Introduction

Greetings everyone! The Book of Exodus truly becomes challenging to study from Chapter 20 onwards. We must earnestly implore God for revelation. Why is it difficult? Because it brings us too much confusion. What I say may not be entirely correct, but I hope that through what I share, you can come to know God, which is the key! The first 11 verses of Exodus Chapter 20 cover the first four commandments of the Ten Commandments. I will continue with the fifth to tenth commandments.

Before the Bible study, I posed a question to everyone, found in verse 13: "You shall not murder." But why does God kill people? And why did He command the Israelites to kill the Amalekites? When I ask such questions, everyone immediately becomes confused. Let us address these perplexing issues of murder and adultery. What I say may not be entirely correct, but it will not mislead you, because I believe that it is not I who am in control, but God who reigns forever.

The entire Book of Exodus speaks of the army of Jehovah God coming out of Egypt. How does the army of Jehovah God fight? It fights by relying on God. The Ten Commandments in this chapter establish a very clear bottom line for the army of Jehovah God. We cannot fall below this line, otherwise, we will not win the battle.

Fifth Commandment: Honor Your Father and Your Mother

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12)

This is not difficult to understand, but putting it into practice is not so easy. Brothers and sisters among us, if you are a daughter-in-law, consider your relationship with your mother-in-law. If you are a son-in-law, think about your relationship with your father-in-law and mother-in-law. Honoring parents is a commandment in the Ten Commandments. If you do not honor your parents, you will be directly cursed. That is to say, a person who does not honor their parents has a very serious problem, which will not only shorten their days on earth but also bring a curse upon them.

Whether making friends or shepherding people, I will slowly try to understand whether this person honors their parents. If their relationship with their parents is not good, their words will reveal a sense that their parents have always let them down. I wonder, why didn't their parents strangle them when they were born? How did they grow up to be ungrateful? Why didn't they argue with their parents when they were young? What were they like when they were little? They couldn't have obtained a passport and flown to Canada, Singapore, or Australia on their own. You must know that your parents raised you with great effort.

Honoring parents is the commandment in the Ten Commandments that carries God's promise. Later, I gradually discovered that not honoring parents is passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes when we see an old woman being abused by her children, you don't need to feel too sorry for her, because she used to abuse the elderly in her family in the same way. What does it mean to not live long? Her days are long, but very hard!

I love my mother very much, and I have a particularly good relationship with her. Back then, when my grandfather came to my house from his other children, looking like a beggar, everyone was very poor. But my mother changed my grandfather's clothes every day, making sure he was comfortable in his daily life.

But soon after, my grandfather became bedridden. My mother personally took care of everything, feeding him spoonful by spoonful. At that time, my mother had good relationships at her state-owned company, so she took half a year off to take care of my grandfather until he passed away. After his death, my mother even carried his body to a barber to get his hair cut. I wasn't born yet at the time, but my mother told us these things. When I was a child, I admired my mother for being such a filial daughter-in-law.

I ask you, is it worth it to honor the elderly? Of course, it is worth it. Later, my aunt came to my house and said to my mother: "Look how good your children are!" But my children either drink or gamble, doing nothing all day long. She didn't know where the problem was. The problem was actually with herself. What kind of person raises what kind of child.

Do you know to what extent my aunts did not honor their parents? In those days, telegrams were charged at a rate of one yuan per word. One yuan was worth a lot back then. My mother's monthly salary was 20 yuan, which meant she could only send 20 words. My mother sent many telegrams, telling them that the old man was dying and to come back quickly. Sometimes my grandfather would lie on the kang at home, thinking of his children, grabbing the kang mat until his hands were covered in blood; sometimes he would cry loudly. My mother sent telegram after telegram, but there was no response.

My mother has been blessed her whole life, never lacking anything. This made me see how worthwhile it is to honor parents. The year after my grandfather passed away, my mother gave birth to me. How blessed she is to have a son like me! I never cause my mother trouble. I not only never sponge off her, but I also give her money to spend. When my mother and I go shopping, she holds my arm, and I hold her arm. Mother and son walk down the street, talking and laughing, very happily! I am truly grateful that God is so good!

God recorded honoring parents, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you, in the Ten Commandments. This is a commandment with a promise. I look down on some people who constantly say that their parents have let them down in this way or that way. Such ungrateful wretches are infuriating. No matter how much your parents have let you down, they still raised you. When they can make money, they develop many problems and start blaming heaven, earth, parents, and ancestors. They are truly a bane! Brothers and sisters must know that we are not qualified to discern good and evil with our parents.

