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Lesson 6 Sinai: God Gives His Law

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Lesson 6 Sinai: God Gives His Law 128 Lesson 6 Sinai: God Gives His Law Bible Reference: Exodus 19—20 ü The Ten Commandments Today: Application handout, one per student To the Teacher When God made a covenant with the people of Israel Background at Mount Sinai, he gave them moral laws, summarized In Exodus 19–20, God demonstrated his great holiness in the Ten Commandments. God wanted his people to and called the Israelites to mirror him in being a holy obey him because he had first loved them and saved people themselves. In Exodus 19 God revealed his them. Help students see that the Ten Commandments holiness through terrifying sights and sounds: thunder, were never a way for people to work themselves up to lightning, thick cloud, trumpet blast, fire, smoke, and God by proving they were good. The Israelites should shaking earth. The people could only communicate have obeyed the commandments out of gratitude for with God through the appointed mediator, Moses. The God’s saving them, not as a way to merit God’s favor. people had to be consecrated and purified, and they Similarly, because God has been gracious and has had to be careful not to overstep God’s boundaries. To redeemed us, we too should want to live according to overstep these boundaries meant death. This chapter God’s law. Jesus affirmed the moral code contained in should remind us of what an awesome and terrifying the Ten Commandments, so these are also our rules for thing God’s holiness is. Proper responses to God’s holi- holy living, as we live under the new covenant in Christ. ness include humility, conviction of sin, adoration, and repentance. Lesson Highlights Through the covenant at Mount Sinai, the Israelites were set apart to be holy. They were to be a nation The Ten Commandments are part of the covenant * especially loved and treasured by God, but also es- God made with the people of Israel. They are life- pecially called to holiness, so that they could draw the giving, because they teach us what God desires for other nations of the world to God. The holy living of the humanity. Israelites would show the rest of the world what a right * The Ten Commandments are a summary of many relationship with God looked like. more laws God gave in the Old Testament. As with every covenant, the loyalty required in the cov- Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments in two * enant (i.e., the Ten Commandments) was also prefaced commandments: loving God (commandments 1-4) with a record of the king’s kindness and grace. Notice and loving others (commandments 5-10). how God first reminded the Israelites of his loving care * The Ten Commandments never are and never have for them, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought been a way to earn salvation or earn God’s approval. you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Therefore] * We are still called to obey the moral law of the Old have no other gods before me.” Testament. Lesson Steps Preparation/Materials Bridge ü teacher resource sheet, see page 149 (electronic copy available at www.csionline.org/high_school_bi- 1. Ask students how they think our broader culture ble_resources) perceives the Ten Commandments. What ideas do people have about the Ten Commandments? ü The Ten Commandments Today handout, one per (Allow for discussion.) student 2. Ask students which commandments they think most people remember. Which ones do they 129 50 51 Lesson 6 Lesson 6 alty. Here at Mount Sinai, God made another by ten general commandments. And these covenant with his chosen people, explaining ten general commandments can be sum- Sinai: God Gives His LawSinai: God Gives His Law that he was to be their king and they were marized by two even more basic commands: to obey him. God promised that something love God and love your neighbor. wonderful would result if Israel lived out its Unit 2 Since Jesus affirmed the ongoing impor- Exodus 19–20 relationship with God before a watching world. He said, “If you obey me fully and tance of the Old Testament’s moral laws, his Sometimes the Ten Commandments are keep my covenant, then . you will be for followers should also affirm the importance portrayed as a long list of “thou shall nots.” me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” of these laws. We are still called to obey the People think there is no fun or joy in the (Exodus 19:5–6). The Israelites’ holy liv- Ten Commandments, because they reveal commandments, and that they’re just a list ing would show the rest of the world what a God’s moral code that never changes. The of forbidden activities. right relationship with God looked like. They things that God loves and hates—the things would be living testimonies and witnesses of that are right and wrong—are unchanging That is not what God’s Law is really like. how God can redeem people from sin and throughout history. God’s Law is actually wonderful and life- restore the goodness of creation. giving, because it teaches us what God Unit 2 desires for humanity. It points us back to At first glance, the Ten Commandments may creation, back to how humans lived when seem like just ten arbitrary rules out of the the world was perfect. For instance, Adam hundreds of rules God could have men- Reflection Questions and Eve were always loving and apprecia- tioned. What about “Thou shall not cheat on Hammurabi’s Laws 1. The Ten Commandments teach us about tive before the Fall. Only after the Fall did tests” or “Thou shall not view pornography”? Probably the best-known laws of God’s holiness. In what ways did God we began hating and destroying one another Why aren’t those listed in the Ten Com- the ancient world are Hammurabi’s. demonstrate his holiness in Exodus 19, These ancient Babylonian laws so that God now has to tell us, “Don’t mur- mandments? just before giving the Law? date to about 1750 B.C., about 500 der! Here is how to be good again.” years before God gave the Ten The Ten Commandments actually do forbid 2. Only one commandment contains the But while the Ten Commandments show Commandments to Moses. Known cheating and pornography. Each command- promise of a reward for obeying it. Write as the Code of Hammurabi, this col- us what it means to be holy and good, they ment outlines a broad area of life, such as out the command and the promise. Why lection of more than 300 laws dealt were not given to the people of Israel as a private property (the eighth commandment), do you think obeying that command may with family matters, wages, and way to earn God’s favor. Notice that the Ten murder. Many of Hammurabi’s laws sexuality (the seventh commandment), our lead to the blessing it describes? Commandments begin with God remind- relationship with authorities (the fifth com- did not apply equally to all people. 3. Explain what God meant by the fourth The laws changed according to a ing the people of how he saved them. “I am mandment), and so on. Commandments commandment, “Remember the Sab- person’s status in society, and laws the Lord your God, who brought you out of 1–4 speak to our relationship with God and bath.” What reason is given for this com- about slaves were especially harsh. Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Therefore], commandments 5–10 address our relation- Hammurabi’s laws also allowed for mandment? you shall have no other gods before me” ship with other people. That is why we often retaliation—hurting someone who (Exodus 20:2–3). hurt you. speak of “two tables of the Law.” The first table deals with relating properly to God, The same pattern is true for us. We need The Ten Commandments that God and the second table deals with relating gave at Mount Sinai were unique. to be reminded that God brought us out of properly to others. They didn’t change depending on slavery to sin, and therefore, as a response, an individual’s status, and they were we should worship him above all other gods. set in place to limit retaliation and Jesus himself summarized the law this way. Obeying is our response of gratitude to harshness. The laws that God gave He said that all the Law and the Prophets to Israel were also unusual because God’s salvation; it is not a way that we earn hang on two commandments: loving the Lord they dealt with both the thought and his salvation. with all your heart and loving your neighbor actions of God’s people. Most other as yourself (Matthew 22:37–40). Thus, we laws in the ancient world directed This should not be surprising, knowing what should understand that the Ten Command- only actions. we now know about covenants. We have ments are themselves just a summary of seen that covenants begin with a statement many more laws (perhaps hundreds) that of the king’s past kindness to his subjects; God gave throughout the Old Testament. that is followed by the requirements of loy- The many specific laws can be summarized Lesson 6 | Sinai: God Gives His Law probably forget? (They probably remember “Don’t murder,” “Don’t steal,” “Don’t commit adultery.” They probably forget the first four commandments about our relationship with God.) 3. Ask students how many of the Ten Commandments they think most Americans can remember.
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