The intent of this book is to convey the meaning of the Ten Commandments (a.k.a., the decalogue) to children, youth and adults. Each chapter is divided into two parts: 1) Basic Meaning and 2) Further Meaning.
Basic Meaning is just that - a clear and simple explanation of the commandment. It is at the level that children will understand, yet also provide a good introduction to the Further Meaning section for youth and adults. If you go with the movie rating system, the basic meaning sections would be rated "G" for General Audiences.
The Further Meaning section goes into more depth on each commandment. It is aimed at providing more insight and historical context to the commandment in a straight-forward manner that youth and adults can appreciate. If you go with the movie rating system, the Further Meaning sections would be rated "PG" or "PG-13" Parental Guidance suggested for children under the age of 13.
Due to the two levels of meaning designed into this book, I recommend that parents read the basic meaning sections with their children. Some of the further meaning sections get into areas that require a more mature understanding to appreciate. For example, how would you go about telling a 5 year old about adultery? Mostly you wouldn't, since it is not a subject that will have any meaning to them until they are much older. Youth (a.k.a., teenagers) and adults will hopefully find the Basic Meaning sections a good introduction and appreciate the Further Meaning for it's deeper level of discussion.
While I write from a Christian perspective (looking back based on the teachings of Jesus), it is important to understand the Ten Commandments in their original, Israelite context (looking forward based on teachings of Moses). I make a deliberate attempt to separate the two perspectives to appeal to a wide range of readers.
Basic Meaning is just that - a clear and simple explanation of the commandment. It is at the level that children will understand, yet also provide a good introduction to the Further Meaning section for youth and adults. If you go with the movie rating system, the basic meaning sections would be rated "G" for General Audiences.
The Further Meaning section goes into more depth on each commandment. It is aimed at providing more insight and historical context to the commandment in a straight-forward manner that youth and adults can appreciate. If you go with the movie rating system, the Further Meaning sections would be rated "PG" or "PG-13" Parental Guidance suggested for children under the age of 13.
Due to the two levels of meaning designed into this book, I recommend that parents read the basic meaning sections with their children. Some of the further meaning sections get into areas that require a more mature understanding to appreciate. For example, how would you go about telling a 5 year old about adultery? Mostly you wouldn't, since it is not a subject that will have any meaning to them until they are much older. Youth (a.k.a., teenagers) and adults will hopefully find the Basic Meaning sections a good introduction and appreciate the Further Meaning for it's deeper level of discussion.
While I write from a Christian perspective (looking back based on the teachings of Jesus), it is important to understand the Ten Commandments in their original, Israelite context (looking forward based on teachings of Moses). I make a deliberate attempt to separate the two perspectives to appeal to a wide range of readers.
