Exodus 20:1-17 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Exodus 20:1-17. Let’s go!
Exodus 20:1-2 (NIV)
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
On verse 1: For the first time the Israelites are hear God’s voice directly. God’s first words to the Israelites are a declaration of who He is — “I am the LORD your God” – and what He has done “who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Before God came to the Israelites as a lawgiver, God first came to the Israelites as a lifegiver, a Saviour. Similarly, when it comes to all of humanity, God’s first item of business is to save us and give us life. Once He has done that, His second item of business is to teach us how to live now that we are saved.
Exodus 20:3-5a (NIV)
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…
On verses 3-5a: God then begins to announce what would become known as the Ten Commandments, although the actual term “commandment” never appears in the verses describing the Ten Commandments. Instead, Moses simply says that these are the “words” God spoke (v1; see also Exodus 34:28). It’s still fine to call them the Ten Commandments in that it shows the importance of these commands that God was giving. These Ten Commandments would form the basis for all the other laws and regulations that God would give to the Israelites through Moses, and have a special significance that the laws and regulations which would come after do not. The other laws and regulations which would come after are in many ways derived from and based on these Ten Commandments. Let’s look at the Ten Commandments now.
The first commandment is to have no other gods before the LORD. In other words, the LORD deserves first and centre place in our lives, and we are to worship the LORD alone. The second commandment, which is very much related to the first, is to not make an idol out of anything or anyone, for that would be idolatry. The LORD gives a reason for this command: “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God”. But isn’t jealousy a sin? Not when that jealousy is rightly placed. God was justified to command the Israelites to worship Him alone for, as He had proven over and over to them, He alone is God and He alone is worthy of worship. As some would put it, it’s not so much that God is jealous of other gods as He is jealous for our love.
Exodus 20:5a-6 (NIV)
5…punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
On verses 5b-6: What do these verses mean? I believe the best interpretation is this: When we persist in worshiping something other than the LORD, the generations after us will feel the effects of our idolatry, but when we choose to worship the LORD, the benefits extend much longer.
Exodus 20:7 (NIV)
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
On verse 7: The third commandment is not to misuse the LORD’s name. Since God has exalted above all things His name and His word (Psalm 138:2), since God’s name is holy and precious, to misuse God’s name is a sin. That’s why you shouldn’t use the name of God or Jesus lightly. Don’t say, “Oh my God” unless you’re actually praying. Treat God’s name with reverence.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
11 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.
On verses 8-11: The fourth commandment is to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy; that is, to set aside of day to rest from one’s work and to do so “to the LORD your God” (i.e. as our worship to God). God intended that rest and worship would go hand in hand.
It’s interesting that God put remembering the Sabbath right up there with “do not murder”, “do not commit adultery” and “do not worship idols”. Why? It’s because these ten commandments are not arbitrary or just a way to feed God’s ego. Rather, like a parent protecting their child, God give us His commandments are for our good, not to kill our happiness but to protect our lives, train our maturity and maximize our joy. Having a regular time to rest from your work is part of that. The LORD takes this command so seriously that in the Genesis creation account He modeled this command by resting from His work on the seventh day (v11). Do you have a weekly Sabbath day to rest? You need to schedule regular rest to be at your best.
Exodus 20:12 (NIV)
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
On verse 12: The fifth commandment is to honour your father and your mother. This command is unique in that, as Paul says, it comes with a promise: “that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you”. Does this mean that if you die young that you did not honour your father and mother? No. In some cases mature Christians die young and immature Christians and unbelievers live much longer. For example, the first Adam died at 930 years, according to Genesis, whereas Jesus, who is also called the last Adam, died at about 33 years of age. Yet no one would say that Adam honoured his Heavenly Father more than Jesus did. So to “live long” refers more to the quality of your life on earth than the length of your days on earth.
Exodus 20:13-14 (NIV)
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
On verses 13-14: When it comes to the sixth commandment not to murder, it is important to keep in mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:21-26. Jesus says that rage, uncontrolled anger and unforgiveness can separate us from God as much as actually murdering someone.
When considering the seventh commandment not to commit adultery (not to have sex with someone you’re not married to), keep in mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:27-30. Jesus says that a lustful thought can separate us from God as much as actually committing adultery.
That’s how high God’s moral standards are.
Exodus 20:15-17 (NIV)
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
On verses 15-17: Each of these commands could be a sermon by itself. For now, let it suffice to say that God commands us not to steal (the eighth commandment), not to give false testimony against a neighbour (the ninth commandment) and not to covet what belongs to others (the tenth commandment). When we do any of these things, we sin against God and against others.
The reality is that none of us has obeyed the ten commandments fully. All of us have fallen short of God’s standards, and if God’s Word is true and the consequence of our sin is separation from God, we all need a Saviour. Jesus came and fulfilled all of God’s ten commandments fully on our behalf and then Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Praise God for not just giving us the commandments we need to live, but the Saviour we need to overcome our failure and even death itself.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your commandments, which are for our good. Please help me to obey them. Thank You even more for sending a Saviour, Jesus Christ, to save us when we had failed to obey Your commands. You are both our law giver (v3-17) and our life giver (v1-2). In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
