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heaven in spite of the circumstances
would compensate for the honoring of
earthly parents who don’t honor their
role as they should?
For parents who don’t share the same
belief system or won’t admit to the
change they need—love and honor them
where they are, even if you don’t agree.
As I said, it’s easier said than done, but it
will make those relationships smoother
in the long run.
Number 6: “You shall not murder”
(verse 13).
From children’s video games to PG-13
and R-rated movies, our society has become
desensitized to murder and violence. We
loathe terrorists who murder innocent people,
yet we have no problem sitting through
a movie in which murder is portrayed as
both a crime and as justice served.
We can’t ignore murder. It’s a very
real part of our sinful world. But we can
prayerfully sensitize ourselves again to
the reality that murder is disgusting
and deplorable. It’s life being taken.
How can we not be sensitive to that?
Number 7: “You shall not commit
adultery” (verse 14).
How is it that society has come to the
place that we actually feel sorry for the
one committing adultery? Again, Hollywood
has done a good job of making
adultery seem socially acceptable. We
may sympathize with the one who feels
something lacking and sees the need to
cheat on their spouse, thereby excusing
their behavior. This is not acceptable. I
don’t know the stresses that married
people sometimes experience. I am,
however, the product of a home in
which divorce as a result of adultery
occurred—and I know its damaging
effects. In spite of what pop culture has
deemed all right, people need to do
what is right: honor the vows made on
the wedding day, stay faithful.
Number 8: “You shall not steal”
(verse 15).
The excuses for stealing are many, but
there is no good reason. As we see in
pop culture, stealing not only refers to
material possessions (we can surely
recall, for example, stories about celebrities
caught shoplifting); there are
other things that can be stolen as well:
time, love, ideas, etc. In the end it’s true:
the one who steals never prospers.
Number 9: “You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor” (verse 16).
There’s a reason Solomon, in Proverbs,
puts a lot of focus on two evils:
lying and gossiping. They hurt. They
destroy relationships. They break trust.
They damage reputations. In today’s
society these consequences aren’t often
considered. With our broken human
nature, we do this without thinking.
Once again, the blatant acceptance of
this behavior has contemporary media
and entertainment written all over it.
(Have you glanced over the tabloids at
the grocery store lately?) We are surrounded
by the world’s seeming
approval of it. Even if done with the
“best” intentions, bearing false witness
still has negative effects. The character
of a person can easily be damaged. And
whether the information about a given
person is true or not, we know exactly
what we are supposed to do. The Bible is
clear. It’s a matter of putting what we
are supposed to do into practice. If we
do, God will honor that.
Number 10: “You shall not covet
your neighbor’s house; . . . or anything
that belongs to your neighbor” (verse 17).
A want or desire isn’t necessarily a bad
thing, especially when it’s something
like a better-working car, a good education,
etc. It really depends on what the
desired object is—and our reason for the
desire. We also tend to want not only
what is not ours, but also something that
belongs to another person—and the
object of desire is not ours to want.
While there are a plethora of modernday
examples I could use, my mind
keeps going back to David. He didn’t
banish that initial thought of desire like
he should have. And even though he was
a man after God’s own heart, the breaking
of this commandment led David to
break the sixth, seventh, and eighth
commandments as well. This all started
with the simple act of desire for another
man’s wife who was not his to desire.
When we do see this in modern
media, we should, no matter what the
venue, be brought to a higher state of
contemplation and contentment for
what is ours. The more content and
thankful we are for what God has
blessed us with, the less the want of
anything that isn’t ours to desire will
enter our minds.
Be the Change
The Ten Commandments are still relevant.
And here is something else to consider:
how we interact with the modern
media “enemy.” Sure, we can choose, for
example, not to own a television, or try
to avoid the negative influences that
come out of pop culture. But the disregard
for God’s commandments isn’t just
going to disappear if we ignore it. Those
evils are still going to be created, shown,
read, heard—and they’ll influence those
who watch and read and hear them.
It’s not just about us avoiding it. It’s
about trying to change contemporary
mind-sets for the good. Try to make a difference.
We can be the positive change in
pop culture. Isn’t this how Jesus, through
His life on earth, showed us how to be?
He came face to face with sin and interacted
with the perpetrators—and He
changed things. He didn’t ignore His
surroundings. We should do the same. n
* All biblical quotations and references in this article
are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright
© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Cecilia Luck writes from
Collegedale, Tennessee.
16 (240) | www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013