Ten Commandments

And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me... (Exodus 20: 1-3)

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The 10 Commandments
RELATED TOPICS	Text - Exodus 20 No other gods - Exodus 20:3 No idols - Exodus 20:4 Do not take God's name in vain - Exodus 20:7 Keep the sabbath - Exodus 20:8 Honour your father and mother - Exodus 20:12 Don't murder - Exodus 20:13 Don't committ adultery - Exodus 20:14 Don't steal - Exodus 20:15 Don't give false testimoy - Exodus 20:16 Don't covet - Exodus 20:17 The Ten Commandments (movie) The Ten Commandments (1956 film) Law, Grace
SERMONS, ESSAYS AND OPINIONS
CONTENTS

The Ten Commandments are the well known 10 laws that God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai. They are found in Exodus 20.

The first thing to note is that the Commandments are set in the context of Grace. It was a gracious (and mighty) act of God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt at a time when Egypt was known for it’s paganism. He now graciously instructs Moses concerning how to live in the Land that they are going to possess.

There are ten of commandments. The first four concern our relationship to God. The last six concern our relationship to each other. Their intent is to evoke in us love for God and for each other. This is why they can be summed up by just two commandments as taught by Jesus. (see Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:30)

They have the form of a rule. However, they are better described as principles. A rule is best considered to be something that is man made. Like, “Stay off the grass,” or “Do not touch the wet paint.” To keep them, we obey them because there is some helpful reason for doing so. If we break them there are no great consequences. Commandments, on the other hand are considered to be God given, a gift from him. To ‘keep’ them is to ‘uphold’ or ‘guard’ them. They are like a fence that can be ‘crossed over’ or ‘transgressed’ by trespassers. They set the boundaries within which we can live in freedom. Failure to uphold them is sin against God and the consequences are dire, namely death. Jesus upheld them perfectly.

The Law of God rightly refers to the first five books of the Old Testament. The Commandments are a ‘written code’. As to their application we must consider the teachings in The Law, The (Jewish) Torah. As to their meaning we must consider the teaching of Jesus (see Gospel of Matthew 5-7) and Paul in the New Testament. Note that Jesus corrects much of the Jewish understanding of The Law. Whereas the commandments condemn the final result, the steps (hatred, lust, immorality, theft, envy, greed) that lead up to it are just as wrong in themselves.

Grace

The 10 Commandments begin with a statement that reveals God's grace - "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, the land of slavery". God rescued his people, not because of who they were, but because of his goodness. He rescued them before he gave them the Law to live by.

Exodus 20

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Links

• Wikipedia - Ten Commandments

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