Exodus 20:1-21 | “The Ten Words”

Preston Highlands Baptist Church

The Book of the Covenant

Exodus 19 begins one of the most important sections in the Bible. It’s when Israel arrives at Mount Sinai. Their stay at Mount Sinai is the heart of the Pentateuch.[1]

Chapters 19-24 is the heart of the heart. Moses calls it the “Book of the Covenant” (24:7). This “Book” has a prologue (ch. 19) and epilogue (ch. 24). In between, are the ten words (ch. 20) and the judgements (chs. 21-23), or the Ten Commandments and then several chapters of case law applying the commands to specific situations (“rules,” 21:1).

Chapters 19 and 24 are bookends to the “Book of the Covenant,” with 19 laying out the purpose of the covenant and 24 giving us the ratification ceremony for the covenant.

Chapter 19 is the beginning of what’s often called the Mosaic Covenant. Covenants are how the Lord relates to his people. There was a covenant at creation, a covenant with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and a new covenant.

The Ten Words that Create a Nation

The Ten Commandments is the heart of the heart of the heart of the Mosaic covenant. They teach Israel how God wants them to relate to him and to each other. These commands are about worship and social justice, about loving God and loving neighbors.

There’s something else happening with the Ten Commandments. They were originally called “Words” and not “Commands” (Ex. 34:28), and the reason there are ten of them is because God is connecting the covenant of creation with the covenant at Sinai.

In Genesis 1, we learn that God creates the universe simply by speaking, by his word. The phrase “and God said” is repeated ten times in Genesis 1. The entire creation was a result of the God’s word.

These “Ten Words” at Sinai create a new nation. God is creating spiritual and social order out of chaos. These commands are an act of re-creation, and like all of creation, Israel’s life exists as the result of the word of God. Their life hangs on the ten words of God.

Exodus 20 gives us these ten words/commands. Today we’ll consider these three questions: what are the commands, why are they given, and how does Jesus fulfill them?

What Are the Ten Commandments?

The Lord begins in verse 2 by reminding Israel who he is and what’s he done for them. Israel’s relationship with Yahweh is established on grace. Now they must learn what life with Yahweh looks like. The law flows out of grace. The law is based on God’s salvation, not a condition for his salvation. They’re already God’s people, now they must learn how to live as his people.

The First Commandment

The first command in verse 3 provides the framework needed to understand all the others. Yahweh and Yahweh alone deserves allegiance from Israel. They should put him first in their lives, not to pay him back, but because he’s worthy.

Worshipping only one distinct God would make them a distinct people among the nations. The cultures around them had pantheons of gods. The first commandment says that Yahweh doesn’t operate within a divine assembly. He’s not first among equals, the leader of a pantheon of gods.

Israel left a land of many gods and is headed into a land of many gods, so they must know that Yahweh alone is God.

The Second Commandment

The second command follows logically from the first one (vv. 4-6). Israel is prohibited from making any idol of any form. The command has a twofold meaning: Israel must not worship the idols of other nation’s gods and they must not worship their own God in the way the nations do.

Yahweh regulates the worship of his people. He creates, saves, and sustains them, and therefore has authority to tell them how to worship him.

This command has a threat for those who disobey (v. 5) and a promise for those who obey (v. 6). It’s not entirely clear what the punishment or promise means, but what we can take from this is that Yahweh cares deeply about idolatry. He wants to be in the center of his people’s hearts.

The Third Commandment

The third command (v. 7) is often understood to mean, “Don’t cuss or use the Lord’s name when swearing.” Those are good ideas, but not what this command is about.

God’s name is his identity, revealing the essence of who he is. Later it’s referred to as “the glorious and awesome name” (Deut. 28:58). It’s God’s personal name, connected to his salvation of Israel. It indicates God’s intimacy with his people. The nations know him as “God,” or “the God of Israel.” Israel knows him as Yahweh.

What does it mean to use his name “in vain”? There’s ambiguity here. It at least means that we don’t use it lightly, but respectfully. But the command could be said like this: “Do not bear the name of God deceitfully.” This happens today when we say God told us to do something forbidden in Scripture, or when we get baptized into “the name of God” and don’t live according to his ways.

The Fourth Commandment

The fourth commandment (vv. 8-11) is the longest commandment, letting us know how important it is. We learn later that the Sabbath is the sign of the Mosaic covenant (31:12-17).

