Hey Church!

When I was in 10th grade at Westminster Academy, my Bible teacher (Walt Jominy) taught us a trick for memorizing the Ten Commandments. It’s a little silly but for good reason–it has stuck with me all these years! To this day, if you were to ask me what the fourth Commandment is about, I would first have to rhyme “four” with “door” before I could tell you that it is about the Sabbath. 

I will explain. But first, you need to learn the buzz words that rhyme with each Commandment’s number. Say these out loud! 

One: “Run.” 
Two: “Zoo.”
Three: “Whee!”
Four: “Door.”
Five: “Dive.”
Six: “Sticks.”
Seven: “Eleven.” 
Eight: “Gate.”
Nine: “Vine.”
Ten: “Hen.” 

Each of those rhyming words are meant to bring the following visuals to mind. 

One: “Run.” Imagine you’re running in a race and God is in first place. You don’t want to pass Him because He told you, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

See how it works? Easy! Right? Here are the others: 

Two: “Zoo.” Picture yourself walking through a zoo, looking at all of the animals in their cages, when suddenly you come upon this calf made of gold! When you see it, you remember, “Do not make for yourself any graven images (idols).”

Three: “Whee!” A weather vane is an instrument that spins to indicate the direction the wind is blowing. Imagine you were spinning like that weather vane! Wouldn’t that be fun? You might even yell with glee, “Whee!” as you spun around and around. That weather vane is there to remind you, “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.” 

Four: “Door.” You’re inside an old abandoned house and as you walk from room to room, you come upon a closed bathroom door. You turn the knob and with a loud “creeeek” the door opens and you discover an old, beat up bathtub. That “sad bath” is there so you will “Remember the Sab-bath Day and keep it holy.” 

Five: “Dive.” You’re standing on the high dive at a swim meet. You put your toes right up to the edge of the platform and just before you pull your goggles down to take your dive, you look over at the stands and see your mom and dad proudly waving and taking pictures. You decide you’re gonna do them proud, so you make your dive and get a perfect “10” score! What a great example of “Honor[ing] your father and mother.” 

Six: “Sticks.” At a crime scene, they recover the murder weapon. The victim was killed with a big wooden stick! “Do not murder.” 

Seven: “Eleven.” Back in the day, some 7-11 gas station convenience stores would have magazine racks. And on those racks there may have sometimes been inappropriate magazines containing all kids of seductive images. Jesus said to lust in your heart is to commit adultery. So, whenever you think of 7-11, remember God’s command, “Do not commit adultery.” 

Eight: “Gate.” Your neighbor has a big fence around his house to protect his belongings. One day you decide to open the gate and take some of his things. But then you remember, “Do not steal.” 

Nine: “Vine.” Picture Jack and the Beanstalk, with a vine shooting all the way up to the clouds! You are amazed when you notice that this vine actually bears fruit. When you see it, you will remember, “Do not bear false witness (lie).” 

Ten: “Hen.” One of your neighbor’s most prized possessions, which he keeps protected behind his big fence, is a big, fat, beautiful hen. I mean, its colors are breath-taking, when it opens its wings it looks majestic, and not a feather is ever out of place. Not like your dumb, discheveled hen. You start to imagine what it would be like if you were to trade your ugly hen for your neighbor’s beautiful hen when you remember, “Do not covet.” 

Like I said, a little silly, but amazingly memorable! Try it out and practice over the weekend. We will be talking about the Ten Commandments in church, so now you will be able to keep up! If Tom says, “…in the third Commandment…” don’t tune out or wonder which Commandment that is; just think, “Three… whee! Weather vane… Don’t take the Lord’s Name in vain!” If you have young kids, teach it to them over the weekend too! 

Happy memorizing!