EXPLORE THE TEXT

Relating to God (Exodus 20:3-11)

Application Point:

Believers are to be undivided in our devotion to God.

3 Do not have other gods besides me.

4 Do not make an idol for yourself,
whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.
5 Do not bow in worship to them,
and do not serve them;
for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,
6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations
of those who love me and keep my commands.

7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God,
because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy:
9 You are to labor six days and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

You must not do any work ?- ?
you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant,
your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates.
11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days;
then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

Key Truth

Loving God, Loving Others

The Ten “Commands” generally flow in two broad directions:
vertical toward God (vv. 3-11)
and horizontal to humanity (vv. 12-17).
Another way of viewing the structure is with four categories:

  1. An Israelite and his God (vv. 3-7)
  2. An Israelite and his household (vv. 8-12)
  3. An Israelite and his neighbors (vv. 13-16)
  4. An Israelite and his heart (v. 17)

Explain:

Draw attention to the following comments from page 67 of the PSG:
The Hebrew text begins with “you” in the second person singular.
Whereas God had been speaking to His people, plural, He was giving these commandments to each person individually.

Emphasize the importance of personal application, as well as corporate application.

Examine:

verses 3-11 (PSG, pp. 67-69) h4>3) Other gods besides me:

The word besides can mean “upon my face.”
is usually translated “God’s presence,”
no worshiping supernatural entities.

4) Idol:

The Hebrew term (pesel) refers to a man-made image
The shape or material could be anything, but it represents a false, powerless god,

5) A jealous God:

In Hebrew, jealous (qanna’) can describe two concepts.
One is being envious, which does not fit this context.
The other is to zealously protect something of value,
which aligns perfectly with what the Lord is describing here.
God passionately pursues His people so they will know that He alone is God.

7) Misuse:

The term rendered misuse is a difficult Hebrew expression comprising a verb plus a prepositional phrase.
The verb conveys lifting or carrying (as in prayer).
The prepositional phrase uses a noun that can mean “emptiness, worthlessness, futility.”
The whole expression can mean speaking the Lord’s name frivolously or claiming something about Him falsely.
It can also include profanity.

8) Remember the Sabbath day:

meaning to cease or rest.
Labor (related to slavery), or work (related to vocation),
should not only stop for the Sabbath,
but it should be replaced with special devotion “to the Lord your God” (v. 10),
making it a holy day.

The Hebrew for remember is not just cognitive.
It also represents actions appropriate to knowledge, situations, or events
(see Gen. 8:1; Ex. 2:24).
The Sabbath is primarily a day to refocus on who God is and what He has done for us.

Ask:

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