There’s the command itself (v. 8), what it means to keep the command (vv. 9-10), and a reason for the command (v. 11). “Remembering” the sabbath isn’t a mental exercise, but something that requires action. “Remembering” your anniversary without doing anything about it won’t go well!

By “remembering” the sabbath, Israel is treating the day as separate, or holy, compared to the other six days. The command applies to every human and animal (v. 10). Israel’s work week should reflect the original work week (v. 11). This verse is the reason why we should rest. We should stop working because we didn’t make everything. God did. We’re not sovereign. God is. We say we believe God is in control, but if we never take time to rest, we’re contradicting what we say we believe. Resting reveals that we believe that God’s in control, not us.

The Fifth Commandment

It’s often noted that there are two “tables” of the law, or two sections. The first four commands are about how we relate to God, the last six about how we relate to one another. This may be why God wrote them on two tablets of stone. We turn now to the second table of the law.

The fifth commandment (v. 12) brings us into the home, the center of all human social life. What does it mean to “honor” our parents? Does it mean we do what they say no matter what? What if our parents are wrong? Do children ever outgrow this command?

The command doesn’t answer these questions for us. One Old Testament scholar notes:

“The Ten Commandments are consistently ambiguous…the Ten Commandments are not exhaustive pieces of legislation that account for each and every contingency and possibility. They are to be obeyed, but as to how, that is a matter of continual reflection by the Israelites as they continue to live and grow in the shadow of God’s love and protection.”[2]

The word “honor” is similar to the word for “glory” and means “to be weighty or valuable.” Children must not think lightly of their parents. But it’s more than an attitude, as Paul says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). The command assumes that parents are honorable, or treating their children in ways that please the Lord. The command is a two-way street, about how children treat their parents and how parents treat their children.

The Sixth Commandment

The prohibition against murder (v. 13) doesn’t mean that any taking of human life is wrong. In the Old Testament, killing is something done by God and the Israelites, with God’s approval.

The word for “murder” here doesn’t refer to killing someone in the context of war or as punishment for a crime, or capital punishment. In other words, there’s legitimate and illegitimate killing in the Old Testament. This command refers to any type of killing God doesn’t approve of.

Positively, the command highlights God’s claim upon every human life. As Creator, he gets to decide who lives and dies, not us.

The Seventh Commandment

The seventh commandment forbids adultery (v. 14). This command forbids married individuals from having sexual relations with anyone who’s not their spouse. Jesus interprets the command as more than a prohibition of the physical act, but also against what we think or feel in our hearts (Matt. 5:27-28). As Ray Ortlund says, when we lust after someone, “We may not be touching, but we’re still taking what’s not ours.”

The command is applied elsewhere to prohibit any sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman. It’s applied to all types of sexual relationships, whether homosexuality, incest, bestiality, or any form of sexual activity outside of marriage.

Question 11 in The New City Catechism asks, “What does God require in the seventh commandment?” Answer: “That we abstain from sexual immorality and live purely and faithfully, whether in marriage or in single life, avoiding all impure actions, looks, words, thoughts, or desires, and whatever might lead to them.”

The Eighth Commandment

The eighth commandment (v. 15) implies the right to own property. We have a right to keep what we rightfully own. Taking what’s not ours without consent is a high crime in God’s court and will create chaos and distrust in any society.

The Ninth Commandment

The ninth commandment (v. 16) is the command against perjury or lying in a judicial setting. God takes this law so seriously that he requires at least two witnesses for evidence to be considered valid (Num. 35:30) and the witnesses have to be the ones to throw the first stone if there’s a conviction (Deut. 17:7).

This command lays out a foundational principle to be applied in all areas of life. It applies to how we talk about one another, forbidding defamation, slander, or gossip. Every person has the right to their own reputation.

It applies to keeping promises and doing what we say we’re going to do. As Jesus says, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ anything more than this comes from evil” (Matt. 5:37). Or as Paul says, “Therefore, having put away all falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Eph. 4:25).

The Tenth Commandment

The tenth commandment (v. 17) is about the heart, not behaviors. “Coveting” is “an inordinate, ungoverned, selfish desire for something.”[3] It’s used in Genesis 3:6 referring to Eve’s desire for the fruit of the forbidden tree. Her sin wasn’t merely eating the fruit but craving the fruit.

You can see why David prays, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord” (Ps. 19:14). The Lord is concerned with our hearts and our hands. He wants his people to do the right thing and want to do the right thing.

The Lord wants his people to be content with what he’s given them, not envying others for what they have or resenting what God has given them or us.

