1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’ (Exodus 20, ESV)

Once God had completely delivered Israel from their Egyptian captors, the real work began. It was an entirely one-sided event for God to take Israel out of Egypt—all they did was apply a little blood to their doorposts and walk through the dry ground of the Red Sea. He took care of everything.

But it would require Israelite cooperation to get Egypt out of Israel's hearts. God had rescued his people, but now he needed to reinvent them, and for that, he required their involvement. So God invited them to become his treasured possession in all the earth, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6). They could realize this vision if they obeyed his voice and kept his covenant (Ex. 19:5). When the people heard God's offer, they were all-in. The God who had promised Abraham that through him all the earth would be blessed, the God who delivered them mire of Egyptian clay, wanted to bless them. Surely, his word was better than that of Pharaoh. Yes. They would listen; they would adhere to his word.

So they gathered at the base of God's Mountain—Mt. Sinai—after a few days of preparation. Moses came down from the mountain, and God began, from the cloud, to thunder. He began by reminding them of his past work of deliverance in their lives (Ex. 20:2). They were his people. He had rescued them. And then he continued by giving them the Ten Commandments that were to ground themselves upon. From these ten would come hundreds of more specific laws for Israelite society at that time, but these ten were foundational. The laws that extended from them were like branches on the tree, but the Ten were like the trunk. The Ten were like the all-important skeletal system, while the laws were like the skin and flesh covering it. And as Israel heard these laws, God was shaping a people for himself. If they were colored by these words, they would fulfill their mission and become a nation of holy priests to the world around them.

Teaching about the Ten Commandments today is an enormous challenge. One reason for this is the gospel's complicated relationship with the law. We will get into this in future studies, but for now, all I want to make clear is that the New Testament reiterates every commandment, except the fourth, in one way or another for the church. And I might argue that the fourth commandment on Sabbath keeping did not need to be reiterated because man is a seven-day clock—the seven-day week and the need for rest once a week are written in the cosmos.

Another difficulty in teaching the Ten Commandments is that we often think of them as for societies in general. And though the Ten would provide great guidance for any society or nation, the idea that nations who don't know Yahweh or people who don't have Jesus would keep them all is alien to the Bible. God's original intention was that his redeemed people—Israel, back then—would live this way and therefore reach all societies and nations. The biblically faithful application of the Ten today is not to societies and nations but to the church as almost all of these principles are reiterated in the New Testament in some way.

Another challenge is that there are Ten Commandments, and we like sermons that are thirty-five minutes long.[^1] What is a preacher to do, teach for two minutes on each commandment? My plan is to declare some mega-principles about this passage and then refer to this passage over and over again in future weeks.

1. This Scene Describes A Life God Loves.

The first mega-truth I want you to see is that this scene describes a life God loves. This whole episode is God's dream come true. What is his dream? Delivered people gathering to hear him, which is what you have in this episode. Israel has been delivered by God. They aren't going to try to keep the Ten in an attempt to become God's people. They are already free. They have already been called God's firstborn (Ex. 4:22). They belong to God.

It is vital to remember that these words are for delivered people. When Paul wrote Galatians, he had to deal with people using the law as a pathway to salvation, but that was not God's original intention. The Ten were introduced to a redeemed, purchased, delivered, blood-bought congregation. This is why God's preamble to the Ten was, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Ex. 20:2). He was already their God. They were already free.

And when these free and delivered people prepared themselves and gathered around God's mountain so they could hear God's voice, it was God's dream. Since the days of the Garden of Eden, God had wanted his people to resist other voices and adhere to his simple commandments so they could experience him and the good life he had designed for them. In Eden, the command was singular and simple—eat of any tree but one (Gen. 2:16-17). Put another way, trust God's way is best. Go to him, trust his judgments over any other voice, including your own heart.

So when Israel put everything else on hold and gathered at the base of the mountain so they could hear his word, God was pleased. It's like they were going back to Eden and saying, "God's way is best. We will not follow our hearts. We will follow his wisdom."

Eden is at the front of the story, but at the very back of the Bible, God's dream will be fully realized. The prophet Micah spoke of a day, still future to us:

4:1 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, 2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. —Micah 4:1–2 (ESV)

And from Genesis' Eden in the past to the future reign of Christ that Micah describes, God delighted whenever his people gathered to hear his voice:

He loved it when King Josiah uncovered the long-forgotten Old Testament law and led the people to recommit themselves to it (2 Kings 23:1-3).
He loved it when the people gathered in Nehemiah's day and allowed Ezra, the scribe, to read and teach them the law for half a day (Neh. 8).
He loved it when the multitudes gathered around his only begotten Son to hear his Sermon on the Mount—a new way of living for his new people (Matt. 5-7).
He loved it when the brand new church in Jerusalem gathered together and devoted themselves to learning the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42).
He loved it when a group from non-Jewish nations gathered in a house to hear the word delivered through the Apostle Peter (Acts 10-11).
He loved it when they gathered on the top floor of a house near the Aegean Sea for a Bible study that went past midnight. In fact, it went on so long and late that a young man named Eutychus was overcome by sleep on a windowsill and fell to the street below.[^2] But God was so into the moment that he used Paul to raise the young man back to life (Acts 20:7-12).

