Week 23 - Exodus 20

Exodus 20 has the Ten Commandments, but they don’t really apply to us today, do they? Certainly. After all, the moral applications found in the Ten Commandments are God’s directives on how to love Him, our family, and our neighbors, as shown in Rom. 13:8-10).

(Y’know, “Know God, Love Each Other, Service Our Neighbors” would be a great motto live by.)

First, consider this: the Ten Commandments are listed twice in the Bible, so they’re obviously very important. Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The Lord gave them to Israel within approximately a year after they came out of Egypt, then repeated them almost 40 years later when Israel was about to go into the Promised Land. 

Also, the Ten Commandments were written on stone to represent their permanent, binding nature. God’s Law “endures forever” (Ps. 19:9). This is also evident in the fact that the Lord instructed Moses to place the tablets of the law in the ark of the covenant, which was then placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (Ex. 25:16, 40:20; Heb. 9:4).

So, how do the Ten Commandments apply today? They’re great guidelines for how we should act and feel. God has always intended that His law be kept in its fullness within the human heart. This is what Jesus Christ meant when He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets? I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

But, you may say, we don’t make graven images and worship them as is mentioned in Exodus 20:4. We may not make golden calves or idols of Baal, but we can worship false gods like money and power.

You may say that we don’t remember the Sabbath Day. But we do need a day of rest.

A Beyond Today article (https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/how-do-the-ten-commandments-apply-today) sums it up well: “Think about what kind of world it would be if everyone obeyed the Ten Commandments. No one would steal from another or cheat on a mate. Everyone would honor and respect their parents. No one would kill or harm anyone intentionally. We could forget about the need to lock our doors or guard our possessions because everyone would respect our property. The world would be a safe place, where absolutely no one would be afraid of anyone doing them harm. And everyone would worship God in a manner that is pleasing to Him.”

—Dennis Sellers