The 10 Commandments are more than just a list of prohibitions. They:
a) reveal the greatest struggles of the human heart,[1] b) unveil the character of our great God, c) chart a practical pathway by which we can glorify God, and d) identify what life looks like when we love God with all our heart (Matt 22:37-39).
- “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20:3)
a. We will struggle with a desire to want to rule our own lives (be our own “sovereign”/god).
b. God is singular and supreme, demanding our undivided loyalty as a jealous God who will not share His glory with another because He alone has supreme worth to satisfy our souls which were created and redeemed to worship Him.
c. We glorify God by loving Him with all of our heart and fearing Him only (Dt 6:13).
d. When we love God with all our heart we will give Him the singular place of supremacy in our heart with our affections and undivided loyalty. - “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the 3rd and the 4th generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:4-6)
a. We will struggle with the temptation to reduce God to an image of our making that we can control or manipulate.
b. God is jealous for His glory as the Uncreated One and will not tolerate being reduced to the likeness of mere creation. He will punish those who misrepresent His character and minimize His glory. But He will lavish His love on those who delight in who He truly is.
c. We live for His glory by honoring Him for who He is and conforming our lives to a true vision of God.
d. When we love God with all our heart we will worship Him in the way He has prescribed as incomparable God. - “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” (Ex 20:7)
a. We will struggle with belittling God (not speaking rightly of Him) and attempting to use Him to accomplish our own agendas.
b. God is worthy of perfect honor and holy reverence.
c. We live for His glory when our words reflect a heart of worship and love that cherishes Him and is jealous for His honor.
d. When we love God with all our heart we will treat Him with utmost reverence at all times.
- “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the 7th day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. That you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the 7th day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex 20:8-11).
a. We will struggle to honor God as holy. We will be tempted to let our own ambitions rule us to the detriment of honoring God with our time and with focused worship and rest.
b. Yahweh is a working, resting God who is honorable (worthy to be set apart in our worship), gracious (insisting that we rest and be refreshed in Him), loving (prioritizing our relationship with Him), and holy (worthy of being worshiped distinctly, set apart from the common routine of life).
c. We glorify God through a healthy rhythm of worship, work, and rest.
d. When we love God with all of our heart, we will prioritize time to rest from our routine of work to worship God with His people.
The overarching theme of the first 4 commandments is loving God with all our heart
(Mt 22:37-38). That is, giving God His proper place of reverence, honor, and supremacy
in our lives from hearts of undivided worship and love that seek to please Him
above all else, in all things, at all times.
- “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex 20:12).
a. We will struggle with submitting to God-given authority.
b. God has established authority because He Himself is the highest authority and He values honor because He Himself is most honorable.
c. We glorify God through lives of appropriate submission and obedience to God and those He has placed over us.
d. When you love God with all your heart, you will honor God-given authority.
- “You shall not murder” (Ex 20:13)
a. We will struggle to honor the sanctity of human life by upholding the dignity of each person as created in the image of God (hostility in broken relationships; not loving each other enough to forgive; not trusting God for final justice in our relationships/world; not be being reconciled to each other).
b. God is both the giver and redeemer of life. He’s a reconciling God.
c. We glorify God by extending grace to each other and seeking reconciliation and forgiveness in our relationships.
d. When you love God with all your heart, you will trust in God’s justice and honor the sanctity of human life.
- “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14).
a. We will struggle with sexual purity, covenant faithfulness, and selfless love in marriage.
b. God is a covenant-keeping God (chesed) who loves us with sacrificial faithfulness.
c. We glorify God when we honor the sanctity of marriage through selfless, sacrificial love and faithfulness.
d. When you love God with all your heart, you will pursue a pure heart, imitate the fidelity of God’s covenant faithfulness, and protect sexual purity.
- “You shall not steal” (Ex 20:15).
a. We will struggle with personal integrity and greed (loving ourselves more than our neighbor by seeking personal gain at their expense).
b. God is righteous, trustworthy, and generous as our provider and sustainer.
c. We glorify God by trusting Him to meet our needs in and beyond our work rather than wrongfully taking what He has provided for others.
d. When we love God with all our heart, we will work hard with integrity and trust in God’s provision (Eph 4:28).
- “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex 20:16).
a. We will struggle with truth-speaking (honesty vs. an inner impulse to distort the truth for personal gain).
b. God is a God of truth who never lies, misleads or is mistaken.
c. We glorify God by conforming our lives to the truth and imitating Jesus whose every word was true and used truthfully.
d. When we love God with all our heart we will walk in the truth, speak the truth, delight in the truth, and jealously guard the truth.
- “You shall not covet your neighbors house; You shall not cover your neighbors wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbors” (Ex 20:17).
a. We will struggle with contentment (greed will overwhelm gratitude).
b. God is completely content (at peace in Himself), and provides what we need according to His wise providence.
c. We glorify God when we trust in His providence and care to provide what we need (neither too little or too much).
d. When we love God with all our heart, we will rest in the contentment of His provision and providence over our lives.
The overarching theme of the last six commands is that when we love God with all our heart,
we will fulfill His law by loving one another well (Mt 22:37-39; Gal 5:14; Rom 13:8-10).
What do each of the commandments help you learn about yourself, your relationship with God, and your relationship with others? Take a moment to reflect on each one and ask the Lord to help you grow in each of these areas of your life. Are there any specific steps of obedience you need to take to love God with all your heart?
[1] Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible Story, Vol. 1, pg. 81-83.