Commandments of God's Law: These are the statutes containing the Law given by the Lord through Moses, first to the people of Israel and then to all His church. This ten-point plan from the Word of God leads us to a life freed from sin through Christ. Learn what they are here.
The commandments of the Law of God in the Bible
The ten commandments given by God through Moses to the people of Israel, make up the Law of the Lord that establishes the alliance pact described in the biblical book of Exodus and later reaffirmed in Deuteronomy. In the first four commandments it is established how one should love God and in the last six the Lord says how one should love one's neighbor. This law given by God to Moses has great spiritual significance. For it leads the chosen people of God to the path of a life free from the slavery of sin, through the new covenant and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
But in addition, there are no other precepts in the history of humanity that can surpass the commandments of God's law. Regarding the benefits to establish a better world and the development of the universal rights of humanity. Therefore, the commandments of the Law of God have the same importance today as when they were delivered to Moses, more than three thousand years ago.
In fact, the Ten Commandments are so important to the world because they establish what is right to do and what is wrong to do according to God's order. Because if these commandments had been given by a human authority, it could happen that any person says: -who is this to tell me how I should behave-. Hence the importance of the introductory phrase to the ten commandments, in Exodus 20:1
20 And God spoke all these words, saying:
The human capacity does not have the authority to discern what is right and wrong, because then morality will depend on the opinion and belief of each person. Therefore, we all need God to tell us.
Names and Etymology
The Ten Commandments are named in ancient Hebrew, after transliteration, as Asereth ha-D'bharîm and in Rabbinic Hebrew as Asereth ha-Dibroth. In both denominations, its translation into Spanish is: the ten words or the ten sayings.
In the Greek translation of the XNUMXs or Septuagint version of the Bible, the ten commandments of God's law appear as the term for Decalogue. Which comes from the Greek root dekalogos. Whose etymological meaning is deka to express the term ten and logous that expresses words. Thus, the Ten Commandments are also known as the Decalogue of God.
As for the stone tablets where Moses printed the decalogue of God, the Hebrews define it as Luchot HaBrit, once the transliteration is done and whose meaning in Spanish is the tables of the Covenant.
What are the ten commandments of the Law of God
The commandments of God's law are ten ordinances revealed by Him to Moses for the people of Israel and His chosen people. The law belongs to the Old Testament, but it also forms the foundation of Christian morality. Below are the commandments of God's law explained in Exodus 20, verses 1 through 17. Note that in the first two verses, God presents Himself in all His majesty. This is the first thing the Lord does, establishing that He alone is capable of liberating His people.
From verse 3 to 17 God is presented or shown as the legislator, the one who makes the law. He is the only one with the power to legislate, because his is the whole earth.
Exodus 20:1-2, Presentation of God
In these two verses, God is first presented with a title and a name, invested with all the authority and full right to command. Because He is the Creator of all things, Exodus 20:1-2
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 bondage.
God is omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign and self-subsisting. Therefore, he does not need anything or anyone, because all creation is his, everything belongs to God. This then is Jehovah, sole and sovereign God of hosts. Next in the same verse 2, God declares to Israel and to all the redeemed of him, that they are and that we are his own people.
Since he took them out and took us out of the condition of being slaves, therefore we belong to him. He took the people of Israel out of Egypt where they were slaves to take them to be free in the promised land. But it is that he also made us free, he bought us through an act of true love. The Lord took us out taking us on his eagle wings and led us to him, Exodus 19:4-5
4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself . 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.
I'm the one who takes you out
In this statement, God announces himself as the great liberator of his people. I took you out of Egypt, I took you out of the condition of a slave, says God to Israel and to all of us he also reminds us today. Yes, these words are for us to take ownership of and remember where the Lord also brought each one of us from. That is why He declares Himself as the only liberator, because we are not free because of our good deeds, nor because of wisdom, nor because of riches, nor even because of the justice of man, only God could do it.
Because of our transgressions we become slaves to sin, but He purchased our slavery. The Lord bought our freedom with his own life and he did it out of love, John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
In this way, God has chosen us to be a special people above all those on earth. We must then be jealous with this, because there is no greater privilege than being chosen as his people.
The purpose of these words of God addressed to the people of Israel and to us as well, is so that we do not forget that the Lord has the power to fulfill his promises, having brought the people of Israel out. But he also has the purpose that we do not forget that he also has power to fulfill his law and reject anyone who has not repented. Because the Law itself declares us totally guilty.
Exodus 20:3-17, the commandments of the Law of God
From here, the commandments of God's law begin to be established, which are the conditions of the Covenant. From verse 3 to 17, God assumes the role of sole legislator. Because He is the only one who has the right to legislate, because everything belongs to Him. But he does it out of love, because he loves us, therefore the law is not a burden
First Commandment verse 3,
You can not have others gods in front of me.
Second commandment verses 4 to 6
4 You shall not make for yourself an image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the waters under the earth. 5 You will not bow down to them, nor will you honor them; For I am the LORD your God, strong and jealous, visiting the wickedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 and showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.
Third commandment verse 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.
