Exodus 20
You may recall from our discussion in Genesis 1 this foundational truth: because God created the world and all that is in it, He has the authority to set the rules by which His world is governed. Today, we are presented with authoritative commands that God expected His people (those who had just agreed to do all that God had spoken) to obey.
Before giving them this initial list, God reminds the people of Israel that He was the One who saved them from the hands of unmerciful Egyptian rulers, thus delivering them from slavery. This truth should have served as the basis for their obedience, as when presented with the reality of what God did for them, the Israelites should have been inspired to do as their Deliverer said. Likewise, I have heard it recommended that we should preach the message of the gospel to ourselves daily. By doing so, we remind ourselves of where and who we were before our Lord Jesus rescued us from bondage to sin. And now with the freedom He has won for us, our hearts should be motivated to lovingly and gratefully respond to our Savior in obedience. As pastor Alan Redpath says, “My obedience therefore is not legal, but inspired by love and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. Does New Testament grace allow a lower standard than Old Testament law? The standard under grace is higher.”[i]
Speaking of love for God, the first of the Ten Commandments is: “You shall have no other gods before me” (v. 3). For the Israelites, keep in mind they had just left a culture in Egypt that had many gods, many of which God asserted His authority over during the ten plagues He brought upon that land. It was also popular in that day to worship the gods of materialism (Baal) and sex (Ashteroth). But if the Israelites could only keep this initial commandment to put God first, adherence to the other laws to come would follow.
Jesus said the greatest command was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Oh friends, if we would completely surrender our hearts to God in love and lay down our lives for and to Him, we could joyfully agree that all of God’s commands are for our good, and we would delight in obeying them.
As you read through Exodus 20, I want to offer a word of caution, as well as one of encouragement. First, do not approach the provision of these commandments as a list of things to check off or avoid doing. Such a strategy will put you in the boat of pharisaical legalism really quickly, and you’ll soon grow discouraged at your inability to do what God outlines for His people in this chapter. And even if you find yourself like the rich young ruler we meet in Matthew 19, who claimed to have kept all the commandments, Jesus elevates the Law many times in the Gospels, calling His followers to give all they are and have to Him—an unachievable standard by fallen man’s perspective.
Which leads to the point of encouragement. If no one can perfectly keep these commandments, one may ask what their purpose is. Simply, “The Ten Commandments were never given with the thought that one might earn heaven by obeying them all perfectly or adequately. The covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai was much bigger than the law, though that was its first and perhaps most dramatic aspect.”[ii] As is hinted at in the final passage of our reading today (and will be elaborated on in the days to come), “Another aspect of the covenant was sacrifice, which was given because both God and Israel knew that it was impossible for them to keep this law perfectly, and they must depend on the sacrifice of an innocent victim as a substitute for the guilty law-breaker. In this sense, the Ten Commandments were like a mirror that showed Israel their need for sacrifice.”[iii] In the same way, aren’t you thankful to serve a God who sent His Son to not only fulfill the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17), but also to serve as the spotless, substitutionary sacrifice who would forever wipe out our sins (1 John 2:2)? Amazing grace, indeed!
- - - - - -
Journal responses to the following prompts:
· As you read through the Ten Commandments, which one is most challenging for you to embrace?
· How does daily reminding yourself of the message of the gospel spur you on to lovingly obey God?
[i] Redpath, A. (1994). “Law and liberty: The Ten Commandments for today.” Fleming H. Revell Company.
[ii] Study Guide for Exodus 20. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved March 12, 2026, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/exodus/exodus-20.cfm
[iii] ibid