Exodus 20:1-17

Gods Commands

Let me share this with you….before the Israelites ever heard a command from God they had to be prepared to receive it. We see that in chapter nineteen.

The Lord said to Moses………. Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes. Abstain from sexual relations. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it.” Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. Be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

God also prepared Moses the first time He came into God’s presence.

Do you remember when Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” And God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Do not come any closer, Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Wherever God is, is Holy. Whatever God says, is Holy

To helps us understand something very important about the Ten Commandments read Romans 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

I share this: When God came down to give the ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, there was thunder and lightning and a very loud sound from a trumpet, accompanied by smoke, earthquakes and the blast of a trumpet that became louder and louder, to emphasize the importance of these laws.

Because God is Holy, He has to prepare people to receive His Word and He prepare us to meet Him.

It’s no different today. We are prepared through the Holy Spirit to receive God’s Word. We have to be prepared to meet God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of our sins.

Let’s read Exodus 20:1-2

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.

Three months after leaving Egypt the Israelites arrived and camped in the desert near Mount Sinai. Then Moses climbed up the mountain to meet with God.

Not sure if you realize it, but this is an important moment. This fulfills the first promise God made to Moses at the Burning Bush.

Read Exodus 3:10-12 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Moses went to Egypt in faith on the Word of God. God’s promise to Moses was that he would go there, free God’s people and return to Mt. Sinai.

Now, the way Moses would know it was really God who sent him was the moment he returned, with the Israelites, to this same mountain to worship God.

The reason this is important is that Moses and the people now know without a doubt that the Word of God is trustworthy and true. This prepares the people for the “Covenant” relationship with God.

This covenant or contract is an agreement between God and His people. God makes promises to His people and requires them to conduct themselves in a certain way.

We see this in Exodus 19: 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine. You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

Next, we will see what God expects of His people as written in the Ten Commandments.

Let’s read Exodus 20:3-11

3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “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. 5 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, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 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 male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 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.

The Israelites as a people just spent the last 430 years in Egypt where the ancient Egyptians worshipped over 1,400 different gods. These so called gods had powers that controlled some aspect of the world and the lives of the people. The Egyptians performed daily practices like offering food, water, incense, and other things to keep these gods happy.

Therefore, they are not to make any kind of image or bow down to or worship anything other than God.

To help us understand about making no image, read Deuteronomy 4:12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.

I read: This established the principle that the worship of God was to be word-based and not image based.

Jesus said the same thing in a unique way…. John 4:23-24 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Does that mean a Christians cannot wear a cross around their neck or have a cross on the wall in our home?

No. This is a way of showing our outward faith, much like baptism. It does mean that we should never worship the cross but instead worship Jesus who died on the cross for us.

This leads us into the second part of verse five reads; I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.

Did you know God claims the word Jealous” as part of His name?

Read Exodus 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

God’s jealousy to tied to idolatry. Giving our love and loyalty to something or someone else when it rightly belongs to Him is a sin against God. God refuses to share our heart with anyone. I worship belongs to God alone.

I read…” Jealousy is a sin when it is a desire for something that does not belong to you. God is not jealous of us: He is jealous for us.” It’s like a parent who sees a child being drawn into a bad crowd and wants to intervene and pull the child back into relationship with the family. The child may see the parent as overbearing and controlling; but really, the parent is jealously protecting the child.

In verse seven, we learn that we are forbidden to misuse God’s name. Simply put, we are not to use it in a manner that is wicked, worthless, or for wrong purposes.

In verse eight we see…. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Jesus said in Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

God said this includes our son or daughter, male or female servant (workers), your animals, and any foreigner.

I read this simple explanation; The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word that means “to rest from labor.” The word holy means something that is sacred or dedicated to God.

For Christians we look at Sunday as being the day we dedicate to the Lord. But what about people that have jobs that require them to work on Sunday? In reality it makes no difference as long as you are resting from our normal daily routine and dedicating your thoughts and time to the Lord.

The Sabbath is a gift from God! Thank Him for it.

In case you didn’t notice, these commandments were about how we honor God.

Next, we will look at what God expects from our relationship with each other.

Let’s read Exodus 20:12-17

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 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 male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

This commandment has a beginning but never an ending. We should obey and respect our Godly parents from the time we are born, as long as they live and honor their memory after they are gone.

Read 1 John 4:20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

The same applies to this command. How can we say we love God whom we have not seen if we don’t love the parents we have seen?

As we read in Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

This commandment “Honor your father and your mother” means to treat your father and mother with dignity and respect.

God gave us the letter of the law when He said, “You shall not murder” and “You shall not commit adultery”

Jesus gave us the Spirit of the law when He said…. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

And also the Spirit of the law about adultery - “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

“You shall not steal.” Is answered in Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” False witness means being a liar, not telling the truth. When we lie God says we are no better than the devil.

John 8:44  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Here is the solution for that command, found in Matthew 5:37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

“You shall not covet” - “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.”

To “covet” means we have desires (strong feelings of wanting something) for whatever doesn't belong to us. It those desires that cause us to murder, commit adultery, lie and chest.

We get some crazy idea in our head, yet worse in our heart, wanting something that does not belong to us and all we do is think about it until we finally act on it.

We see that in Mark 7:21-22 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.

Here is God solution for that in Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Jesus summed up the Word of God in just two commands……

Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Loved is defined like this……1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Whoever does not show loves is punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.

But to those who loves God and loves their neighbor, love is shown to a thousand generations.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 

God’s Command….is simply to Love