Fourth commandment verse 8 to 11
8 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 9 Six days you will work, and you will do all your work; 10 but the seventh day is rest for the Lord your God; do no work on it, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your servant, or your maid, or your beast, or your foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Fifth commandment verse 12
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Sixth commandment verse 13
You won't kill
Seventh commandment verse 14
You will not commit adultery.
Eighth commandment verse 15
You will not steal.
Ninth Commandment verse 16
You shall not bear false witness against.
Tenth commandment verse 17
You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any thing that belongs to your neighbor
Distribution of the Commandments of the Law of God in the tables
Exodus 20 describes ten ordinances of God that make up the Ten Commandments, written on two tablets by Moses. But how many are written in each of the tables? The Lord Jesus Christ himself gave his answer during his ministry on earth, Matthew 22: 36-40
36 Master, what is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is similar: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.
The great commandment in the law
From Jesus' response, it is clear that the ten commandments of God's law fall into two main categories:
A vertical category :
Which traces a vertical relationship, that is, the relationship of God with man. This category is made up of the first four commandments, which are verses 3 through 11.
A horizontal category :
Which traces a relationship horizontally and is the relationship of man with other human beings, with his neighbor. This category is made up of the rest of the commandments, the last six that are from verse 12 to 17. This is how the first table indicates what should be the first priority of man, which is the love of God. And the second table indicates the duty of man to love his neighbor.
Having said this, it can be concluded that you cannot love your neighbor if you do not have a true relationship with the Lord. In the same way, you cannot love God with all your strength, with all your heart, but through Christ. And this can only be achieved when we repent for our sins, so that Christ can come and dwell in us.
It is only through the redemptive work of Christ acting in our lives that we can fulfill that law. The great commandment in the law, a law that is fulfilled only for love.
Historical context of the commandments of the Law of God, the old and the new covenant
Every man, every civilization has a story to remember and to tell. The same happens with the history of the people of Israel, as well as the very history of our lives. Israel must remember their time of servitude in Egypt and we must remember the time of servitude or being slaves of sin. This is why before reaching Mount Sinai where God spoke through Moses and being able to understand these words of the Lord. It is necessary to remember where God took Israel from, where he took us from in order to understand what was the purpose of establishing his law.
This is important to remember in order to understand Exodus 20 and the commandments of God's law. Because by his nature, man in general has a tendency to forget things. God is very clear about this, and that is why we often find in his word –And you will remember-. So we must remind ourselves:
- Where did he get us from: From the slavery of sin
- By where he has brought us: Through the desert, as a way to test what is in our hearts, to know if we should obey or not
- Why he brought us out: To take us to the promised land
All of this matters because if we read Deuteronomy 6:20
20 Tomorrow when your son will ask you, saying, What mean the testimonies and statutes and decrees that the Lord our God commanded you?
God referring to what was said in Exodus 20, his commandments. Given this, what was the father to do? He had to remind the Son of what God had done in the past so that he could understand why God gave testimonies, statutes and decrees, read Deuteronomy 6: 21-22. The verse that follows these establishes God's covenant with Israel:
23 and he brought us out from there, to bring us and give us the land that he swore to our fathers.
But to fulfill what God's law requires, it must have life. That is to say that in order to have what the law wants us to have, it is essential that we have the justification that is through Christ. Therefore if we do not have life through justice then we will be condemned to death, read Deuteronomy 6:24-25
These verses from Deuteronomy summarize the main themes of Exodus and show the historical context of Exodus 20. These themes or points to remember are: Bondage, Deliverance, and Covenant Renewal
The Decalogue and the Law
Previously we saw what was the purpose in the first words spoken by God addressed to the people of Israel and his chosen people, as a prologue to the commandments. Now these questions arise: What is the purpose of the law contained in the ten commandments? Why were these statutes of God given?
God established his commandments of law, first of all to reveal his glory and holiness, his character as Holy. Second, to establish the conditions of how his special people, called to him, should be. That is to say, the holy people separated for the Lord.
This is one of the promises contained in the Bible because God's Law required the complete fulfillment of each of His commandments. And obeying God means being under the promises He gave before the New Covenant. (Exodus 2:23-25, Exodus 19:3-8; Exodus 20:2) God also promises us that if we obey His Word, He will bless our lives, our work, and our families (Deuteronomy 26:3-13; 28:1-14; Deuteronomy 7:12-24). Click here if you want to know what the 3573 promises of the Bible are.
The law reveals sin
In the same way the law was given to reveal sin. Why is this? Because the law becomes like a mirror where we can look at ourselves. The image reflected by the mirror is the one that declares our sin. But the mirror or law cannot clean, wash or heal the image it reflects. It is not able to remove stains and dirt from it, because the law has no mercy.
But still the Law is holy, it is a holy, just and good order. From the Bible Paul's words are collected regarding this in Romans 7:7
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? In no way. But I did not know sin except by law; because I did not know covetousness either, if the law did not say: Thou shalt not covet.
We by ourselves are not able to see our sins, but it is because the law declares it. More, that natural filthiness of man, the Law itself, that of the first covenant, cannot remove it.
