Joseph Parker: The Ten Commandments and the Supreme Court

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. (Psalm 19:7-11)

Who decides what is right and what is wrong? Is it our leaders in government? Is it the Supreme Court? Is it our “spiritual” leaders? Do our parents make this decision? Is it schools and school systems? Is it people and the culture around us? Is it famous people, celebrities? Or is it the news media?

No, none of the above. God has decided what’s right and what’s wrong. In His Word He teaches us His heart and His perspective. God’s Word is what’s right. And God’s Word is eternal. God never tells us something is right or wrong and then changes His mind.

The Ten Commandments are from the heart and mind of God. They teach us what is right and what is wrong. And they don’t change. People’s decisions, thinking, and perspectives all change, but the Word of God doesn’t. The Word of God is Jesus. And Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

“Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

The Ten Commandments contain eternal wisdom, insight, and understanding concerning God and our relationship to Him. They also contain insight about life and our relationship with God and other people. They contain insight about ownership and property and how to honor God in how we see and care for people and their property.

The Ten Commandments are the Word of God. And the Word of God is truth. Truth is what sets us free in life and in this world.

The Supreme Court in our nation is considered the highest court in the United States. The court is held in high esteem, and the members of the court serve in a very honorable and esteemed position in our court system.

It is so important, in our nation and in the world, that we always remember that the Supreme Court is not “The Supreme Court.” God is the Supreme Court, the Supreme Justice, and justice itself.

God’s Word is His law and His law does not change. God has never proclaimed a judgment or decision and then years later decided, “I have made a mistake, and so I am reversing my previous judgment and decision.”

God’s judgments and decisions are always right, just, fair, and unchanging.

Men and women, no matter how highly esteemed and honorable their positions might be, are fallible and make mistakes. The Supreme Court has made a significant number of decisions that it later revisited and changed. A subsequent Supreme Court changed the decision of an earlier court.

The Supreme Court has made some major mistakes in its history. They have had a number of cases that eventually were overturned. Two of them include the Dred Scott decision (Dred Scott vs. Sanford), in which they decided that Black people, according to their judgment, were not considered American citizens, per the U.S. Constitution.

This Supreme Court decision was superceded by two amendments to the Constitution. They were the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment, which guaranteed citizenship for all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

This Supreme Court decision is to this day largely denounced by scholars. Three modern scholars, Bernard Schwartz, Junius P. Rodriguez, and David T. Konig, all believe that the Dred Scott decision was the Supreme Court’s worst decision.

The Supreme Court also made a grave error in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, when they chose to uphold the separate but equal doctrine. Through their decision, they basically indicated that racial segregation was supported by the Constitution.

A later Supreme Court overturned this decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

In Roe v. Wade, tragically, the Supreme Court decided that abortion could become legal. Sadly, this one hasn’t been overturned yet. The Word of God clearly states, “You shall not murder.” Sadly, it seems that the Supreme Court ignored this when they decided Roe v. Wade.

If God has said that something is wrong, no matter how many times people say its right, it’s still wrong. And no matter who the people are or what positions or titles they hold in the world, their decisions do not override God’s decisions.

Even if people make a law that states something is right and is a right, if God has said its wrong, it’s still wrong.

When the leaders in our government are wise enough to recognize that the Supreme Judge and Justice of the universe is wiser than they are, many good things can and will happen in our nation. We serve a God who never makes wrong decisions, and His decisions are in our best interest.

May we as a nation be wise enough to pray for and put in office leaders who know and follow the Greatest King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And we will never have to be concerned that any of His decisions will need to be overturned.

They are always one hundred percent right.

Photo credit: By Michael Rivera – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Joseph Parker serves as the pastor of Greater Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church in Greenwood, Mississippi, and the Director of Outreach and Intercession with the American Family Association. He has been in the ministry for almost 40 years and hosts the radio broadcast, “The Hour of Intercession,” on the Urban Family Communications Radio network.

The views expressed in opinion articles are solely those of the author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Black Community News.