A Lesson on God’s Requirements

Exodus 19-20

What was God’s purpose in giving the Law?

At Sinai, God gave the children of Israel some explicit laws. These laws were meant for their benefit (Exodus 19:5-6). The laws were meant for their instruction (Exodus 24:12).

Deliverance from slavery is one thing, but freedom without law leads to license, and license is only another form of slavery.

James Montgomery Boice

The Jews call the 10 Commandments, the Ten Words (or in the Greek, the Decalogue). We also call them the Law, the Tables of Testimony, the Law of the Testimony, the Law and the Covenant.

1. Exclusive worship. There is only one God.
2. Bowing down to false idols. (What do we think about ‘images’ to aid us in worship? Do they obscure His glory?)
3. Misusing or misrepresenting God’s character. We’ve already seen God as ‘Jehovah Jireh’ (God is my provider), ’Jehovah Rapha’ (God is my healer), ‘Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is my banner). The bible calls Him the Alpha and Omega, Almighty King, the Creator, the Most High God and other things like these. To mischaracterize Him would be a grave sin.
4. A day of rest. God gave us six days to work. We need a day of spiritual and physical refreshment. Verse 11 shows us the pattern in creation: 6 days to create, 1 day to rest.
5. Honoring God’s institution of the family begins with honoring our parents. Blessing is attached to this!
6. Valuing life by not murdering. Does this include all killing?
7. Do not commit adultery. What does Jesus say about adultery in Matthew 5:27-28?
8. Do not steal. We may not steal by walking into a store and swiping things that don’t belong to us, but do we steal in other less ‘obvious’ ways?
9. The importance of truth! Do not lie. Is there ever a time when a small lie or half-truth is acceptable?
10. Don’t desire your neighbors things. This is an inner attitude of wanting what someone else has.

We see that the Commandments are broken up in to a couple of groups:
> Our relationship with God
> Our relationship with other people

Paul, in the letter to the Romans (8:1-4), says that there is something the Law could not do: it could not set us free from another law, namely the law of sin and of death. In other words, the Law shows us where we are wrong. It actually condemns us. We are not justified by the works of the Law (Galatians 2:16).

Note: the law is more than just the 10 Commandments. There is a whole section in Exodus explaining civil and ceremonial law (Hebrew slaves, personal injury, property rights, sexual morality, festivals and feasts, offerings, sacrifices).

Why do you think God was interested in detail?
> Look at Exodus 25:10-16 about the Ark of the Covenant.
> Look at Exodus 27:1-8 about the bronze altar.
>Look at Exodus 30:34-38 about the types of incense.
Why all the detail?

Why the Law Then?
Galatians 3 explains that the Law was necessary because of transgressions (3:19). The Law has become our tutor (3:24).

The word for tutor here is the personal attendant who accompanied a school boy, teaching him manners, waiting for him at the place of instruction and then testing him afterwards to make sure he learns classroom content. Works with him on reciting lessons, memorization and impulse restraint. A tutor is someone that comes along side of a student to assist in the comprehension and application of instruction.

So the Law instructs us on our great need for Christ. It leads us directly to Him (Galatians 3:24).

If we are ‘in Christ’ and not living according to ‘law’, how important is it for us to still obey the law? Jesus made it harder, remember (you’ve already broken #7 if you’ve even looked at a woman with lust).