Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands

Jen Wilkin is a tremendously gifted writer. She has the God-given ability to communicate truth with stunning clarity and remarkable beauty. This book is full of pithy statements. It is brief but packs a real punch. It is by no means a boring look at the Ten Commandments. She mines the riches of God’s Word to draw out the heart of God and that I think is the beauty of this book. She shows us that we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can truly delight in and live by God’s commands. I found the book an edifying and challenging read.She begins this book by showing us the relationship between law and grace, pointing out how law becomes a means of grace for the believer. She encourages us to look at the Ten Words as “a feast of righteousness spread in the wilderness”, a feast in which all of us can delight in. Jen shows us that the Ten Words primarily deal with matters of heavenly, earthly, and mutual submission – in that order. She shows us how the commandments move from honor toward God (commands 1-4), to human authorities (command 5) and to one another (commands 6-10). She fleshes out this concept of honor in each of the ten chapters. I especially found her explanation of the first four commands immensely helpful.The First Word, she shows us, is about honoring God and God alone. In other words, giving to God our undivided allegiance. The Second, Third, and Fourth Words, she points out, are about honoring God with our thoughts, words, and time. Pointing out the difference between the First and the Second Words, she writes, “The First Word prohibits worship of anything other than God, but the Second prohibits worship of any version of God less than God, specifically through images.” The Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth commands, she shows us, are about honoring authority, life, marriage, property and reputation, while the Tenth command is about honor in the heart.Looking to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, she shows us that the Sixth Word is not just about being a non-murderer. She points out how anger and contempt are at the root of murder. Similarly, she points out that the Seventh Word is not just about the physical act of adultery. Lust, she shows us, is at the root of adultery. She shows us the deep connection between seeing, desiring and consuming. We consume what we desire, and we desire what we gaze upon. There are some brilliant insights in these chapters on murder and adultery.In both murder and adultery, she points out, we devalue the other person made in the image of God. She writes, “If the Sixth command prohibited regarding our neighbor as expendable, the Seventh prohibits regarding our neighbor as consumable.” In the chapter on adultery, Jen also has a fascinating discussion on how to slay the beast of lust by the Word of God. The last few chapters are also a captivating read. I especially loved her discussion on the four habits of untruthful speech, i.e., the sins of reviling, flattery, silence, and misattribution.I think this book is a real gem. Each chapter is packed with precious nuggets of truth. In each chapter, Jen makes a clarion call to what she calls “expansive obedience”, not just “bare-minimum obedience” (like the Pharisees). I highly recommend the book, not just to learn the importance of the Ten Commandments, but also to help us delight in it and live by it. Reading it gave me a fresh and freeing understanding of the law of God. It also helped me go deeper into the heart of God. I’m glad I read it and I hope you do too. 5/5 stars!*I received this complimentary book from Crossway and NetGalley, but was not required to write a positive review.*

Jen is an authentic writer who dissects the commonly studied ten commandments. I love the biblical references and how real she writes. Would recommend to anyone who wants to transform their view on the Ten Commandments.

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Arrives in great condition. Another excellent book and refreshing teaching from Jen Wilkin on the topic of the 10 commandments

I really enjoyed how she challenges the reader to look at the 10 Commandments differently. They are rules made to suppress us . They are given to us as a gift to show us a better way to live . Really easy and short read but packed with good insight.