And as much as God loved it then and will love it in the future, he loves it today when God's people consecrate themselves and come to him to hear his voice. When, with intentionality and a willingness to obey, we read his word alone, with one another, or in our larger gathering, God delights. He loves it when his rescued and redeemed people gather to hear his word. It is his dream come true because—done with sincere hearts—it is a source of life for his people.

2. The Ten Describe A Life Filled With Love For God

So the transmission of the Ten depict a scene God loves, but the Ten Commandments themselves describe a life filled with love for God.

Whenever they had no other gods before Yahweh, as the first commandment said, they thrived as God's people (Ex. 20:3). That singular devotion kept them from all sorts of grotesque and improper worship that would cause them to live beneath their design as God's image-bearers and special possession (Gen. 1:26, Ex. 19:5-6).
Whenever they banished carved images, idols to bow down and worship, from their land, as the second commandment said, they lived up to their design (Ex. 20:4). Their God had placed them below him, but above everything in the created order, so to subject themselves to worshipping an image of anything would have dehumanized them.
Whenever they refused to take the name of the Lord their God in vain, they flourished (Ex. 20:7). God's name means his reputation, so though this prohibition would include using God's name to curse or make oaths, it moreso means that God's name should be honored—when they spoke highly of God in public and private discourse, they did well.
Whenever they remembered the Sabbath, resting on the seventh day and setting it aside for holy reflection and worship, they prospered. Even though this cut back their earning power by a theoretical 14.3% (a seventh of their days), they would have paid a much higher price by not prioritizing worship.

We live in one of the most distracting times in human history. The prophet Daniel predicted a day would come when "many will roam about, and knowledge will increase" (Dan. 12:4, HCSB). In Hebrew, Daniel meant to "click and scroll endlessly."^3 Everything from the color of our apps to the phrasing of our headlines to the potency of our feed is designed to grab our attention. Meanwhile, there's God. He wanted Israel's attention—craved it, was jealous for it—not because of some deficiency in him, but because of love (Ex. 20:5). As long as we flush our lives down the drain of bad worship, we will never live up to our potential, calling, or God's blessing. God hates that misspent life, so he called Israel out of it and into the love of God.

The love for God found in these first four commandments—I would like to call it a prioritization of God so that we don't mistake feelings of love for actual love—are important if we want to flourish. It is like the foundation of a great house. Everything is resting on the quality and strength of that foundation. And a life ordered upon God, placing him first, prioritizing him in all things, is a life with a good foundation.

This love for God is like finding North on a compass. Once we are set upon him, we can navigate the rest of life more easily. Life is hard; it presents us with millions of challenges. But when our love for God is strong, when our rhythms and routines center us upon him, we are greatly helped in life. Consider Jesus—he was able to endure the severest temptations because of his love for his Father (Matt. 4:1-11). He would not swerve to the right or left because he was focused on God, just as a love for God will keep you from compromise today. How many have compromised their integrity or doctrine because they slipped in their love for God?

It's here that I want to point out that these commandments are communal in nature. God is not talking to individuals at this point but to the entire congregation of Israel as they stand at the base of the mountain. He wanted them to know what their community needed to look like. With these first four commandments, it became clear that the individual seriousness with which individual Hebrews showed God would impact the entire congregation. If even one of them began neglecting the Sabbath, introducing idols, talking trash about God, or having other gods, it would begin to erode and corrupt the nation. In a similar way, when a modern church is filled with people who are passionate about him, the health quotient of the church rises. I am thankful for the deep love for Christ so many in this church display. Let's keep encouraging each other in that direction. Our zeal for the Lord is bound to ebb and flow, but by dragging ourselves to be with one another time and time again, our devotion to Christ can rub off on others. It is, as they say, something caught rather than something taught, so let's be all-in when we worship, gather, fellowship, and pray so that we can transfer our love for him to one another.

3. The Ten Describe A Life of Love for Others

So the Ten Commandments start with a love for God, but they go on to describe a life of love for others as well. Command five through ten relate to how these ancient Israelites were to treat one another. Some refer to these commands as the second tablet, though we really can't know with certainty how (or if) they were broken up.[^4]