I'll tell you something from my heart: I hate children who don't honor their parents. If it weren't for the work I do, I would stay far away from those who don't honor their parents. Their parents have shown them so much grace, yet they are like this. How much less grace do we have compared to their parents? One day, their ability to discern good and evil with me will surpass their ability to discern good and evil with their parents.

I have spent so much time talking about honoring parents, so don't say that Christianity doesn't emphasize honoring parents. Some people see through the world, shave their heads, make a few dots, ignore their parents, and then become monks. Is being a Christian like becoming a monk? Know that being a Christian is not leaving home, but entering home. You must understand the Christian faith clearly: Our God highly values honoring parents.

When we talk about honoring parents, it is not about being controlled by parents. These are not the same thing. Some people don't honor their parents, but are controlled by them, eventually becoming "mama's boys." A "mama's boy" never makes decisions on his own; his parents make all the decisions for him. He is old but still immature, thinking he is a person who listens to his parents and honors them. We must know that this is not filial piety! I once met a mama's boy in his fifties whose mother was over ninety years old, and he was still sponging off her. This is truly a tragedy! Not only does he not honor his parents, but he also wants to devour the last piece of flesh from their bodies.

God highly values honoring parents. This is the most basic quality of being a person. I encourage the brothers and sisters among us to not only honor our parents but also honor our fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law, as well as our fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law. Whether you are a person who honors your parents, I can guess about 80% to 90% from your behavior.

For the daughters-in-law among us, don't tell me this or that reason when it comes to your relationship with your parents-in-law. Because you are a junior, honoring parents is our duty. I give you good advice: Honoring parents will enable you to live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Don't blame me for not telling you; when bad things happen, you must understand what's going on. No matter what, we cannot discern good and evil with our parents, fathers-in-law, or mothers-in-law. Even if it's not for God's sake, but for your own benefit, you must honor your parents. This is a very basic principle.

As you know, there is a person in the Bible named Ruth. What did Ruth say to Naomi when she married into Naomi's family?

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

Such a daughter-in-law is hard to find! Brothers and sisters, think about whether Ruth lived well later. In fact, she eventually became the wife of a wealthy man and was very rich. But some people only know about money and wealthy men, and don't know who to emulate.

Sixth Commandment: You Shall Not Murder

Why does God say "You shall not murder," but God allows the Israelites to kill people? Not only does God allow the Israelites to kill people, but God also kills people? Do you think I can't explain this? I have seen many people clearly in this world who not only discern good and evil with people but also discern good and evil with God. I ask you, has God ever killed people? Of course, God has killed people. I ask you again, how many people did God kill in the flood of Noah's time? Except for Noah's family of eight who were saved, everyone else died. God killed all of them.

In the Book of Exodus, the firstborn sons of the Egyptians were also killed by God. It wasn't just one; it was many. So why does God kill people? If you don't understand this, I know you are discerning good and evil with God. Many people become confused as they read. How did those people in Noah's time die? They died because they were full of evil! That is to say, if a person is full of evil, they die in their own sin. You can't blame God for this. Everyone must always know one thing: God is a just God, who will by no means clear the guilty, nor will He condemn the innocent.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6)

God is a just God. People don't die for any other reason but because they are full of evil and die in their own sin. God uses the flood to wash them away. You might wonder, how do you know this? When God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham did not blame God for killing people. Abraham said: God is a just God.

Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” …What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:17-19, 24-25)

God is a just God, who will by no means clear the guilty or condemn the innocent. Brothers and sisters, know for certain that God is a just God. God tolerates us with His broad heart until we are full of evil, forcing God to destroy us.

If the Pharaoh of Egypt had not been so stubborn, would God have needed to kill the firstborn sons of the Egyptians? Some people say, didn't God harden Pharaoh's heart? But even if God hardens your heart, you can still be soft! In the end, did Pharaoh decide to be stubborn himself? He decided himself. How did Pharaoh die? He died in his own stubbornness, so never argue with God.

Why did God allow the Israelites to be enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years? Because the nations of Canaan had not yet become full of evil. God was still giving them a chance to repent. If, after four hundred years, the people of Canaan had acted justly and kept the conscience that God had given them, would the Israelites have had a chance to leave Egypt? No. What would God have done then? Couldn't God have created another land for the Israelites? Of course, He could.

