The Ten Commandments
Moses is speaking the words of God to His people.
Exo 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
God, the I AM, brought them out of slavery in Egypt to be a Theocracy wherein God is their king. He would make the laws of the nation of Israel which are as follows.
Exo 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
Israel may have worshipped the gods of Egypt and also the Gentile nations had many gods. They were to serve the God of Israel, all other gods were demonic.
Exo 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
These would be idols and fake gods made of wood or metal. I was once a photographer. I made images of people, but they were not for worship. An idol is an object of worship. Where is your heart? What do you put before God?
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Exo 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
Exo 20:6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You are not to bow down or serve these man made images. What does it mean that the God of Abraham is a jealous God? A TV personality left the God of Abraham because she didn't think it proper for him to be jealous. She became an advocate for false religions. Jealous here means that God wants no rivals for your worship. He alone is good and loving to his people. To him be honor and glory. All others gods will not save you from hell. We are not to be God's judge. A lot of people have made themselves gods. Their laws are contrary to God's laws. Only the God of Israel is to be given honor and worship. If you were not in a family that honored God, you can break the generational curse by coming to Jesus. He will make you new in him.
Exo 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
We are not to speak the name of God in disrespect. Vain means emptyness, nothingness, falsehood, worthlessness. You may say I am never doing this, but how importance is God in your life? Are we giving him glory?
Exo 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
Exo 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Sabbath was to be a day of rest from labor. The Jews added laws to this so that it became a day of bondage. Jesus was often accused of not keeping the sabbath because he did good works on that day. He responded that he is Lord of the Sabbath and he showed his accusers that it was lawful to do good on the sabbath.
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Exo 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
This is the first commandment with a promise.
Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Exo 20:13 "You shall not murder.
You may kill in self defense or in a lawful war. A murderer may be sentenced to death. We are not to take a human life, nor your own or a baby in the womb or after being born. We must forgive and not hate others.
Jesus clarified this.
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Exo 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery.
Adultery is having sex with another person while being married. It is to break the marriage vows. Spiritual adultery is to worship another god than Yahweh.
Jesus explains this further.
Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mat 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Exo 20:15 "You shall not steal.
You are not to take what belongs to someone else.
The devil is a theif
Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Exo 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
A liar may steal your reputation. A false witness is unreliable. The law requires two witnesses to prove a thing.
Deu 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Exo 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."
Coveting is in the mind and heart. Better to be as Paul said.
Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Exo 20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
Exo 20:19 and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."
Exo 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin."
Exo 20:21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
One reason to have the fear of God is so tht we will not sin willfully.
Laws About Altars
Exo 20:22 And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
Exo 20:23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
Exo 20:24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
Exo 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.
Exo 20:26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.'
Our church has wood altars made by tools. The pastor wanted to put new tops on them. He liked some that were made from plastic resin, but he did not want fake stones, He wanted stone so he bought granite tops. The granite was cut with tools and polished. These altars would not meet the requirements for an altar as described in Exodus twenty. Nonetheless they are a place of prayer and seeking God.
The laws of God should be taught. They are as a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
The laws should bring you to accept salvation through Jesus, the Son of God who has kept the laws and has paid the price for us to be in good standing with God. The law cannot save us from hell, but Jesus can. In him we are heaven bound. Thank you Lord God.
Exodus 21
Exodus 19
Exodus 1 Table of Contents
Eaglewings Ministries Index