QUESTION No.7 - SUNDAY MAY 31, 2026

Q. Which commandment is the hardest to obey?

Unfortunately, God did not declare: “Pick a few you think you can handle and try your best.”

My initial impulse is to take the 10 commandments from Exodus in the Old Testament and analyze each for degree of difficulty.

The ones that begin “Thou Shalt Not…” seem fairly direct. Don’t do these things! Not much room for interpretation there.

But if we start to consider Commandment #10 - the one that contains the uniquely biblical word “covet” – we are heading into troublesome territory, from curbing bad behavior to matters of the heart and mind.

Do I covet? Is desire itself wrong?
Should I no longer want anything?
Am I even in control of what I want?

Temptation abounds. But God does not seek to protect us from external influence. Rather, it’s the internal battle He wishes to address – the duality of our internal orientation - freedom and desire. And not just desire. But a desire for MORE. Always more.

"... each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed."

- James 1:14

However, the list of God’s commandments did not stop at the ten etched into stone at the top of Mt. Sinai. In the New Testament, Jesus was asked:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

– Matthew 22:36

To which, Jesus responded:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

- Mark 12:30

“‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

- Mark 12:31

LOVE? God commands us to love? Yes.

Why? Because it is difficult.

The simplicity of the instruction masks an infinite demand - generate more love than we believe we can.

A WORD ON THE WORD: In Hebrew, the word commandment is “MITZVAH” which means obligation or duty. The root “TZAV” is closely associated with the word “TZAVTA” in Aramaic, the native tongue of Jesus, which means connection or attachment. Both refer to an act of law AND an act of love.

Extending love to someone we actually love or even like should be easy. But what about those we despise? The ones who hate us or wish to see us dead?

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

— Matthew 5:44

This is the big ask. And through it, we are forced to wrestle with the question: Does the human heart possess the capacity to love those who hate us? And if so, how do we express it? What must be done?

In our frustration, we might dare to ask: Does God love Lucifer?

"Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

– Matthew 4:10

Through His commandments, God seeks to provide us a means to a good life through mastery over our own desires, not abandonment of them.

Augustine, the 5th century Christian theologian, reflecting on what he called the “ordo amoris” (ordered love) — argued that obedience is primarily the result of a rightly ordered desire.

However, this begs the question: What is it that we LOVE?

Jesus says: God. Neighbor. Enemy. In that order.

For if we love God above ALL things, the rest will fall into righteous order.

" Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

- Psalm 37:4