Sample Lesson

Lesson 15

The God of the 10 Commandments

Tips for Leading this Lesson


1. Be sure the focus of this lesson is on God, not on His commandments. Exodus 20:1-2 is vital to understand as the basis for all that is involved in the law outlined in this passage.
   
   
2. Key points to emphasize:
   
   
   1. Man is obligated to act in keeping with the character of God
      
      
   2. Man is incapable in himself of fulfilling that obligation


Lesson Outline


1. As we closed last time, we saw Israel leaving Egypt after God's tenth and final plague on the Egyptians
   
   
2. This time we will briefly mention a number of Israel's experiences after leaving Egypt and then focus on just one of them
   
   
3. Notice what happens immediately after departing from Egypt
   
   
   1. God's guiding presence - Exodus 13:21-22
      
      
   2. Red Sea (Sea of Reeds) crossing - Exodus 14-15
      
      
   3. Israel complains about the water - Exodus 15:22-26
      
      
      1. The water at Marah was bitter
         
         
      2. God has Moses throw a certain tree in it
         
         
      3. The water becomes sweet
      
      
   4. Israel complains about the food - Exodus 16
      
      
      1. Israel wants Egyptian food
         
         
      2. God provides miraculous food every day for about 40 years!
         
         
         a)    Morning - manna
         
         b)    Evening - quail
      
      
   5. Israel complains about the water - Exodus 17
      
      
      1. No water
         
         
      2. Moses strikes a designated rock
         
         
      3. Water comes out for the people to drink
      
      
   6. Israel arrives at Sinai - Exodus 19
      
      
      1. God's promise to Moses - Exodus 3:12
         
         
      2. God's faithfulness to His word - Exodus 19:1
      
      
   
   
4. It is here that God and Israel make a covenant with each other, one on which we will concentrate now and which we often call the Law of Moses



1. THE NATURE OF GOD'S COVENANT Exodus 19:3-6
   
   
   1. Its basis: what God had already done - 19:3-4
      
      
   2. Its condition: complete obedience - 19:5
      
      
   3. Its consequences
      
      
      1. For obedience: blessing - Exodus 19:5-6
         
         
         1. Life - Deuteronomy 30:16
            
            
         2. Leviticus 26:3-13
            
            
         3. Deuteronomy 28:1-14
         
         
      2. For disobedience: cursing
         
         
         1. Death - Deuteronomy 30:17
            
            
         2. Leviticus 26:14-39
            
            
         3. Deuteronomy 28:15-68
   
   
2. THE GLORY OF GOD'S BEING Exodus 19:10-19a
   
   
3. THE TERMS OF GOD'S COVENANT Exodus 20:1-17
   
   ** Its basis: who God is ("I am the Lord your God") and what He has done ("who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery") - 20:1-2
   
   
   1. Absolutely exclusive worship 20:3
      
      
      1. The basis for this command: Isaiah 45:5
         
         
      2. The meaning of this command
         
         
         1. Positively: Israel must live in keeping with the reality that God is the only God
            
            
         2. Negatively: no one and nothing is allowed to occupy God's supreme role in life
            
            
            1. No person
               
               
            2. No spirit being
               
               
            3. No animal
               
               
            4. No object - money, car, house
               
               
            5. No activity - work, sports, hobby
      
      
   2. Absolutely genuine worship 20:4-6
      
      
      1. The meaning of this command: the one true God must not be worshiped through any material representations
         
         
         1. No material representations may be worshiped instead of God
            
            
         2. No material representations may be used in worshiping the one true God
            
            
            1. Note: it is possible to have images connected with worship without worshiping other gods
               
               
            2. Observation: however, to do so is abominable to God
         
         
      2. The content of this command
         
         
         1. Must not make such representations
            
            
         2. Must not worship such representations
            
            
         3. Must not serve such representations
         
         
      3. The reason for this command
         
         
         1. Any representation materializes God's spirituality
            
            
         2. Any representation limits God's infinity
            
            
         3. Any representation limits God's holiness
            
            
            1. Which is not merely passive (objects can be passively holy)
               
               
            2. But which is active
            
            Principle: nothing and no one can accurately represent God, except God!
            
