What has happened to the 10 Commandments over the past several decades? The Commandments have been removed from the walls of our schools and courtrooms and removed from the town squares. The outcome of them being removed is that the Commandments have largely been forgotten. Having forgotten them, society has deemed them unnecessary, unimportant, irrelevant and outdated.
The removal of the commandments is directly the opposite of what Moses instructs to do in Deuteronomy 6:6-9:
Take to heart these words which I command you today. Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them on your arm as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
Moses’ instructions may sound excessive, but are they really excessive—and why do you suppose he was so emphatic? It was to make sure that the Commandments are placed as a visible reminder so they would not be forgotten. His instructions illustrate the importance of not just see them hanging on the doorpost, but to have them top of mind and in our hearts.
With images of the Commandments being taken down and cast to the side, they have been replaced by the wisdom of the world and consider how loud those messages have become and how frequently they bombard us. Think of how loud these messages are to the children in your life, and the influence these messages are having on them.
Regarding our children and grandchildren, we should consider the following questions:
What are the messages they see as they look at the posters and images in their bedrooms and on their dorm room walls?
Are the messages they hear in the music they listen to and see on social media, and in the shows they watch, steering them towards God and his Commandments, or are they steering them away from God and His Truth?
It is unlikely that the Commandments will be restored to their proper place of respect in the public view. Maybe someday, but until then, nothing is stopping you from restoring the wisdom of the very words written by the very hand of God from being displayed in a place of honor in your homes.
If you don’t have the Ten Commandments posted in a place of honor in your home, I encourage you to find one of those old picture frames that you have in the back of a closet somewhere, print off one of the various styles of Commandments that we have on our website and put it in your frame.
Once you have the Ten Commandments in your frame, don’t just go stick a nail in the wall and hang the frame. Instead, bring the family together and share with everyone the importance of God’s Commandments. Tell them about how the Commandments have been removed from society and discuss with them the consequences we are dealing with today with God’s wisdom being cast aside. Read to them the passage in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 so they can understand how vital the commandments are to their future and their children’s future.
“See, I have today set before you life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today, loving the LORD, your God, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and ordinances, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. If, however, your heart turns away and you do not obey, but are led astray and bow down to other gods and serve them, I tell you today that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.” — Deuteronomy 30:15-20
You can find a variety of free downloadable and printable styles of the Ten Commandments on the Resources page of our website.
Print & Download the Ten Commandments!
Print off several of the styles we have made available and find the one that you like best. Make a family activity of it and make a design of your own. So that your children are reminded of the Commandments, make a copy for each of them for their bedroom. If you have a child or grandchild heading off to college soon, make it as a gift for them to take and have with them in their dorm room.
The Ten Commandments are a gift of divine truth and divine wisdom. But even more so, they are a gift of God’s love for us. Share them as a gift to those that you love!
Also, Please watch and share my interview with Vanessa Denha Garmo. We discussed the Ten Commandments and how they can be a focus in the midst of family life, on her show Epiphany on Ave Maria Radio.
Click here to listen to my segment which is at the 56:10 minute mark.
Also, in case you missed it, see my two other recent interviews, and share them with your family and friends:
God’s Recipe for a Wonderful Life is now on the Catholic Radio Network! Tune in each Sunday at 8am Central Time to hear how the Commandments are God’s solution to the chaos & confusion of our world!
