10 Commandments
What is Righteousness?
The 10 Commandments represent a summary of the key things God wants all people to do or not to do, which reflect God’s desired way of being. These commandments were given by God directly to Moses on Mt. Sinai, a few months after he led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.
Background
Prior to the Exodus, the Israelites had spent 430 years in Egypt, starting with Jacob and his family, when they went into Egypt as the result of a famine over all the lands. This story is covered in The Promise and details how Joseph was able to rise to power and save his family from starvation. Prior to Jacob taking his family into Egypt, his grandfather Abraham was told by God his descendants would have to spend 400 years in captivity. At the time he was told this, his son Isaac had not even been born.
A total of 70 men of fighting age went into Egypt from Jacob’s family. They left with over 600,000. God had indeed blessed the Israelites, despite their bondage. They had been subjected to slavery for a very long time and were now free. In the third month after entering the wilderness, Moses was summoned to the top of Mt. Sinai to have a one-on-one with God.
God provided Moses with the 10 commandments to give the people the rules by which they must act. With over 400 years of slavery, most of the people had lost their sense that God was watching over them. They just saw all the miracles that freed them from the clutches of Pharoah and saw what happened at the Red Sea. They were now realizing that God was indeed with them.
God wanted them to know just what it meant to be righteous in His eyes. God gave them not only the 10 Commandments but also the entire Law, including the specifications and rules for the Tabernacle and the festivals the Jews had to now follow. See the lesson on The Law for more information on this topic.
God gave the people 10 specific commandments that can be grouped into two major categories. Jesus summarized the commandments when talking with the Pharisees in Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV), “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The first 4 commandments focus on Loving God. The last 6 focus on Loving Others. Let’s take a look at the 10 Commandments and what they mean to us today.
| No. | Commandment | Biblical Example | What it Means to Us |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
You shall have no other gods before me. |
The Exodus, Ex. 34:11–14 |
God wants you to focus on Him. Anything that comes before God or is more important that God is not acceptable. Anything that rules your life, such as your job, desire for money, fame, power, sex or any other bad addictions. If your priority isn't God, you're breaking this commandment. |
|
2 |
You shall not make for yourself an idol. |
The Golden Calf, Ex. 32:1–8 |
An idol is anything you believe will help you be a better person or give you something you want. This can be astrology, new age crystals, any religious worship other than the God of the Bible, good luck charms, statues of other religious figures, such as Buddha, etc. Our God is a jealous God. |
|
3 |
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. |
Don’t use God’s name in a false oath. Lev. 19:12 |
This means more than not just using God's name in a meaningless or negative way. It really means to not call yourself a Christian if you do not actually act like one. By calling yourself a Christian, you are using God's name, as a follower of Christ. You must try to be a worthy ambassador of Christ if you are going to use His name. |
|
4 |
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. |
God provides enough on the sixth day for the seventh. Ex. 16:23–30 |
See the lesson on The Sabbath for more information. As Jesus pointed out, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. We are to remember weekly to pay respect to God, take time to be in fellowship with Him and with family and friends. We should rest from our normal work, but not be legalistic about this. It's a day to focus on loving God and loving others. |
|
5 |
Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. |
Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph. Luke 2:51 |
Treat your parents with respect even if you do not agree with them. From the worldly perspective, your parents made you and it is from them that all you are comes. From the spiritual perspective we are all children of God, so if you do not respect your earthly parents, how can you respect you heavenly Father? If your parents ask you to do something that is wrong, kindly and respectfully tell them no and offer a good alternative they might consider. Relationships are often difficult, but it is worth it to cultivate respect, especially for your parents. |
|
6 |
You shall not murder. |
Each person is made in God's Image. Gen 9:6 |
Jesus taught us we are to love and pray for our enemies, not kill them. God has set up governments and rules to deal with those who murder. Life and death are in God’s hands, not ours. Examples of this include revenge killing, murder, suicide, abortion, or euthanasia. |
|
7 |
You shall not commit adultery. |
Joseph runs from Temptation. Gen 39:1-13 |
When two people have sex, they become united into 1 flesh (1 Cor 6:16). This applies to those who are married and those who are not. The intent of this commandment is to focus any sexual desires only toward your spouse. If you are not married, then refrain until you are. This also applies to lustful thoughts or watching sexualized content, such as pornography or even thinking lustful thoughts about someone other than your spouse. |
|
8 |
You shall not steal. |
Achan steals. Josh. 6:17–19; 7:1–5 |
God wants you to love others, and that includes respecting their property, even if it is from a large corporation. Do not take what is not yours. Jesus wants us to be givers, not takers. This includes taking small stuff, like candy, supplies from your work to take home for personal use, cheating on your taxes, downloading pirated content, etc. |
|
9 |
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. |
Honesty toward neighbors. Lev 19:13 |
God wants righteousness and lying does not cut it. Always tell the truth, even if it hurts. This applies to lying about others for your own benefit or lying to others about yourself to make yourself look better than you really are. Lies are a tool of Satan, not God. |
|
10 |
You shall not covet … anything that belongs to your neighbor. |
Life is more than possessions. Ecc. 5:9–18; 6:12 |
To covet means to long for, desire wantingly or lust after. The concept here is that doing so is all about envying what they have that you don't. It could be their position, job, money, possessions, whatever. Focus on loving God and loving others and not on the worldly things. Seek wisdom and good character, not riches. |
It is the Thought That Counts
Jesus made our lives much easier when he summarized all of these into two very simple commandments, “love God with all your heart and soul, and love others as you would yourself.” Yet it isn’t quite that easy. He also added on as part of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:28 (KJV) the following, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Jesus makes the point here and in other verses that it’s what is in your heart that counts in the eyes of God. He actually has made it harder to comply with the letter of the law, or the 10 commandments by saying this! Even thinking bad thoughts is sinful, not just doing them!
It is Impossible!
Looking at the list above and what it means to us today, how many people have ever even thought about breaking even one of these commandments, even once in their entire lives? If you have, then you are guilty of all of them. Having trouble with that one? Read James 2:10 (KJV) ”For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” You are right, it is impossible to live a life without even thinking about or actually breaking even one of these, even just one time. That is what it takes to be acceptable to God based on your works. That mean NO ONE is acceptable to God based on their works. Not one of us. Romans 3:10 (KJV) says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
The only perfect person that ever lived was Jesus Christ. The point of all of this is to demonstrate to us the futility of trying to get in God’s grace through our own efforts. We have to accept we need the blood of Jesus to cleanse us of our sins. In the days of Moses, when these commandments were first given, they had to go to The Tabernacle and make an atonement sacrifice for sin every year. When Jesus came, He fulfilled the Law by becoming the perfect sacrifice that could atone for all sin for all time. All we have to do is believe Jesus died for our sins and accept Him as your savoir. This means, we have to acknowledge our need for God in our lives. That is what the 10 Commandments are all about!
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Related Resources
The Tabernacle
