Exodus 20:1-11 - The Law
- Alan Salwei
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
God's Law is as relevant now as it was when He spoke it.
SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Israel learns that the wilderness is not only a place of need, but of conflict and covenant. The LORD grants victory over Amalek as Moses’ raised staff shows their dependence on Him, not their own strength. Jethro’s counsel brings order to a weary leader, and at Sinai God draws near in fire and thunder—revealing His holiness, setting boundaries for His people, and preparing them to hear His law as a redeemed nation called to belong to Him.
Exodus 20:1–11
20 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.
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 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.
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.
Q&A 93
Q. How are the Ten Commandments divided?
A. Into two tables.
The first has four commandments,
teaching us what our relation to God should be.
The second has six commandments,
teaching us what we owe our neighbor.
Summary
After Rephidim, the Israelites came upon Mount Sinai. It was here that the Ten Commandments were given. They begin with And God spoke all these words. These commandments were not the work of man, but moral imperatives directly from the mouth of God.
These commandments were given to Moses to share with the people. While there are differences of opinion on how to number these commandments, their instruction remains the same. The first four of these commandments deal with the people’s relationship with God.
After reminding the Israelites of his provision for them in freeing them from their captivity in Egypt, God gives the first commandment: that they were to have to no other gods before Him. Similarly, the people were also not to create a carved image to be used as an idol.
These first four commandments are rounded out by not taking the LORD’s name in vain and remembering to keep the sabbath day holy. Following the pattern in the seven days of creation, for six days the Israelites were to do all their labor and on the seventh day they were to rest.
Dig Deeper
One of the challenges in reading the Old Testament is deciphering how to handle matters of the law. Some of the laws given in the Old Testament were meant for a particular people at a particular time. There are also laws in the Old Testament that were not specific or temporary and speak to God’s morality. The Ten Commandments fall into that second category.
The Ten Commandments are not temporary edicts; they are expressions of God’s eternal moral values. As we read the commandments, we are studying an expression of God’s will for how His people live relationally.
In these first four commandments, we find God’s command on how we are to live in relation to Him. Repeated amongst these first few commandments is the call to put God first: to have no other God’s before Him, to not make an idol to take His place, and to not take His name in vain.
Like He had done for the Israelites, our loving God invites us into a relationship with Him. With all relationships there are expectations and boundaries. God’s expectation for our relationship with Him is made clear in these commandments: we are not to put other gods or any created thing before Him.
Are you living up to God’s moral expectations? Are you faithful to God’s commands or do you allow other things to occupy God’s place of authority in your life?
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD our God, who brought us out of the bondage of slavery to sin;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would not put anything else before Him;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
