“Then God gave the people all these instructions.” (Exodus 20:1 NLT)

Years ago, I was looking out the window into our backyard and noticed that my German shepherd was staring intently at something. There, nestled deeply in the grass, was a brightly colored little bird. Not the kind of bird you would normally see in the wild. It looked more like something you would get from a pet shop. I went out to investigate and found this pretty little finch shaking in fright as my dog eyed it. The bird was fearing for its life. And justly so because I think my dog was looking at it as lunch.

I stooped down and held out my index finger, and the little bird hopped right on. So, I thought, “This is someone’s pet that got away.” I walked into the kitchen where my wife was making lunch. I said, “Cathe, look what I just found in the backyard.” She stared at the beautiful little bird, still very nervous, sitting on my finger.

We didn’t know what to do with it. We knew it probably belonged to someone, but we didn’t know who. My son Jonathan recalled that there was a little girl down the street whose pet bird had died and who still had its cage. He ran down the street, came back with the cage, and set it on the counter. I opened the door and very carefully brought my finger next to it. The bird immediately jumped in. The moment that bird was in the safety of the cage, he started acting like he was home. He chirped cheerfully. He moved from perch to perch. He was happy. And then it dawned on me what was going on. This was a bird of captivity, one that was most comfortable living in a cage.

Some people might say, “Oh, that’s so cruel. Don’t put animals in cages. Set them free.” This bird was fearing for his life. He didn’t look at those bars as a prison keeping him in. He saw them as walls of protection keeping his enemies, like my dog, out. He found security in the safety of that little cage.

That brings me to the topic that we will be covering next in these devotions. God has given us His absolute truth—in the Ten Commandments, among other places. These commandments let us know what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s true and what’s false, what’s up and what’s down. They create a framework for our lives—a spiritual cage, of sorts. But their purpose is not to trap us or keep us in bondage. Instead, they provide a barrier of protection to keep evil out.

Our enemy, the devil, tries to chip away at it. He downplays the effects of disobeying God or ignoring His commands. He tries to convince us that our protective barrier keeps us from a more exciting, fulfilling life. In other words, he lies. Over the next ten days, we’re going to examine each of God’s Ten Commandments so that you will see the life-giving truth behind each one.

Reflection question: What impact do God’s commands in Scripture have in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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