SCRIPTURE: EXODUS 20
IMPORTANT VERSE:
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: (vs. 1-21)
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 mother gods before me.
“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. 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 fathers 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 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 manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
IDOLS AND ALTARS (vs. 22-26)
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven” Do not make any gods to be alongside me’ do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
“‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not bui8ld it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
MY THOUGHTS:
The Ten Commandments in the Old Testament in summary form:
- No other gods. (-)
- No idols. (-)
- Do not misuse God’s name. (-)
- Remember to keep Sabbath day holy. (+)
- Honor your parents. (+)
- Do not murder. (-)
- Do not commit adultery. (-)
- Do not steal. (-)
- Do not lie. (-)
- Do not covet. (-)
The first 4 commandments involve our relationship with God while the last 6 commandments involve our relationship with people.
The commandments that pertain to God begin with 3 negatives and end with 1 positive while the commandments that pertain to people begin with 1 positive and end with 5 negatives.
The Two Commandments in the New Testament :
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is : Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31)
The 10 Commandments in the Old Testament were combined to 2 in the New Testament. And the central word is “LOVE”. We should LOVE God and LOVE men. If we really Love God and Love men, then we will be able to complete the commandments stated.
Hope you can memorize the 10 commandments and the 2 greatest commandments.