Scripture Reflection Notes Week beginning Monday, March 5 Exodus 20: 1-17

Exodus 20:1-17 20:1 Then God spoke all these words:

20:2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;

20:3 you shall have no other gods before me.

20:4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

20:6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

20:7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

20:8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.

20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

20:10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.

20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

20:13 You shall not murder.

20:14 You shall not commit adultery.

20:15 You shall not steal.

20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Ten Commandments - Bible Story Summary By Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide See More About:

Symbol of the Ten Commandments Image Credit: © Sue Chastain

Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Ten Commandments - Story Summary: Shortly after God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, they traveled through the desert to Sinai where they camped in front of Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai, also called Mount Horeb, is a very significant place. There God met and spoke with Moses, telling him why he had rescued Israel from Egypt. For God had chosen these people to be made into a holy nation of priests for God, his treasured possession. One day God called Moses to the top of the mountain and he gave him the first part of his new system of laws for his people - the Ten Commandments. (These Ten Commandments summarized the absolutes of spiritual and moral living that God intended for his people. God continued to give direction to his people through Moses, including the civil and ceremonial laws for managing their lives and their worship. Eventually God called Moses to the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. During this time he gave him instructions for the tabernacle and the offerings. When God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him two tablets of stone inscribed by the very finger of God. They contained the Ten Commandments.

Meanwhile, the people of Israel had become impatient while waiting for Moses to return with a message from God. Moses had been gone for so long that the people gave up on him and begged Aaron (Moses' brother) to build them an altar so they could worship. So Aaron collected offerings of gold from all the people and built an idol cast in the shape of a calf. Then they held a festival and bowed down to worship their idol. So quickly they had fallen back into the idolatry they were accustomed to in Egypt and disobeyed God's new commands.

When Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets of stone, his anger burned when he saw the people given over to idolatry. He threw down the two tablets, smashing them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Then Moses destroyed the golden calf, burning it in the fire. Moses and God proceeded to discipline the people for their sin. Later God instructed Moses to chisel two new stone tablets, just like the ones he had written with his own finger.

Points of Interest from the Story: • The Ten Commandments were spoken to Moses in God's own voice and then later written on two tablets of stone by the very finger of God. They are extremely important to God. After Moses destroyed the tablets inscribed by God, he made Moses write new ones, just like the ones he had written himself.

• The Ten Commandments are the first part of God's law system. In essence, they are a summary of the hundreds of laws found in the Old Testament Law. They offer basic rules of behavior for spiritual and moral living. They were designed to guide Israel into a life of practical holiness. These laws still instruct us today, for they expose sin and show us God's standard. Without the sacrifice of Christ we are utterly helpless to live up to God's holy standard.

• Moses destroyed the tablets in his anger. The breaking of the tablets was symbolic of the laws of God being broken in the hearts of the people. Moses had righteous anger at the sight of sin. Anger at sin is a sign of spiritual health. It is appropriate to experience righteous anger, however, we should always be careful that it does not lead us to sin.

What did Jesus have to say about the Ten Commandments? Source: http://www.allabouttruth.org/ten-commandments-and- jesus-faq.htm

Ever wonder what Jesus thought of the Ten Commandments? The answer can be found in John 8:36 where it says, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

The Ten Commandments represent the law given by God to his people by way of Moses. In addition to defining God's idea of perfection, they provide a moral code for governing our lives. Most of us believe we are able to keep these commandments, but the truth is-none of us can. God's standards are so high, they are impossible to perfectly meet.

What did Jesus think of the Ten Commandments? He agreed that they are impossible for you and me to keep. That's why He came.

As a man, Jesus understood our limitations. But because He was also fully God, He was able to become the perfect, sinless man on our behalf. God's law demands a sacrifice for breaking His law. Jesus became that sacrifice.

If the Ten Commandments are impossible for us to keep, why did God give them? If we look closely, we'll see that the commandments are based on a simple, positive foundation of love. All of us would rather hear about what we can do rather than what we are forbidden to do. But an honest examination of the Ten Commandments reveals that God's message contains more what "to do" than "not to do" items.

The Ten Commandments teach us how to first love God, and then love our neighbor. When God is first in our lives, the rest comes naturally. Let's take a walk together through the 10 Commandments. . .where we'll discover they lead to Jesus.

The first commandment says, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). In other words, love God above everything. It's all too easy for us to push God aside in favor of the latest fad, fashion trend, or superstar. We can become easily obsessed with wrong ideas about success. If God is truly first in our lives, we'll find balance and grow to godly maturity. In time, we'll also discover we can be satisfied with what we have.

God wants us to use his name positively, not in vain. He wants us to concentrate on his word and his ways, on remembering the Sabbath day by honoring God with our choices. It is good to honor our father and mother; we should always treat family members with respect.

Do not kill, do not commit adultery, and do not steal. Those three commandments value life and relationship and respecting others.

Not bearing false witness against your neighbor, and not coveting what belongs to your neighbor applies to men and women, young and old -- everyone. Consider how much more peaceful our world would be if everyone kept these commandments.

Each commandment is a separate rule but together they offer directions on how to live without sin. As long as we are in this world, we will find it difficult not to sin. The good news is, Jesus came to rescue us from the penalty of sin. This does not mean we should willfully sin; as we've discussed, the Ten Commandments are given for our personal and mutual benefit. But if we accept the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, we can escape the judgment for sin -- which is eternal life, separated from God.

So, do you wonder what Jesus says about the 10 commandments?

His answer lies at the foot of a cross, but started a long time ago, when God used His Almighty finger to write some commandments to live by. And the one time He did, they were meant for all time.

Jesus did not do away with the moral law at the cross, but his sacrifice for mankind revealed the grace and forgiveness available to us.

If we live by these laws on our own, we would know heaven on earth. Because we are unable to, we live in a sinful world. That's why we need a Savior, and His name is Jesus.

What does Jesus say about the Ten Commandments? He asks us to look at the Cross of Calvary where he died to set us free.

Questions:

Do you think God intended one of the commandments to be more important than the others? Which commandment do you personally struggle with the most?

What do you do to honor the Sabbath?

Do the Ten Commandments scare you?

Do you think any of the commandments are outdated?

Do we pick and choose which commandment to obey? What idols do we have today (consider Commandment 4)?