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Exodus 20:1-17 ESV
1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
I. The God Who Gives the Law
A. The Law tells us much about the Law Giver.
B. On the macro level, the 10 Commandments tell us: God is personal, gracious, holy, eternal, and love.
C. On the micro level, they tell us:
1. God is God alone (#1, v3)
2. God must be worshipped the right way, the way He tells us. (#2, v4)
3. God is Spirit & jealous & zealous for reverence of His name (#2 & #3, v5-7)
4. God is God every day of the week (#4, v8-11)
5. God is our authority & authoritative over those who sit in authority. (#5, v12)
6. God alone is sovereign over life and death. (#6, v13)
7. God is faithful to His people & promises. (#7, v14)
8. God is a giver. (#8, v15)
9. God is not a liar, and only ever speaks the truth. (#9, v16)
10. God alone is enough for us. (#10, v17)
II. Getting to Know the Law
A. Rules for interpreting the 10 Commandments:
1. The Reformation Rule: Scripture interprets scripture.
2. The Inside Out Rule: The commands deal with not only what we do, our deeds, but what we desire.
3. The Atom Rule: The positive and negative in one rule.
4. The Category Rule: The commands aren’t just specific but include every sin of a similar nature.
5. The Cain and Abel Rule: We are responsible not just for our own obedience but to spur others on to obedience as well.
6. The First 4 or Precedent Rule: First 4 supersede the other 6.
III. The Gospel and the Law of Moses
A. The New Testament does not cancel, but rather confirms,the law of Moses.
B. God as Creator has the authority to give us the Law and expect we keep it.
C. Our reception of grace does not cancel out our need for the law.
NEXT STEPS: Christ and the Commandments
IV. The Representative of God and Man (24-25)
A. Understanding the details of the law helps us understand the depths of Christ’s obedience to it.
B. Understanding the jot and tittle of the law helps us understand the justification Jesus offers.