In fact, God hopes that all people on earth will not become full of evil. I ask you again, did God kill people? In fact, God is too busy trying to keep people alive! Our God is a God who lets people live, not die, but people insist on walking in violence. You know that before the flood came, the earth was full of violence.

Suppose someone lived in that world before Noah's flood and was eventually raped and died miserably; or in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, someone was traveling and passed through Sodom, and the whole city came out to rape him, even many couples came together. They treated rape and violence as entertainment. The whole city was like this, not even letting the angels go.

What kind of city is this? The bodies of those who were raped to death were placed at the city gate the next morning, and their souls cried out to God. Do you think the people of Sodom deserved to die? Absolutely! Why do we often feel sorry for Sodom and not feel sorry for those who died because of the bestiality of the people of Sodom? Is God not a just God? God is a just God!

Some people just love to ask stupid questions, why does God kill people? Did God kill people? God did kill people! But God is a just God! I ask you, is it just for a country to sentence someone to death? If they don't sentence them to death, should they keep them alive? For example, if someone stabs another person's child to death but is acquitted, what do you think? It's not good! It's extremely chaotic!

Many people plead for that person, saying that he didn't know he was killing someone when he killed them. Did he kill someone without knowing? Didn't he know that he shouldn't kill people? I think this person is so evil that he doesn't even know he's killing someone. Is that strange? They also say that this person is possessed by an evil spirit. Who summoned this evil spirit? Of course, they summoned it themselves.

Why did God let the Israelites kill the Amalekites? If they didn't cause trouble and kill the Israelites, would they have brought about their own death? Didn't the Amalekites come looking for death themselves? So brothers and sisters will find that God will never act unjustly! If you know that God is a God who acts justly, would you still be confused by the questions I asked? I tell you, God is a just God, who will by no means clear the guilty or condemn the innocent.

Brothers and sisters must know that the sins of us Christians are all placed on Jesus Christ. Don't think that doing some writing ministry or other ministry is a big loss. Know that God saved our lives! We were all supposed to die, but God put our sins on Jesus. Would you still blame God for killing people? Would you still think that God is unjust in killing people? It is deadly to have such confusion in one's heart!

Some people also ask, the old woman's children abuse her, how pitiful! There is a saying that a pitiful person must have something hateful about them! God will never make a mistake, and neither will ghosts. Know that it is we who make mistakes. If you think you are right, why are you so sick? To put it bluntly, your reason is not a reason at all!

God is a God who repays! God will repay those who do evil with disaster, especially those who do evil more and more and for longer and longer. Our God will never make a mistake! So we only have a share in repentance! You might ask, what if you hate someone? In the New Testament, hating someone is the same as killing someone. You haven't killed the person you hate because you don't have the ability or the opportunity. If you become emperor one day, would you kill the person you hate? If you have the chance, you will definitely vent your anger. But I tell you, even if you think it's reasonable, God will definitely repay you, repay those who do evil.

You shall not murder is the most basic bottom line of being a person. It doesn't even need to be listed in the Ten Commandments. You might say that you haven't killed anyone. Does that mean you are a good person just because you haven't killed anyone? There are many people who haven't killed anyone! Everyone must rethink this. This is just a bottom line. If you cross the bottom line of murder, you will definitely be cursed!

Even if you are a Christian, even though Jesus has borne your transgressions, you still have to pay the price for it! Many Christians sin, repent, then sin again, and then repent again, feeling that the blood of Christ can wash them away. As a result, they treat the blood of Jesus as a rag on their stove or as hand sanitizer. That's not how it is!

So some non-believers say to me: You Christians are so bad. You do bad things and then repent to your God, and your God forgives you; then you do bad things again and go to your God to repent again, and then your God forgives you again. I said, how is that possible? Later, he told me that many Christians had told him this.

I must tell everyone, and tell myself, not only murder, but all sins have a price. Only repenting without changing will lead to death! Sinning has a price! David killing Goliath was no problem because Goliath came to attack the Israelites. But David later killing Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, with a borrowed knife was a problem because he took another man's wife. Later, God cursed him, saying: The sword will never depart from your house! People must be responsible for what they do! The death penalty is waived, but the living penalty is unavoidable! Although David paid the price for this, it does not affect David from becoming a man after God's own heart because he is a repentant man! Repentance is repentance, but don't forget that you still have to pay the price!

