We naturally think of "commandments" as orders given by one in authority: "laws" which we must keep or else face the consequences. At least sometimes we use the term "Decalogue" for the Ten Commandments. Derived from the Greek for "Ten Words", it is much wider in significance than "Ten Commandments", and hence may strike us as even more challenging than "commandments" The "Word of the Lord" is several different things: "revelation" "promise", "calling" "invitation" "guidance" and, of course, "commandment." The Lord revealed to Israel how they were to live out sincerely the covenant he had made with them: At the same time, God's word was essentially a "promise" - God was promising Israel and us as well that, guided by his revelation, they were capable of living out this Covenant: "I shall be your God and you shall be my people." God would not command us to do something we are not capable of and his promise conveys the grace we need in order to live as he commanded us. Our obedience to the commandments is our sincere response to the grace granted us, a response to God's call and invitation to be good and holy people.