But now after Christ, the chosen people of God, in addition to having his word, the law, the mirror. We also have the water that cleanses us from all sin, which is the blood shed by Jesus. Thus, the law will always lead us to the feet of Christ.
The law reveals the nature of man, telling him: "Thou shalt not kill." No one else can say this, and it says it because it knows that in his heart he is truly a murderer. It also says: "Thou shalt not commit adultery," because it knows that man is prone to adultery. The law also knows that man is a thief, selfish, and so on, and that is why it makes this clear. The seven deadly sins are the principal faults and inclinations of human nature that can lead a man or woman to commit other sins. All are extremely serious because they distance us profoundly from the love of God. Let us learn in this article how to overcome them according to the word of God.
God's love and mercy
What has been said before is the opinion that the law has about man in general. The world in which we live confirms it, that is why there are prisons, courts, trials, lawyers, security tools such as keys, padlocks, etc. And it is because man is a lawbreaker by nature.
Therefore, in the law of God, the man who wants to be saved by his own works and reason will undoubtedly be annihilated. Because both the law and its fulfillment are perfect in God. So what the law does is show our disabilities, for the love, grace and mercy that God has for his people. Grace and mercy that manages to remove the veil, which did not let us see our faults because of the sin that lived within us.
That is why the law is given to us men, so that by recognizing the sin that is in us in the face of the sentence of the law. The only way out of getting rid of that sentence is that we humble ourselves and ask for mercy, because no one in the flesh is capable of fulfilling the law. Therefore it is impossible what was said by the people of Israel when giving themselves the commandments of the law of God, in Exodus 19:8 (NIV)
8 And all the people answered with one voice, “ We will do everything the Lord has commanded us.” So Moses took the people’s answer back to the Lord,
Because, when the law shows us what we really are, we cannot help but feel miserable and unworthy of having the privilege of being counted as sons, as part of his holy and set apart people.
admit fault
A feeling of guilt is produced in our inner man, we feel condemned because the law does that, it condemns. We realize our injustices and we feel threatened. That condemnation and threat of guilt is what makes us cry out for mercy, it leads us to the only safe harbor of salvation that is Jesus Christ. Salvation that we achieve after repenting of our sins and placing our trust and faith in the Lord. From this point it can be seen then, that the law as well as contains death threats. In the same way it contains promises of life.
Since salvation is not achieved through human works, the law leads us directly to grace and instructs or prepares us for life in Christ Jesus. Would you like to delve deeper into recognizing guilt? We invite you to read the book of Romans . It is imperative for any believer who considers themselves Christian to know, study, and learn from this letter. For it is important that the truth of the Word, the accuracy of God's revelation, the eternal gospel, be a reality in all who believe in the name of Christ.
And of the books of the new testament, the letter to the Romans is precisely of extraordinary depth. Because the most important doctrines of the Bible are established in its text.
the law is a schoolmaster
A schoolmaster is a person who performs the functions of a governess or a servant who takes the child by the hand and leads or guides him to school. It is written in Galatians 3:24 (ESV)
So the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith
That is then the commandments of the law of God, a schoolmaster. The tutor who takes us by the hand like children to the Cross. He shows us the cross so that we can recognize that in the flesh it is impossible to fulfill the law, that repentance of sins is necessary.
Therefore if today we are one of those that the Lord took out of the slavery of Egypt, that is to say from the condition of being slaves of sin. The Lord reminds us today that he is our only God. That we should not forget that Christ is our only and sufficient savior. Let us then remember where the Lord did not draw from and always keep him in mind so that the same thing that happened with the people of Israel does not happen. That very quickly they forgot everything that God did for them in the immense love of him, during all the time before the coming of Jesus.
It is necessary not to forget what God has done in our lives, so that we do not begin to murmur or complain. Because this is our tendency too, let us try instead to be diligent, Deuteronomy 4:9
Therefore, take care and guard your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen, and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but let your children and grandchildren know
Christ is the love of God
Yes, Christ is the representation of the most sublime love of God for us. Therefore today he reminds us that through the cross he forgave all our sins and iniquities. This is for those who have been delivered from Egypt after repentance.
Let's not forget where he took us from, where he brought us and that he rescued our lives. God has also surrounded us with blessings, mercy and freed us from the hand of the adversary in the time that we were lost in the world.
God satisfied our mouth with the bread that came down from heaven and the water from the fountain that is Christ Jesus dwelling in us and will continue to do so. We cannot forget this, we must remember it forever, every day of our lives.
God has done all this not according to our iniquities nor has he repaid according to our works. Because it is well known by all of us that the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23 (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, while the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God in his immense love stopped the sentence that was contrary to us and gave us eternal life through Christ. Who obtained the victory against death on the cross of Calvary.
This is how the only path we can walk until we reach the promised land is holiness. No one will be able to see the Lord with his face uncovered if he is not holy. Let us dedicate ourselves then to doing our best for this, to keep ourselves in holiness.
For God already showed his love for us, as it is written in Romans 5:8
8 But God shows his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.