Don't think that I am a saint. In fact, I am a great sinner! I have many marks of sin on my body! The question is whether to fear God properly! From now on, everyone must firmly recognize that our God is a just God, and must know for sure that the sins we have committed in this world, even if we have repented, still have to pay a price, so that we can fear God! The Ten Commandments are a red line that cannot be crossed. This is what God values.

Seventh Commandment: You Shall Not Commit Adultery

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)

God hates adultery the most. The essence of adultery is unfaithfulness. Spiritual unfaithfulness is more hateful than physical unfaithfulness. This is why people worship God and love the world at the same time, and eventually end up straddling two boats. Straddling two boats causes the boat to split, straddling two horses causes the horses to split, and straddling two cars causes the cars to split. If two cars are running in opposite directions, what will you become? God does not like adultery; God likes faithfulness. Unfaithfulness can be manifested in every aspect. If a person is unfaithful on earth, will they become a faithful person in heaven? Impossible! If you are not faithful in small things, can you be faithful in big things? Impossible!

Someone is walking forward with his wife, and when he sees a beautiful woman, he turns his head to look. His eyes and head can turn 360 degrees. Although he hasn't slept with her yet, if he has the opportunity, he will definitely sleep with her. So Jesus said,

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)

God is not referring to male-female relationships in this passage. God is referring to faithfulness or unfaithfulness. If you divorce your wife and marry another, it is called "committing adultery." Someone's wife died, and in a few days, he was dating and getting married again, so everyone is boldly guessing whether he has been secretly cheating for a long time? It's too fast! There are many such things. I knew someone whose wife died, and I even attended the funeral. Later, when I met him again, I found that he had a girlfriend. I guess many people are hoping that his wife will die soon. What I mean is—this is adultery.

Spiritual adultery is even more deadly. Worshipping idols and worshipping God is called spiritual adultery. So God calls the Israelites and the people of Judah two sisters, and says that they are both adulteresses and unfaithful people.

One of the important things that Chinese Mingding Destiny Theology talks about is faithfulness, to be faithful to God! In the matter of being faithful to God, I can definitely boast, and I can definitely say before my God that I want to be a faithful servant! I look forward to the day when I come before God and God says to me: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" This is my expectation. So nothing can move me, and nothing can change my faithfulness to God. Money is not important; having God is important!

So don't think that if you are not faithful in small things, you will be faithful in big things! You must train yourself to be faithful to God in small things! If a person is not faithful in physical matters, they will not be better in spiritual matters. If you can't do earthly things well, you can't do heavenly things well either.

The Eighth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou shalt not steal. (Exodus 20:15)

The Ninth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbour

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:16)

In this generation, there are too many instances of bearing false witness and vexing matters. Why do people do such things? It's all for worldly matters. Are there many wrongful and unjust cases in society today? Too many. These people are all trying to protect themselves. But can they protect themselves? They cannot. Why? If you do not bear false witness against others, perhaps there is still God's mercy. But what is the consequence of bearing false witness?

In the years when I was in school, Mao Zedong passed away. He was the greatest leader of that era! Not long after, the country exposed the Gang of Four. One of the members of the Gang of Four was Mao Zedong's wife, Jiang Qing. According to the books, Jiang Qing was originally involved in the Shanghai entertainment industry. There were many unspoken rules in the entertainment industry, and Jiang Qing was adept at them.

Later, she joined the revolution and became a member of the Communist Party, eventually becoming the Chairman's wife. After the Gang of Four was exposed, Jiang Qing was sentenced to death with a reprieve. Later, she committed suicide while on medical parole. From then on, no one remembered her. It is said that she harmed too many people through political struggles. Therefore, bearing false witness against others ultimately harms oneself.

Now, in handling cases, judges, juries, prosecutors, lawyers, and so on, no matter how they argue, the knowledge involved is profound! This testimony, that testimony, no one can clearly explain how much confusion there is within. In this generation, the law is not for the poor. I hope everyone is blessed and does not encounter such matters, nor have to go to court for lawsuits. Back then, my mother and father encountered such a matter, which caused the old folks a great deal of trouble. They escaped by giving gifts left and right. Thank God for His mercy!

