor.



Prayer for Bible Study and Encouragement
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen








Christmas Season Bible Readings

Psalm 72

Genesis 28:10-22

Hebrews 11:13-22
Daily Bible Verse to Memorize for Meditating


Hebrews 11:1 King James Version (KJV)
11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.





Single Bible Study chapter to study

Hebrews 11:13-22
King James Version (KJV)


14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.






OBSERVE:

Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.

2.

3.
INTERPRETATION:

What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?




APPLY:

Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.


Prayer of Encouragement

Dear God, we are challenged to live by the Ten Commandments and be faithfully obedient to you. Forgive us our failures. Empower us to please you in what we say and do. In Jesus name, Amen.






I hope you found a chance to encounter your Creator and experience the Love of God and the joy of Christ in this Christmas season.

The Tenth Day of Christmas celebrates the Ten Commandments. We are encouraged to increase our faithfulness, so that like the patriarchs, our faith will be pleasing to God. Even though they seem simple, life has proven they are much more challenging to accomplish.

We idolize things even when we don’t call them ‘gods.’ They dominate our thoughts and energies. The names of God are used as swearwords. Many don’t respect their parents, let alone honor them. People rarely consider keeping one day of the week to give attention to God. Rather, God is tucked into a thirty minute Sunday morning TV show or a quick visit to a service for an hour. People covet what their neighbors have. People steal shows, music or art in downloads. Politicians plagiarize and dismiss it as not stealing. People make up false stories about others, intending to cause harm.

Living by these commandments is much more difficult to achieve than it sounds. One must be intentional about choosing to follow them. The question is whether one wants to and if a choice is made to follow them, whether one can be successful at keeping them.

For those who are following the tenth day of the Christmas song, I ask you the question: write down ten choices for your life. What is important? How will you achieve it?

May you go from this place encouraged and inspired to be all that God wants you to be.