Exodus 20
The Decalogue
1 God spoke all these words:
Not only did God speak these words, but He wrote them down with His own finger. God spoke to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai in the appearance of the Shekinah Glory. He gave Moses a total of 613 commandments. Only the first ten would be engraved on stone. The other 603 commandments would be recorded on papyrus scrolls.
2 “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 3“You shall have no other gods before me.
The first commandment was that Jehovah is God. Jehovah is the one who keeps His promises. God is the Triune Creator God. Jehovah delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery. Therefore, there are no other gods. Israel shall not worship any god except for Jehovah. This law protected Israeli society from false cults and religions which were satanically inspired.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, 6 and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
The second commandment was that there were to be no carved images or idols made of anything in the heaven above or the earth below or in the water below. No man is to bow down to an idol. No man is to serve an idol. Jehovah is the only true God. He is a jealous God. He does not want His wife prostituting herself with other gods.
God is a judge. He will not tolerate sin. Sin is so terrible, that it will affect children for the next three or four future generations. When a man sins, he is hurting his children, his grandchildren, and his great grandchildren. Jehovah is faithful. He will always keep His promises, even to a thousand generations.
God is also a God of love. This law protected society from false cults and isms that were satanically inspired.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain.
The third commandment was not to take the name of Jehovah in vain. This will later become a capital offense. Jews refused to even pronounce the name of God, because they might use it in vain. The pronunciation of the name of God has been lost. It is important to note that the name of the Lord is often taken in vain today, especially in Hollywood. However, the names of Buddha, Krishna, Muhammed, and Joseph Smith are often respected, honored, and never taken in vain. This law protected the name of God.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. 9 For six days you may labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
The fourth commandment was to keep the Sabbath. All of the Ten Commandments were repeated in the New Testament Law of Christ, except for this Sabbath commandment. Believers have the liberty to worship on any day of the week. This law protected the employee from the godless employer who was more interested in making profit than in serving God.
It is unhealthy spiritually, mentally, and physically to work seven days per week without rest. Those who are materialistic minded will disobey this Bible doctrine and place themselves, their family, and their nation at risk.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving to you.
The fifth commandment was to honor one’s family so that Israel would live in the land of Israel for a long time. This law protected the sanctity of the family. Those who did not honor their parents would live a short life.
13 “You shall not murder.
The sixth commandment was not to commit murder. Some English translations mistranslate this commandment as "Thous shalt not kill." The Hebrew word is not the normal word for "kill, but it means premeditated murder. This does not include capital offense, since Leviticus 20:10 and Numbers 35:19 both legalized the death penalty. This does not refer to war, because war was legalized in Deuteronomy 13:15.
It is important to note that liberals often lift this verse out of context to pass unbiblical laws which protect murderers and place their society at risk. Soft-hearted lawmakers and judges further the godless liberal agenda. This law protects society from violent crimes. Children cannot grow up in a safe land when godless liberals pass unbiblical laws.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
The seventh commandment was against adultery. This law protected the sanctity of marriage. Satan attacks the sanctity of marriage through legalized pornography.
15 “You shall not steal.
The eighth commandment was against theft. Most theft today is caused by drug addicts who must pay for their next fix. This law protects private property.
Another type of theft is socialism. This is when governments steal from those who produce and give to those who do not produce. Liberal governments will give free handouts to their electorate party members so that the godless liberals can stay in power.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
The ninth commandment was against false testimony in court. This law protected justice and truth. The media today is not telling the truth. They are puppets of the ruling elite. The ruling elite are puppets of Satan.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The tenth commandment was against the wicked desires of the heart. The heart is the intellect, or the mental attitude of the individual. The mental attitude of an individual is desperately wicked and cannot be controlled. This commandment deals with internal sins. If one can control his thought life, then he can control all of the other sins of all of the other commandments.
The only way to control the thought life is by “renewing of the mind.” Renewing of the mind takes place when one replaces the teachings of the satanic world system with Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. The soul of a new believer is full of satanic world teaching. As the new believer grows and matures by the study of Bible doctrine, this doctrine replaces the satanic world-system teachings that were stored inside the soul.
These Ten Commandments were written on stone by the finger of God. The Mosaic Law consisted of 603 other laws, which were written on papyrus scrolls. These are not 613 individual laws, but according to James, it is one law. “Whoever keeps the whole law and offends it in one point is guilty of it all.”
The purpose of the Law was to reveal to man that he was a sinner and he could not keep the Law. He needed a Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ was the one person in history who kept the Mosaic Law. All others failed and will be executed and sent to the Lake of Fire for eternity, unless they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Faith alone in Christ alone is the only way of salvation.
18 All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking – and when the people saw it they trembled with fear and kept their distance.
The Mosaic Law was a fearful thing, because no one could keep it. The Mosaic Law reveals that man is a sinner. The Mosaic Law does not save, but it kills. God was there in His fearful appearance to show that He is not a God who winks at sin. Sin is intolerable. He will not allow any sin into His heaven.
19 They said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.”
The appearance and voice of Jehovah scared the people. They wanted a friendly mediator between God and man. Moses was a temporary mediator. He taught the Jews how to obtain temporary peace with God. Jesus will become the eternal and perfect Mediator. He will remove sin forever.
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you so that you do not sin.”
God allowed the Jews to see and hear him so that it would scare them out of sinning.
21 The people kept their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.
Moses was the mediator for Israel. Everyone else stayed away from the Shekinah Glory.
The Altar
22 The Lord said to Moses: “Thus you will tell the Israelites: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven.
Israel saw God speak to Moses from heaven.
23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me, nor make gods of gold for yourselves.
Israel was forbidden to make silver or gold idols of the Shekinah Glory.
24 ‘You must make for me an altar made of earth, and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be honored I will come to you and I will bless you.
The patriarchs were allowed to make earth altars in any location. The Jews could only make earth altars at specific locations of which God would choose. God would later choose Shiloh and Jerusalem for worship.
25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of stones shaped with tools, for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it.
Jews were forbidden to make altars of cut stone. God is spirit. He has no image.
26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed.
Steps are not allowed on the altar, because it would expose the nakedness of the priests.