May God have mercy on us brothers and sisters so that we do not encounter such matters. Observe carefully those who bear false witness against others. Their descendants face extremely deep curses. People live in this world and dare to do anything to survive, but ultimately they cannot escape the palm of God's hand! In the end, they must accept God's judgment. It is not that retribution does not come, it is just that the time has not yet arrived! God is a God of recompense!

The Tenth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exodus 20:17)

God Does Not Want Altars Made by Human Hands

And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. (Exodus 20:25)

Why can't tools be used on it? If you use axes, chisels, and other tools to hammer on natural stones, it is finished, and the altar is polluted, because God does not want man-made things, God does not want carved things. Everyone must be careful!

I once encountered a person who called me late at night, saying that the preachers in their area were quite poor, and he wanted to make money by doing business to support them. Are the preachers supported by you or by God? Does God need you to support them? I felt very awkward listening to this. I said: God cannot afford to support them, so He needs you to support them, right? You are supporting them in God's place? Then he said that he later invested all his money in business, and in the end, all the money went down the drain!

I told him that even if the money did not go down the drain, God would make it go down the drain. Why? Want to help God! I asked him what he wanted from me? He asked me if I could pray for his money? I felt that this sounded very novel. If I could pray for your money, then wouldn't I also be able to pray for my money? I have never seen anyone praying for money in the Bible. I asked him to explain in detail what had happened so that I could pray for him. He said: Every night I am very tired, but as soon as I fall asleep, a voice wakes me up, telling me to get up quickly and pray for my money. Then I get up and pray. But the more I pray, the deeper the pit becomes, the bigger the hole becomes, and later my body becomes weaker and weaker.

How can your body be good if you get up and lie down like this many times every day? He said: The Holy Spirit calls me to pray for my money every day, can you also pray for my money? Is that the voice of God? No, that is the devil speaking! I told him that it was not God, it was the devil, but he did not believe it, he just thought it was the Holy Spirit!

Someone asked me how to discern. I asked you, when have you ever seen the Bible record the Holy Spirit telling you to get up and pray for your money? If you do not understand the word of God, you will be confused in a moment. So you must read the Bible carefully. If you cannot understand the Bible, and you treat what is not there as if it is there, wouldn't it be a mess?

We must know that serving God is not by human money, power, and talent, but by the Spirit of Jehovah God that things can be accomplished. The Bible records many things about these matters: for example, the altar cannot be carved; when the Ark of the Covenant was about to fall, someone was struck dead for trying to steady it. This all shows that our God does not need human help.

When I was building the church in the early days, many brothers and sisters from other churches came to help. Because the meeting time of our church was different, they came to help after their church ended. But I found that the more they helped, the more trouble they caused. Later, I made a rule, I told them to make a decision, either serve well here, or go back to their original church.

I was quite bold, you know? If 3 out of 10 people went back, it would be a 30% reduction; if 5 out of 10 people went back, it would be a 50% reduction. Many people think that they are waiting for the stars and the moon, just hoping that there will be someone sitting in the chair, even if they are just there to help, it is better to have someone sitting there than to have it empty! Is that so? No!

God not only does not need help very much, but God also hates help. I told them that they must make a decision. Once they made a decision, they all went back. Why should they follow me? I am not eye-catching, their church has 10,000 people, how powerful! But the altar of God cannot be moved. If you come to help me build the church, then forget it! Our God does not need help, our God needs our loyalty. What is helping? It is a side job! You have a main job elsewhere, and you come here to do a side job, can that work?

I don't need help here! But thank God, God is pleased with me. As long as it is something that God is pleased with, it doesn't matter if there are people or not! I am not afraid of people leaving, nor am I afraid of people coming, what I am afraid of is not being loyal to God. Brothers and sisters must know what is beyond human power. But why does the tabernacle need people to build it? That is because God requires it, but the altar must be made of natural stone.

There are many requirements in the Bible, such as hybrids are not good. Someone asked if they can eat hybrid rice? Eat if you want to eat, don't eat if you don't want to eat, don't care about these things that concern yourself, that is not the key. The key is whether we are a spiritual hybrid? If half of your genes are of the world and half of your genes are of God, then you will definitely not be good. God wants a person who wholeheartedly and faithfully worships Him!

The Ten Commandments are the most basic requirements, the bottom line for the army of Jehovah God. If this bottom line cannot be maintained, then it is troublesome! If I study Exodus Chapter 20 again next time, there will definitely be a newer version and a deeper understanding. May God's grace and mercy be with us always!

May God bless everyone!