            Observe: God is intensely concerned about being known and worshiped accurately and appropriately - 20:5-6
      
      
   3. Absolutely reverent worship 20:7
      
      Principle: God's name represents His person and character. Therefore, to misuse His name reflects one's attitude toward Him.
      
      
      1. Falsehood under oath violates God as truth - Leviticus 19:12
         
         
      2. Naming God casually violates God as holy
         
         
         1. Leviticus 19:12
            
            
         2. Definition: "profane" = to treat as common
      
      
   4. Absolutely regular rest 20:8-11
      
      
      1. Why? - based on God's example
         
         
      2. Does He mean business about this with Israel? - Numbers 15:32-36
      
      
   5. Absolute parental honor 20:12
      
      
      1. Idea: this involves obedience, respect and honor
         
         
      2. Principle: parents are stewards of children for God - Psalm 127:3
         
         
      3. Notice: Deuteronomy 21:18-21
      
      
   6. Absolute respect for human life 20:13
      
      
      1. Principle: human life was created by God in His image
         
         
      2. Therefore: no one has the right to take human life unless so commanded by God (cf. Genesis 9:6-9)
         
         
      3. Notice: Exodus 21:12
         
         
      4. Observation: God considers the emotion and attitude which leads to murder equivalent to murder itself! (Matthew 5:21-22)
      
      
   7. Absolute marital faithfulness 20:14
      
      Principle: marriage is God's institution (Genesis 2) and He calls on humans to reflect His faithfulness in their loyalty to their spouses
      
      
      1. Physically - Exodus 20:14
         
         
      2. Mentally (Matthew 5:27-28)
      
      
   8. Absolute respect for the property of others 20:15
      
      
      1. Question: how valuable must something be before taking it from another is stealing?
         
         
      2. Principle: everything a person "owns" was entrusted to him/her as a steward by God. To take that person's possessions is to violate God's plan of stewardship and dishonor Him as the ultimate owner.
      
      
   9. Absolutely truthful testimony 20:16
      
      
      1. Formal (courtroom)
         
         
      2. Informal (conversation)
         
         
         Principle: God's "trueness" and truthfulness are to be reflected in our conversations and testimonies
         
         Observation: even "little white lies" are a serious affront to His absolute truthfulness
      
      
   10. Absolute personal contentment 20:17
       
       
       1. Definition: covet = desire, want
          
          
       2. Idea: desiring what belongs to someone else
          
          
       3. Principle: discontentment with what we have is a direct insult to God's sovereign wisdom, power and goodness, claiming that He either . . .
          
          
          1. Does not know what is best for us, or . . .
             
             
          2. Cannot provide what is best for us, or . . .
             
             
          3. Will not provide what is best for us


CONCLUSION


1. Question: Did God give these commands as advice or as requirements?
   
   
2. Notice Israel's response to these commands - Exodus 24:3
   
   
3. Question: was it possible for Israel to keep their promise?
   
   
   1. Is it possible for us to perfectly obey these commands?
      
      
   2. Do we get credit for "trying"? (James 2:10)
   
   
4. Question: then why did God give these commands?
   
   
   1. They reflect His awesome uniqueness and perfectly holy character
      
      
   2. They reveal man's inner sinfulness and resultant impossibility of pleasing God by doing His will
      
      
   3. They show how truly man deserves God's judgment as sinners condemned to eternal separation from Him
   
   
5. Point: God gave these commands to show us that we are lost sinners unable to meet His standard and doomed to condemnation which we can do absolutely nothing to avoid!
   
   
6. How have they worked?

Table of Contents · Sample Lesson  

Discovering God · Leader's Guide · Graphics · Approach · Learner's Workbook · Testimonials · Order Info