Exodus Series
The Book of Exodus is critical in understanding God’s plan of restoration for humanity that spans across both the Old and New Testaments. We will see in this series how the deliverance and restoration of Israel connects to a greater fulfillment in Christ. As the children’s book, The Jesus Storybook Bible, says, “Every page whispers his name.” Christ’s glory is found on every page of the Holy Bible, and you will see this in profound new ways in this series.
November 10, 2024 – The Big Ten – Exodus 20
Are the 10 Commandments still relevant to Christians to today? How do we apply them to our life? Can you imagine a world where these basic moral principles are not honored?
Exodus 20
God Gives His People the Ten Commandments
20 Here are all the words God spoke. He said,
2 “I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves.
3 “Do not put any other gods in place of me.
4 “Do not make for yourself statues of gods that look like anything in the sky. They may not look like anything on the earth or in the waters either. 5 Do not bow down to them or worship them. I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. I cause the sins of the parents to affect their children. I will cause the sins of those who hate me to affect even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 6 But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.
8 “Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. 9 Do all your work in six days. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to honor the Lord your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and your animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your towns. 11 In six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them. But he rested on the seventh day. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “Do not murder.
14 “Do not commit adultery.
15 “Do not steal.
16 “Do not be a false witness against your neighbor.
17 “Do not want to have anything your neighbor owns. Do not want to have your neighbor’s house, wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”
18 The people saw the thunder and lightning. They heard the trumpet. They saw the mountain covered with smoke. They trembled with fear and stayed a long way off. 19 They said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself. Then we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us. If he does, we’ll die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you. He wants you to have respect for him. That will keep you from sinning.”
21 Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. But the people remained a long way off.
Worship the Lord
22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Here is what you must tell the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘You have seen for yourselves what I said to you from heaven. 23 Do not put any other gods in place of me. Do not make silver or gold statues of them for yourselves.
24 “ ‘Make an altar out of dirt for me. Sacrifice your burnt offerings and friendship offerings on it. Sacrifice your sheep, goats and cattle on it. I will come to you and bless you everywhere I cause my name to be honored. 25 If you make an altar out of stones to honor me, do not build it with blocks of stone. You will make it “unclean” if you use a tool on it. 26 Do not walk up steps to my altar. If you do, someone might see your naked body under your robes.’
The Ten Commandments
1 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Exodus 20:3
God wants what is best for you. If you put something else before Him in your life, it’s harder for him to bless you.
2 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”
Exodus 20:4
Anything you worship more than God is a “graven image.” Cars, clothes, sports, even our jobs are dangerous things to worship because they can go away. But God will never go away, and that’s why it’s best for us to only worship Him.
3 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
Exodus 20:7
This can mean using God’s name like a swear word, or it can mean saying you are a Christian but not living or acting like Jesus would want you to act.
4“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Exodus 20:8–10
Sunday, or the Sabbath day, is a day we can all go to church, worship God, and learn how to be better people and Christians. Keeping it holy means doing our best to remember Him throughout the day.
5 “Honour thy father and thy mother.”
Exodus 20:12
It’s important to show our parents respect. This might look different for everyone, but we should always try to love and care for those who cared for us first.
6 “Thou shalt not kill.”
Exodus 20:13
A simple but important rule for anyone.
7 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
Exodus 20:14
Men and women make promises to each other when they are married. These promises are important, and breaking them causes deep sadness. Keeping those promises help men and women have happy marriages and happy lives.
8 “Thou shalt not steal.”
Exodus 20:15
It is important to God that His children are honest with each other. Taking anything that doesn’t belong to you is stealing, and is against His commandment.
9 “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Exodus 20:16
This one is about honesty. If you lie to someone, you are “bearing false witness,” and may cause harm to yourself and to others.
10 “Thou shalt not covet.”
Exodus 20:17
To covet means to be so jealous of something someone else has that you want it desperately. Coveting makes a person miserable and keeps them from putting God first. This commandment helps keep you from falling into this bad habit.
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