Whenever children learned to honor their parents, Israel flourished because God made sure their days were long in the land he gave them (Ex. 20:12). What this means is that as Israelites grew up respecting their parents and the law they'd handed down to them, Israel would have God's power to flourish in the land. But once Israelite people began disrespecting authority of various kinds, even their own parents, they opened themselves up to the very errors that would kill their fruitfulness. By the way, the Apostle Paul repeated this one in Ephesians 6 because it is always good for children to learn healthy obedience (Eph. 6:1-2).
Whenever Israel banished murder from their midst, they did well (Ex. 20:13). There are seven Hebrew words that can be used to describe taking life, and this is the one that describes murder or voluntary manslaughter, not the one that describes capital punishment or war.[^5] God values human life in all its forms—healthy/unhealthy, powerful/vulnerable, born/unborn, well/unwell—and forbade his people from taking life. Jesus increased the intensity on this one, declaring that we do best when we deal with our anger towards our brother (Matt. 5:21-22).
Whenever Israel curbed the adultery in their midst, whenever marriage and God's design for sex were respected, they did well (Ex. 20:14). God wanted a community that knew how to respect one another enough not to partake of one another. This is another commandment Jesus strengthened by addressing the cultivation of lustful thoughts, but this commandment here was designed to create a community of marital health and sexual restraint (Matt. 5:27-30).
When Israel respected the property of others by refusing to steal, they were embracing a foundational element to a stable society (Ex. 20:15). In the rest of the law, theft was never punishable with death like it was in other Ancient Near East Cultures of their time, and like murder and adultery were, showing that human life and marriage are more important to him that personal property.
When Israel refused to bear false witness against their neighbor, they created a society unwilling to cascade into a litigious destruction of others and their character—in or out of court (Ex. 20:16).
And when they did not covet each other's homes, spouses, staff, career, vehicles, or any other thing, they created a society of beautiful contentment and personal fulfillment (Ex. 20:17).

A love for others drives so many of the great movements of the biblical story. The Good Samaritan helping the injured stranger. Joseph forgiving his brothers. Ruth following Naomi. Jonathan's deferential treatment of David. Esther risking her life for her people. The persistent pleading of the prophets. Then there is the life of Christ—every miracle, every word, ever action, and his arrival itself, were all connected to love for us. And the church emulated that love—the entire book of Acts and the church's desire to tell others about Jesus.

Just as love for others would have made Israelite community special, love for others makes a church special as well. Everything from caring for other people's children, learning worship songs, setting up a nice atmosphere, watching over everyone to make sure we're safe, praying for each other, leading or hosting groups, to many other actions, is driven by love for others (or it should be). The more love there is, the better the community.

I was on a hike recently when I came across a bike repair station someone had constructed and left at a crossroads near the top of the hill. It was a nice gesture. But whoever had put it there also labeled the bucket it was all stored in "Karma Kit." Totally ruined it for me. I know it was probably just a comical statement, not a true belief in karma, but it turned the motive for doing such a kind thing into just another selfish endeavor. Jesus said, "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" (Matt. 7:12). He didn't add, "And then they will do also to you." Maybe they will, maybe they won't, but that is not the motive.

Conclusion

The Ten Commandments were (and are) beautiful words describing a beautiful life and are meant to drive us to see the beautiful God who is behind them. They were not seen, and should not be seen, as this ominous, difficult, oppressive, or impossible manner of life. They should instead be seen as the foundations of the most beautiful life and community ever designed. They are like a foundation on which Israel could build, or an anchor that will keep us from drifting. They are a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105).

I don't know how it happened, but somehow, the Ten have taken on a negative tone in the popular imagination. Maybe it was the way Israel reacted—they no longer wanted to hear God's voice, instead electing to have Moses represent them before God. Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin" (Ex. 20:20). Moses told them there was something bad and something good in their fear. It was bad fear because it was driving them from God, and God wanted a relationship with them. But it was good because an awe of God was meant to nudge them toward holy living.

But the Israelite fear had more to do with the presence of God than the substance of his words—not the content but the source. The Ten Commandments were mostly negative in nature—eight "you shall not"—but that doesn't mean they were a weighty burden on Israelite society. Going back to the Garden of Eden, it seems that God's negatives (or "thou shalt nots") are meant to produce freedom. Just as Adam and Eve had the freedom to eat anything but one tree, Israel had great freedom declared to them through the simple negatives of the Ten Commandments.

We must recognize that the constant pursuit of pleasure usually ends in pain. When we cave to every appetite and impulse, we never end up realizing the life we'd love to have. If we look at every screen that beckons us, consume every calorie calling us, or chase every sensual desire that bounces off us, we will inevitably introduce addictions, pains, and hurts into our lives and the lives of others. Instead, we must see how the greatest pleasures come through the avenue of pain—and the self-denial and resistance to ungodly impulses would have helped Israel create a beautiful community.

When we live under God's leadership, we will experience our destiny as holy people who serve as priests, introducing the true God to the world. To some degree, our effectiveness is tied to our faithfulness. Israel had been invited into a covenant with God—live my way, and you will become an attractional community who shows everyone else who God is (Ex. 19:5-6).

[^1]: Actually, we like sermons that are under twenty minutes long, but, as they say, "Sermonettes for Christianettes." On the other hand, don't get me started on the long-winded sermons that are all filler, no killer. Just because the Puritans gave three-hour sermons doesn't mean you should read and ramble through the text for an hour, pastor. Have a plan. Be expository. Unleash the word. However long that takes.

[^2]: A truly killer sermon, Paul.

[^4]: We don't know how the Ten were broken up on the two tablets. They might have been written on both tablets—one copy for Israel and the other for God. They might have been divided up under the categories of Loving God (commands 1-4) and Loving Others (commands 5-10). We just don't know.

[^5]: Kenneth L. Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition: Old Testament) (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 101.