Ten Commands

Exodus 20:1-17 - 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. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

This is one of the passages in which we learn the ten commandments that the Lord God spoke directly to Moses and instructed him to share with the recently delivered children of Israel. We also see these commands recorded in the book of Deuteronomy.

Because these words, recorded in the Old Testaments may seem antiquated, the question could be asked “are the 10 commandments really for us today?” The purpose of this study is not to expound on rules to live by but to help us develop into disciples of Christ who would “naturally” pursue these practices. As we desire after God, learning of Him and from Him, we are better equipped and our hearts are moved to imitate Him. As we are in a love relationship with God, knowing Him helps us to transform into beings that desire to imitate Him…to emulate His nature…to desire (by His grace) to be the new creatures we are.

So tomorrow we will begin an in-depth look at these commands.