we must try to apply proper applications of the Torah. For example, the Old Testament portion tells us to return an ox to its owner, namely what belongs to others (see Deuteronomy 22:1). An ox can be very costly to replace. My mom explained this commandment to me and told me that we should try to find the owner of something that was lost, but if it was just a small amount of money and we did not know who lost it, we could keep it. That is a proper application of the Torah. So, if someone loses a quarter and I see it happen, I give it to them, but a quarter just laying on the ground is okay to keep. One time I found a huge sum of money and found the owner of the money and gave it back. Sometimes people will report losses to the police, and we can let the police know what we found. If they cannot find the owner, the police should give the money back to us.
It is generally agreed that God's commandments often need explanation and need to be applied to life. In what ways can we make sure we do not put other gods before the true God? How do we apply the law not to steal or the law not to covet? Let's cover some of the 10 Commandments. Remember, we are looking for proper applications. Some applications make keeping God's commandments difficult and God's commandments are not supposed to be difficult to apply. We do not have the time to talk about all the possible applications, but we can talk about some of them. Again, Deuteronomy 30:10-11 NIV says, "Obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach." God's Old Testament commandments are not too difficult. Also, some people or denominations number the commandments differently than they appear in the Bible and even change the ones they do not want to keep! Read the Bible.