Exodus 20: 1-17
And God spoke all these words:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but show love to a thousand generations of those who love and keep my commandments.
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day ia a Sabbath day to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord rested on the Sabbath day and made it holy.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, his maidservant, or ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
A Thought
God had gotten the attention of the people with thunder and lightning; they heard the trumpet and saw the mountains in smoke as they were filled with fear. In the days of Moses when God spoke the words of his Law in the Ten Commandments, there was many gods that the people worshipped. God spoke his first commands to be certain that they knew that He was the God that had brought them out of Egypt away from slavery and they must worship only him. God continued by setting his standard of law to condemn and to make known what sin was and that sin demanded judgement. The Law was a step to bring mankind back in a relationship with Him. The Law was never given to save but to expose; while the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, gives us the grace to receive our salvation to be back in a right standing with God.
Our Prayer
Father thank you for your love and kindness for each of us while we were without hope of meeting the standard of your Law. Thank you for our free gift of your grace found in Jesus Christ. Awaken us to show our love for you by serving you and others as we continue by faith to grow to become more like Christ. We ask in his name, amen.
