Skip to content Exodus 20-22: Understanding the 10 Commandments Feb 16 · 14 min ...more
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Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
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The Covenant Foundation and the 10 Commandments 0:09 Good morning, and welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning as our journey through the Bible takes us to Exodus chapters 20 through 22 where we have the lord giving the 10 commandments.0:22 I'm gonna confess upfront that I have, I have broken the 10 commandments. I'm gonna share a little bit more about that, later, so stick with me. Verse 24 of chapter 20. In every place where I cause0:34 my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. Now this section actually begins in chapter 19, which we did not discuss last time. Let me read a couple of0:46 verses from chapter 19. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you should be a special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And you shall0:58 be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Sounds very much like first Peter chapter 2 verse 9 in the New Testament. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. This is the Lord speaking1:10 to Moses. So God establishes what's called a suzerainty covenant, which is a formal treaty or covenant structure that was used in ancient times. The covenant1:21 spells out who rules, who's in charge, what loyalty looks like, and what happens if the covenant is kept or broken. Now then in chapter 20, we have the 10 commandments, which gives the1:33 foundational covenant covenantal principles. Exodus 21 through 23 actually shows how those principles were to govern in everyday life through, case1:45 law and practical judgments. Alright. The 10 commandments are divided into 2 tablets. 4 the first 4 covenant, commandments deal with our relationship with God, establishing the1:57 foundation for the remaining 6 covenants, which deal with our relationship with our fellow man. Now, frankly, it can hardly be expected that if we dismiss our duty2:09 toward god that we'll remember our duty toward man. I mean, if we fail to honor god, it's unlikely that we'll care for our neighbor. Alright. Let's look at the first 4, verse 1, chapter2:21 20. And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Now the Lord establishes who he was and what he did, which gives2:32 him the authority to direct their activities. They would not have been there had it not been for god, and so it is with us. He is our creator.2:45 And as the creator, he has the authority to set the rules. This is, frankly, the major thrust behind the disproven theory of evolution to deny2:56 god as the creator. Because if there's no creator and we all just kinda happen to show up, then no 1 can tell us what to do. This all goes back to the rebellious fallen nature of3:08 man. Verse 3, you shall have no other gods before me. See, they were living in a time of polytheism. They had just come out of Egypt where there was a god for almost everything. Today, there are still3:20 polytheistic religions in the east, but in the west, atheism is growing. And this this is not the absence of God. It is making man3:33 a god and putting him above the lord god. You know, while atheist claim that they don't believe in god, they they are obsessed with trying to prove that there is no god. Why?3:44 Because it is inscribed upon the heart of man that there is a god who made us. Verse 4, you shall not make for yourselves a carved image any likeness of anything that3:56 is in heaven above or is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them, for I, the lord your God, am a jealous God,4:08 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. Idolatry listen to this. Idolatry4:20 is hatred of God, putting something in his place. This topic is revisited repeatedly throughout the Bible. God speaks of it often. Therefore, we4:32 should pay close attention to it and for good reason, because the consequences of idolatry are generational. But those who love God, the generational impact is even4:44 greater. Look at verse 6. But showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments. So what is loving God look like? Well, and Jesus said this in John 144:56 6. Jesus said, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. The idolatry today is not bowing down to some, wooden idol or silver and gold, but5:07 it's anything that takes the place of god of our worship, that is standing between us and our relationship with god. Verse 7, you shall5:19 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. Now taking the name of the Lord in vain is not just cursing5:31 or swearing. Includes that, but that's not just it. It includes much more. It includes hypocrisy. Hypocrisy, making a profession of God, saying that you're5:43 a follower of Jesus Christ, but not living accordingly. That is that is taking the name of the Lord in vain. But it also does include using the Lord's name lightly or5:54 carelessly. Fearing or reverencing God includes how we treat his name. You will we'll see this throughout scripture. His name his name is he jealously6:06 guards his name, and so should we. Look at what god says in verse 24. In every place where I record my name, I will come to you and I will bless you.6:18 Or a better translation would be where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and I will bless you. There is power in the name of God. God's name is powerful6:30 and it is special and it is to be revered. Verse 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 6 days, you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day of the Sabbath6:42 of the Lord your God, in it, you shall do no work. You, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within6:54 