In the light of Christian ethics, as expounded by our Lord himself in his Sermon on the Mount (23), this commandment prohibits not only the slaying of a fellow-being but the anger and hatred in which manslaughter originates. Our Lord says: "Whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment ... but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." And John, the Apostle, in his First Epistle (3:15) explains this further: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
They Should Not Lie. There is, perhaps, no crime more common among men. In this paragraph, prevarication, as it is sometimes called, politely, is placed where it rightly belongs, between murder and stealing. Good old Wm. Paley, in his Philosophy, justly condemns even so-called "white lies," thus: "They always introduce others of a darker complexion." I have, he says further, "seldom known anyone who deserted truth in trifles, that could be trusted in matters of importance!" The habit of lying, he adds, "is easily extended to serve the designs of malice or interest; like all habits, it spreads indeed of itself."
In other words, there may be harmless "white lies," as there are guns "not loaded"; but neither white lies nor guns are safe toys to play with.
They Should Not Steal. All acts of dishonesty in the dealings of a person with God, with society in its entirety or in smaller lawful organizations, or with individuals, are theft. They are prohibited because they are an injury to our neighbor, or neighbors, or (in the case of stealing from God) to ourselves. Opinions may differ as to how far it may be permissible to go in the furtherance of personal interests, but our Lord has given us the well known, perfect, "golden" rule: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets." (3 Ne. 14:12)
The following sentiments in the apocryphal book of Tobit may be interesting as showing the influence of the Mosaic law on the popular consciousness of the Israelites even before the Christian era:
"Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tarry with thee, but give it him out of hand: for if thou serve God, he will also repay thee." "Do that to no man which thou hatest." "Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked. And according to thine abundance give him; and let not thine eye be envious, when thou givest alms." (Tob. 4:14, 16)
The divine prohibition of theft is an endorsement of private property rights, and, under present conditions, no other arrangement seems desirable. Whatever may happen when the world is more advanced in civilization, moral and spiritual, is another question. Under present conditions, if there were no private property rights, enabling a person to lay by for future use such articles as he does not need immediately, everyone would have to be his own farmer, hunter, carpenter, tailor, shoemaker, etc., etc. Progress in any one line would be out of the question. But when everyone can devote himself to at least one line of pursuit and save, as his property, the results of his endeavors, and exchange them for the results of the labors of his neighbors, then a way is opened up out of barbarious primitivity to desirable civilization, with all its complex problems and responsibilities.
They Should Not Take the Name of the Lord Their God in Vain. The Jews anciently interpreted this commandment in the Decalogue so literally that they ceased to pronounce the sacred Name entirely. Where it occurred in the inspired writings, they read "Adonai" (Lord), or "Elohim" (God) instead. But, as they, originally, did not have vowel points to indicate the correct pronunciation, this, in course of time, was entirely forgotten. Vowel points came into use in the early part of the sixteenth century, but at that time no one could tell for certain what points to put under the letters YHVH, which represented the sacred Name. This is still a debated question, but it is quite generally supposed that "YAVETH" best represents the original pronunciation. The meaning of the name is given by the Divine representative who spoke to Moses in the flaming bush, as "I AM"; i. e. "The Existent One" (2).
They Should Not Envy. "Envy" has been described as a disposition to grieve and fret at the supposed success of others. Asaph, the Hebrew poet, confesses: But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Rom. 1:29) says that when God gives rebellious trangressors over to a "reprobate mind," they become "full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity." Envy prepares the human heart as a dwelling place for evil impulses.
They Should Not Have Malice. "Malice" is defined as a disposition to injure another. In law it is a wilfully formed plan to do damage to another. The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 5:8) compares "malice" and "wickedness" to a leaven, and mentions as their opposites, "sincerity" and "truth." Malice, then, is a hideous sin. As all sin it is contagious. It has an influence for evil on all who come in close contact with the sinner.
They Should Not Contend One With Another. In the language of the Scriptures to "contend" signifies to strive to reclaim a person from his evil ways, as in 1 Cor. 1:11; Tit. 3:9.
They Should Not Commit Whoredoms. The marriage is of divine origin. The home is, of necessity, prior to any other organization on earth. As a matter of fact, all other social structures, including church and state, exist, or should exist, for the benefit of the home, and home life.
There is no greater physical comfort to a man, or a woman, or to children who are growing up, than a well regulated home; no stronger stimulant to intellectual endeavors or spiritual achievements than the atmosphere of pure love, in which husband and wife, parents and children, live, in a home dedicated to the lord. Such a home is a true "Bethel," in which God's children communicate with their heavenly home, even in their pure dreams, as Jacob on his way to Pandan-Aram. No matter, if the pillow is but a stone, the presence of heavenly messengers make it the "gate," the entrance to heaven. (Gen. 28:17)
The object of this commandment is to safeguard the home by the preservation of chastity, the foundation of it. Irregular indulgence against the commandment of God is destructive of the home. It depraves and corrupts the mind more readily and thoroughly than any other vice, and prepares the mind of the morally weakened individual for the commission of other crimes, even against the protests of conscience. Let us not forget the solemn warning of our Lord: "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." (Heb. 13:4)