Exodus - Part 23 - Exodus 20:1-17

This chapter is one of the most foundational chapters in the whole Bible. Moses is up on Mount Sinai with God, and God reveals His divine laws. We know them as the Ten Commandments. These were not just rules set down in some ancient time. These are guiding principles for everyday life to not only determine what is right or wrong, but also to guide our relationship with God and others.

Today, the Ten Commandments are considered controversial. Copies used to be displayed in public places such as courthouses and schools. Today, most of those have been removed. Why? We live in an environment of moral relativism. Deep down in our soul, we know that we fall short of God’s perfect standard, so it is easier to just remove them so we don’t have to see them all the time.

The beginning of Chapter 20 starts with a profound declaration of God’s identity. He declares, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” God had released the Israelites from their slavery in His mercy and grace. The rules God was about to give them were not given because God wanted to be a tyrant.

These rules were not a way to earn God’s favor or forgiveness, because no human can do that on their own. They were meant to show the Israelites what life in a full relationship with God ought to look like. Jesus Christ demonstrated this in Matthew, where He said that He had not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. By going to the cross, Jesus fulfilled the law and allowed us to have a perfect relationship with God.

This is what the Ten Commandments are all about! The first four are considered vertical commandments. It is how we are to have a relationship with God. We should worship no other god, have no idols, not misuse His name, and keep His Sabbath, or day of rest, holy. As Christians, God must be the center of our lives.

The other six are horizontal commandments. These have to do with how we should relate to one another. Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, etc. We will touch on all the commandments briefly, but we will dive deeper in the coming weeks.