The Second Table of the Law

More in our series on THE SMALL CATECHISM. The first group of commandments is about loving God; the rest of the commandments are about loving our neighbors. Notice how the commandments zero in on vocation: loving and serving your neighbor in the course of ordinary life. Also how both avoiding doing wrong and positively doing right flow out of true faith and a right relationship with God (“we should fear and love God, so that. . .”).

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we do not despise our parents or superiors, nor provoke them to anger, but honor, serve, obey, love and esteem them.
 
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not kill.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we do no bodily harm to our neighbor, but help and befriend him in every need.

 
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not commit adultery.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and that husband and wife each love and honor the other.
 
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not steal.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or goods, nor get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his goods and means of making a living.
 
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we do not lie about, betray or slander our neighbor, but excuse him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
 
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we do not craftily seek to gain our neighbor’s inheritance or home, nor get it by a show of right, but help and serve him in keeping it.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God, so that we do not tempt, force or coax away from our neighbor his wife or his workers, but urge them to stay and do their duty.