your gates. For in 6 days, the lord made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. This is a7:06 this is an issue of faith, trusting the Lord to provide. We're we're not working 7 days a week. It's also a a principle that we need rest, understanding that we're human and we need rest. Now we7:18 turn to the second table, our responsibility to to our fellow man. Recall Jesus when he summarized the 10 commandments in Matthew chapter 22 verse7:30 37, Jesus said to them, you shall love the lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like7:41 it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these 2 commandments hang all the law and the prophets. I mean, that's the Reader's Digest version. It's it is condensed. It it's,7:54 it totally summarizes what the law is. Love God and love man. And but, again, I go back. We can't love man unless we love God. It is8:05 through our relationship with God that we learn to love our fellow man. Verse 12, honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the lord your god is giving you. Notice8:18 where the, the second table, begins. In the home with the command to honor the mother and father. That's where it all starts, in8:30 the home. And what is tragic today is that we often have government entities undermining this commandment, undermining that relationship between parent and child. When8:41 when civil government officials, whether it be school, whether it be, legislative, at the state or federal level, undermining the authority of parents. They are actually8:53 undermining the very foundation of our society, and this only fuels lawlessness and chaos. Verse 13, you shall not murder. You you9:05 shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his9:17 female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, or his motor home, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Alright. Let me stop there for just a moment. Earlier, I saidHonoring Others, the Law's Purpose, and Grace 9:29 that I have broken the 10 commandments. Okay. So let me explain. Several years ago, someone had given me a replica of the 10 commandments in some type of imitation stone. Well, we put the 109:40 commandments on the mantle of our fireplace so that they would be prominently displayed. So 1 night, I was, building a fire and something I I I guess I pushed a log too hard, and it jarred9:52 the fireplace and the mantle. And the 10 commandments fell off the mantle onto my head and onto the floor, and they broke into pieces, resulting in me having to get out the gorilla10:04 glue to put the 10 commandments back together. Well, it reminded me that all of us have broken god's commands. Not not a single 1 of us can keep these. The scripture says that all have sinned10:16 and fallen short of the glory of God. But the Lord provided the 10 commandments not so that we could be saved by them or reconciled to him through those commandments, but so that we would know10:28 that we were sinners in need of his grace. Paul described it this way in his letter to the Galatians in Galatians 3 24. Therefore, the law was our tutor to10:40 bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. See, the law carried us to Christ because the law couldn't save us, but it showed10:51 us that we needed a savior. I I heard this analogy, which I think is very effective. The the the law is like the mirror in your bathroom. Alright? It reveals, but it doesn't clean. You can tell when your11:03 face is dirty. You can look in the mirror. You need to shave. It's in the mirror. But it's the sink that actually cleans. Jesus, his blood atonement on the cross is what washes11:15 away our sin. The 10 commandments are God's moral code. We can't be saved by them because we can't keep them. And, frankly, they were never intended to save us. They are the11:27 mirror reflecting the sin nature of our fallen character that leaves us in need of the washing blood, atoning blood11:39 of Jesus Christ. Alright. As we wrap this up, god's power and majesty were on display here as the 10 commandments were presented, so much so that the the people wanted11:50 Moses, to go on their behalf. Verse 19, then they said to Moses, you speak with us and we will hear, but let not God speak with us lest we die. There was a a a12:02 sense of God's holiness, a reverence, which is good which is good. Here, we see Moses as a as a type of Christ serving as a mediator between the people12:14 and God. Alright. Chapters 21 and 22 take the principles, as we talked about earlier, of the 10 commandments and then establish case law, practical application. Now these,12:26 these these these chapters cover a wide range of family, property, personal injury, justice in court, even social justice, if you will, and the worship of12:38 God. Now as you as you read through them, and please don't skip over them, it's important, you'll you'll be able to connect some of those to our laws today because12:50 their foundation is the 10 commandments. Alright. Later, we're gonna talk about precepts, principles, and preferences as we look through the Old Testament and how they13:02 apply to us today. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that leads us on this journey. Lord, open our eyes and our understanding that, Lord,13:13 that we would walk in reverence of you, empowered by you, and and, Lord, filled with the hope and joy that comes from knowing you.13:26 Thank you for your word. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Until next time, keep standing on the word.13:37 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:49 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Covenant Foundation and the 10 Commandments9:27 Honoring Others, the Law's Purpose, and Grace
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