And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18

We already revealed that God wrote the ten commandments with His own hands upon tables of stone. Although the Scriptures don’t directly reveal why God chose to write the ten commandments upon tables of stone as opposed to sheets of papyrus, it’s logical to assume that the stone declared the permanence of the law.

The moral code of ten commandments are ten principles. Remember, these principles never change; thus we see God writing ten precepts in stone rather than Moses writing ten rules on papyrus sheets. These ten principles are direct in their declarations, but we will see in later studies that they are also broad in their applications. However, for now, we will briefly examine each of these commandments.

1) Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3

All the other commandments are contingent on this command. In a world surrounded by nations that worshipped false gods, the Children of Israel were supposed to love and serve the One True God with all their hearts. They were to make God first in everything they did and acknowledge Him as ruler and trust in His power for help and protection.

2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:4-6

Some of the surrounding heathen nations claimed that their images were symbols by which they worshipped the Deity. However, in this second command, God forbade creating images to worship even if they were supposed to represent the One True God. Had Israel created images and idols to represent God, they would be more attracted to the image than to God Himself. God wanted a direct connection with His people. God viewed worshipping false gods as spiritual adultery which is why He then revealed to them that He is a jealous God.

3) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Exodus 20:7

This commandment prohibits false oaths and swearing-to-God pledges; however, it also demands that we hold the name of God with respect and reverence. The Psalmist confirms this idea when he says, For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. (Psalms 139:20)

4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11

The Sabbath was designed to be a day of remembrance. God ceased after His work of creation was complete and He blessed and sanctified the seventh day (Saturday) in Genesis 2:3.

• Israel was prohibited from common labor on this day to focus on remembering their Creator. However, the Sabbath was not only about rest, it was also a day that consisted of corporate worship. (Leviticus 23:3).
• The Sabbath was so important to God that He deemed Israel was to prepare their food before the Sabbath (Exodus 16:22-23).
• The Sabbath was a perpetual covenant with Israel (Exodus 31:16).
• The Sabbath also carried a blessing for those who kept it holy as God commanded (Isaiah 56:2).
• Even non-Jews who decided to worship the True God were expected to keep the Sabbath holy (Isaiah 56:6)

Had the Jews maintained their position of favor with God, the whole world would have still been observing the Sabbath day (Isaiah 66:23).

5) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12

Raising a child is one of the most important duties on this earth. Good parents can instill good behavior in their children. While it is still possible for a child to veer off the path set by their parents, the Bible is clear when it says, Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6). God gave Israelite parents the authority to raise their children and required their children to honor and respect their parents. God deemed this commandment so important that it came with the promise of a long life in the land God gave them.

6) Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13

God forbade murder among His people. Though God permitted killing as a means of defending oneself or taking life during times of war, the senseless act of murdering for gain or selfish reasons was prohibited.

7) Thou shalt not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

God ensured to protect marriage as one of the first institutions established. Purity of his people was important and marriages filled with distrust and betrayal had the potential to bring ruin to His people. It is hard to worship God in spirit and truth when one’s marriage is filled with infidelity.

8) Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15

This command made it forbidden for Israel to take what was not theirs. God’s people were not to be engaged in acts of theft and robbery. God wanted His people to have the utmost integrity publicly and privately. This command covered a wide range, from stealing human beings and trading them as slaves, to robbing God by refusing to return tithes and offering.

9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Exodus 20:16

This command is given so that the Children of Israel would be truthful in all their dealings. God’s people were not to engage in lying in order to slander or speak evil of an individual. In this manner, God intended to protect the reputation of individuals from those who desired to misrepresent the character of others.

10) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. Exodus 20:17

This commandment is geared towards selfish desire. Here, God struck at the root of all sin, which is lust. When we look at the commandments we can see that they all begin through selfish motives. As God’s representatives, Israel was to abstain from all manner of sinful desires.

These are God’s ten commandments; they are the principles of His moral code of conduct. Unfortunately, the minds of God’s chosen people weren’t able to fully grasp the principles of God’s ten commandments. Therefore, God gave Moses additional precepts so the Children of Israel might better understand the principles of God’s moral law. We will take a closer look at these laws in our next study!