God Teaches Us How To Live (Exodus 20:1-17)

Bible Passage: Exodus 20:1-17

This chapter contains one of the best known sections of the Old Testament – the Ten Commandments. It is important to remember that these commandments were not given in a vacuum. They were spoken by God to a people with whom he was already in relationship. Prior to this point he had heard the cries of their suffering, and in his mercy had raised up Moses to confront Pharoah, and had dramatically and miraculously set them free, carving a path through the middle of the Red Sea. He had provided for their needs with manna and quail, and in the previous chapter he had reaffirmed his covenant love for them. It is in this context that he now speaks these ten words to them, unpacking how he expects them to live.

It is also important to remember that unlike the original hearers, we are not under the covenant of law, and are led not by rules carved on stone but by the law written onto our hearts by the Spirit. Nevertheless, there is much for us to learn from these commandments, and spending time looking at them is beneficial for us.

The Ten Commandments Reveal God’s Character: It may be an obvious point to make, but in choosing these ten words to give to his people, God is revealing something about himself and his character. In each of them we learn something fundamental about God himself. He is the one true God who has no rival. He is beyond creation and so cannot truly be represented by anything in this world. He is holy. He is the creator who made the world and then rested on the seventh day. He is a Father. He is life-giving and faithful. He is a generous giver. He is the truth. He is enough to satisfy us. Each command is grounded in an understanding of God and leads us deeper into our knowledge of him.

The Ten Commandments Show Us How to Live: Though we are not under law, it is not as though the commandments have nothing to say about how we should live. These are expressions of God’s will for his people and the principles hold true. Whether or not we are under the covenant of law, living God’s way is what we are called to, and these commands show us how we can do that. Jesus taught that the greatest two commands are to love God and to love our neighbour (Mark 12:29-31), and this is reflected in these commands. The first four commands have a particular focus on how we can love God by worshipping him alone, not making images of him, not misusing his name, and ensuring we set aside time for him. The final six commands switch the focus to loving one another, thinking about family relationships, murder, marital faithfulness, theft, lies and covetousness. Jesus did not revoke any of these commands, but insisted that the application of them is wider than we might think and applies not just to our actions but also to our words and even our thoughts (Matthew 5:17-30).

The Ten Commandments Point to Jesus: The Ten Commandments are not easy to obey, even at a surface level. In Luke 18:21, a rich ruler claimed to Jesus that he had kept all of the commands since he had been a boy, but Jesus exposed this as untrue, by showing that the ruler’s money was a higher priority to him than God. One of the functions of the law is to illustrate how far short of God we fall and how much we need a saviour (see Romans 3:20). Jesus kept the law perfectly, and so fulfilled it on our behalf. By dying on the cross for our sins, Jesus now imputes his righteous obedience to us, and we can stand in the presence of our holy God as those who are justified in him.    .

Potential Applications:

• The specific commands here highlight lots of different issues, and will challenge people in different ways. Allow space for the Spirit to lay on people’s hearts specific areas in which he is calling them to repent and change.
• Make clear that these instructions were given to people who were already in relationship with God, and salvation is not by good works. Offer people the opportunity to put their trust in Jesus and be saved.
• Obedience can happen in believers as the Spirit writes the law on our hearts. Pray for the Spirit to fill people and lead them into ways of obedience.