Why Are the Commands Given to Israel?

Why does the Lord give Israel these ten commandments? For at least three reasons: to reveal God’s character, to order God’s society, and to show them their need for God’s grace.

To Reveal God’s Character

Verses 18-21 tell us how Israel responded to God speaking these “Ten Words” directly to them. Verse 20 can be paraphrased like this, “Do not be afraid. God is giving you a taste of himself so that this memory will stick with you to keep you from sinning.”[4]

The people must live in the fear of God and not sin against his holiness. The Lord isn’t giving them these commands as simply good rules to live by. They’re meant to show them his nature. They aren’t guidelines for a successful life, but a reflection of God’s character. They show us what he likes and doesn’t like. The ten commandments help us understand God.

To Order God’s People

The second reason for the law is to order God’s people. The point of the commands isn’t to make Israel “nice people,” but to make them a “holy nation.” They’re given to people who’re already redeemed, not to people who need to be redeemed. They’re given to the redeemed community, not just to individuals. The commands are meant to build a culture that will display the greatness and goodness of God. The Lord wants Israel to be world-changers, not just religious rule-keepers.

This means that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to order the life of God’s people, not all people. Is it good for all people to tell the truth, etc? Of course. But why are we so surprised when God’s law is broken by people never intended to keep it in the first place?

There’s a danger in misunderstanding this purpose of the law. As one writer says, “Expecting unbelievers to keep God’s law, or even to respect it, blurs the sharp divide between those who are God’s people and those who are not….To single out the Ten Commandments and set them up as a standard of conduct for unbelievers or American society in general indicates not only a misunderstanding of the purpose of the Ten Commandments, but of the good news itself. Christ died and rose to provide another way. We should do nothing to make that way obscure.”[5]

To put it more bluntly: “God’s laws are for his people. Those who do not know him are walking tombs. They do not need whitewashing but complete renovation, from the inside out.”[6]

People outside of Christ need resurrection, not rules. Being right with God isn’t about following rules but about faith and repentance. Expecting moral excellence from people without the Holy Spirit is wishful thinking at best and sends the wrong gospel message at worst. Those without Christ can do lots of good, but they don’t do it to please God, so their righteousness is tainted. Our lawless culture the gospel, not the law.

To Reveal Our Need for God’s Grace

Does this mean that God’s law has no place or purpose in an unbeliever’s life? No! The third purpose of the law is to show us that we can’t keep the law, or to show us our need for grace.

As the apostle Paul says, “Through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). We’re all sinners because we’ve all broken God’s law, “sin is lawlessness” (1 Jn. 3:4). “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside…no one does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:10-12).

Since Adam and Eve, no one keeps the law perfectly. We all break it in our thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions. The law is God’s gift because it shows us how far we are from God, and it brings us to Christ, the only One who perfectly kept the law and then received the penalty of the law, death, for everyone who’ll trust in him.

How Does Jesus Fulfill the Ten Commandments?

I want to close by moving from one mountain to another. Go with me from Mount Sinai to the Mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to the top and is transfigured before them. Similar to Sinai, God’s presence comes down on this mountain with a cloud and God speaks and the disciples are terrified (Mk. 9:2-8).

Moses and Elijah are on the mountain, representing the Law and the Prophets. Instead of ten commandments, God only gives one: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him” (v. 7).

Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh, revealing God in the fullest possible way. The law pales in comparison. Jesus is the final and ultimate word from God, the true summary of the Law and Prophets. The Father commands us to “listen to him.”

If we want to hear God’s word today, we must hear Jesus. He fulfills and transforms the law. He is God’s new law.[7]

The universe hangs on the ten words of God, Israel’s life hangs on the ten words of God, your life hangs on the Word of God, Jesus Christ. Are you listening to him?

[1]We know this because of how long they stay there (one year) and how much material is devoted to their stay there (57 chapters). To put this in perspective, Genesis 1-Exodus 18 covers 2600 years in 68 chapters, Exodus 18-Numbers 10 covers 1 year in 57 chapters, and Numbers 11-Deuteronomy 34 covers 40 years in 59 chapters.

[2]Peter Enns, Exodus, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 421.

[3]John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Exodus: Volume 2, Chapters 19-40 (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2001), 49.

[4]Enns, 426.

[5]Ibid., 432-3.

[6]Ibid., 433.

[7]Edmund P. Clowney, How Jesus Transforms the Ten Commandments (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007), xiv.