The Ten Commandments [Hardcover]

Jochem Douma (Author), Douma (Author), Nelson D. Kloosterman (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

This is one of those rare books you can open up anywhere and find a pearl of wisdom. This practical guide to the Ten Commandments shows you how to relate the Commandments to every significant issue---

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

Product Details

• Hardcover: 410 pages
• Publisher: P & R Publishing (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875522378
• ISBN-13: 978-0875522371
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #442,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just Ten Suggestions, July 3, 2001

By 

Sean J. Whitenack "Sean Whitenack" (Fredericksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ten Commandments (Hardcover)

This book is the latest valuable resource added to my library. As the Ten Commandments are a reflection of the character of God, any Christian who desires to conform himself or herself to the character of God would be wise to pick up this book. It is a practical resource for addressing many of the issues that Christians face as we strive to be holy just as God is holy. The book is very readable. It is not theologically burdensome or complicated, but it maintains biblical accuracy while being easily understandable and straightforward. Overall, the book is agreeable. I found that Douma's practical conclusions were good, though naturally, I do not agree with every one of them. Nevertheless, every conclusion is well researched and is presented in a graceful way. The reader is left with the burden of accepting his conclusions or proving that scripture speaks differently. Along this line, Douma is concerned with transforming the church. His focus seems to be in educating the church on the implications of the Ten Commandments, which is a noteworthy goal in light of the modern Christian popular culture that seems to overlook educating the church and shoots straight for modifying government policy. Most importantly, the grace of God through Jesus Christ is central to Douma's message; through Christ alone do we have grace and peace with God as well as the power to obey the commandments. This is neither a legalistic nor a moralistic book, but one focused on educating a thankful believer with the result being obedience to God's commandments (John 14:21).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Freedom, August 5, 2004

By 

torowan (Tangará da Serra (MT) Brazil) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Ten Commandments (Hardcover)

Adding detail to previous reviews of this book, Dr. Douma's treatment of the Ten Commandments is truly a treat.

Douma starts looking at the context in which the commandments were given: Israel was freed from slavery in order to be free to obey him. Thus always is the state of God's chosen people: and what we need to understand is that true freedom comes not from doing whatever we please, but in obeying God within the context of, and by the empowerment of, his grace.

The body of this book considers the implications of the Ten Commandments for sincere Christians in today's world, in different perspectives:
- How these apply in a society not ruled by Mosaic civil law;
- How these apply in a society with modern technology, entertainment, etc.
- How the principles of the 10 commandments are worked ont in related topics throughout scripture
The treatment of the commandments must go beyond a world of ancient olive groves and manual wine presses (though let us never defame God's blessings of olive oil and wine!) Douma considers each commandment thoughtfully, and elaborates on its implications and subtleties rather than jumping to quick and easy but inadequate answers.

As an example, on "Honour your father and your mother...", Dr. Douma spends about 45 pages to discuss:
- the role of parents
- the relationship between this and freedom
- the nature of the associated promise
- what it means to 'honour', including how that relates to choosing a spouse in western society
- limits and style of obedience
- implications for other forms of authority, within the family and of the state; including thoughts on revolution and civil disobedience.

Gratefully, Douma's consideration avoids the frequent digression into extemes of pietism (treating one's religious observance as a purely private affair) or theonomism (treating it as purely a matter of state).

My one incompleteness in reading this book is that I did not come away with an adequate handle on how the Sabbath commandment applies today, which I fear is the most misunderstood and unobeyed of the commandments (through misinterpretation of a subset of Paul's comments about it that disregards his other comments and practices). He does point out the inaccuracy of some common teaching on the topic. I appreciate Dr. Douma's insights, and plan to pursue some of his references for further reading on this topic.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing look at the foundation of "God's will for my life" . . ., February 13, 2006

By 

B. C. Richards (Tucson, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ten Commandments (Hardcover)

This books is an excellent study of God's law that was very helpful to me for understanding the depth of God's law and my own sin. Dr. Douma's book is straightforward to read and contains highly relevant discussions of contemporary ethical issues in addition to refreshing and insightful looks at the ethical issues that are the same in every age. He covers many topics from idolatry and theft to in vitro fertilization and abortion. I found his discussions of the historical context surrounding the commandments particularly helpful, for instance, the use of images by many ancient false religions to control their deities' actions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to deepen their understanding of sin and God's law.