THE TEN COMMANDMENTS GODS TOP TEN Womens Institute

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: GOD’S TOP TEN? Women’s Institute – August 2020

Sunday School Less on Norms Women’s Institute Virtual Summer School Platform • Lessons will be posted online prior to presentation by The Gabriel Ministry using the ZOOM meeting platform. • Lessons will be from 30 to 60 minutes in length. • Participants can enter prior to the Sunday School Teacher. • First month will be led by Sister Amelia on the topic of the Ten Commandments • The next lessons will be presented weekly by a different teacher each week: Sister Michelle Walker, Sister Andrienne Mercer, Sister Valerie Calhoun and Sister Amelia Simmons • Please mute your microphone if you are not sharing comments, asking questions, etc.

The Ten Commandments: Exodus 20: 1 -17 ◦ https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Id 6 o. S 3 L-D 9 A ◦ https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=PGr. F_i. B 6 BCk

What are the Ten Commandments? ◦ The Law; it was not annulled by Jesus but taught us their deeper, spiritual application in our lives. (Mat: 5: 17 -19) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. The spiritual intent of the Ten Commandments can be found in the first four verses which show us how to love God the way He wants us to obey and love Him. The last six verses show us how to love our neighbors/others. If we want to enter into life, Jesus tells us to “keep the commandments. ” Matthew 19: 7

What are the Ten Commandments continued ◦ They are holy, just and good (Romans 7: 12, 14) according to the apostle Paul. ◦ Can only be obeyed through Jesus Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 7: 25; 8: 7 -9, 14). ◦ Their spiritual intent is love (Romans 13: 9 -10). ◦ They are a royal law (James 2: 8). ◦ They are the perfect law of liberty (James 1: 25; 2: 12). Looking in the mirror analogy ◦ They are not burdensome (1 John 5: 3; Psalm 112: 1 and I Corinthians 7: 19). ◦ They are a wonderful gift from God.

Question: Were they around before Moses? To answer this question, let’s go to Genesis 26: 5. I’ll revisit the answer to this question as we continue the study and conduct a deeper analysis of each of the ten commandments.

First Commandment: No Other Gods ◦ The Ten Commandments begins with the following: “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20: 2 -3) ◦ It sets the tone for the first four commandments which is summarized in Deuteronomy 6: 5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. ” ◦ Jesus’ exemplified this in several ways: Called it the great commandment. (Matthew 22: 37 -38) Not allowing Himself to be tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting by saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. ” (Matthew 4: 4)

First Commandment Continued ◦ Reminds us of God’s Greatness and our response to His greatness His power was on display “Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off” (Exodus 20: 18) Having the right kind of fear is a good thing – Moses told the people to not fear because God had come to test them; His fear was before them so that they would not sin (Exodus 20: 20). King Solomon said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but the fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1: 7; and Jesus told His disciples not to fear man who could kill the body but to fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell (Matthew 10: 28 and Hebrews 10: 31).

Old Testament Mention Before Moses First and Second Commandments state: You shall have no other gods before Me. ” and “You shall not make for yourself a carved image … you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. ” Exodus 20: 3 -5 When God was working with the patriarch Jacob, he directed him to do the following: 1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth–el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Beth–el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. (Genesis 35: 1 -4) Jacob understood the importance of getting rid of idols and only worshipping the true God.

How Do We Break This Commandment? ◦ By not putting God first ◦ Pride (James 4: 6 -10) ◦ Forgetfulness and Neglect (Deuteronomy 8: 11 -19)

The Second Commandment – Exo. 20: 4 -6 You shall not make for yourself a caved image-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 nor serve them, For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Key Points ◦ Nothing that we make can compare with God! ◦ We are not to use statues, pictures, jewelry or anything else to represent God or to serve as a physical aid in worshipping Him. ◦ God wants us to become like Him in character, love, choices, attitudes and approaches. ◦ Who is on the throne in our hearts? – Strive to live as Christ lived so that other see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Mathew 5: 16). ◦ God does not want to be worshipped as pagan gods were (Dt. 12: 29 -32) ◦ Paul understood it!! (Romans 1: 20 -23)

Third Commandment: Exodus 20: 7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. **Simply put – not to take God’s name lightly or to use it thoughtlessly. 1. Watch what we say and what we do!! Our actions are just as detrimental as what we say. We are the light of the world (Matt. 5: 1416) and we are to obey the laws of the land (Rom. 2: 24) 2. Prayers and praise versus profanity!! 3. We are to “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3: 17).

Fourth Commandment: Exodus 20: 8 -11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do not work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Key Points ◦ God blessed, sanctified and rested on the Sabbath – we are to follow His example. ◦ The Sabbath belongs to God! ◦ It is a sign between us and God (Exo. 31: 13) ◦ It was made for our benefit – “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2: 27) ◦ The Sabbath is the forerunner and weekly reminder of our future rest, free from the bondage of sin (Heb. 4: 4, 9) ◦ All people will worship before God on the Sabbath in His future kingdom

The Sabbath Today: ◦ A day to bond with family, appreciate the creation and do good (James 1: 27) ◦ A day to honor God and to seek to please Him and do His will.

Commandments, Laws & Statutes Oh My! ◦ Commandment: root word, tsavah (Hebrew). Tsavah means “to lay a charge upon”, “to command”, “to charge”, “to give orders”, or “to appoint”. It’s an order to do something, or a “charge” given to us to watch over and keep (Strong’s Concordance). ◦ Law: In the Hebrew, towrah means a special law or codes of law, directions/instruction both human and divine (body of prophetic teaching, body of legal directives, body of priestly direction/instruction), custom or manner, and even the Deuteronomic or Mosaic law. The word for law can, and contextually should be, understood as being inclusive of commandments, judgments, and statutes given to us by the Creator through Moses. However, the context will also dictate when the word for “law” is referring to commands or direction from men and not God. Both uses of the word are correct in different areas of the Bible (119 Ministries. com) ◦ Statutes: The word often translated as “statute” is choq in Hebrew. Choq is a statute (a condition or civil enactment from God), an ordinance (enactment or decree), a limit, or something prescribed (a task, portion, limit/boundary). Another word that could be used to define choq is a requirement.

A commandment is an order or charge given us to keep or observe (the 10 commandments, observing His Feast Days and the Sabbath, etc), judgments tell us how to handle situations that arise between His own people, and statutes are the decrees or requirements describing how to live in obedience to Him. For example: Commandment: Thou shall not steal. Judgment/Law: Code Ann. [Crim. ] § 7 -104(g)(3). ) A person who commits theft of property or services with a value of less than $1, 000 will also be charged with a misdemeanor, but this more serious misdemeanor charge can result in a sentence of imprisonment of not more than 18 months, or a fine of not more than $500, or both. If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep (Exo. 22: 1) Statute: The state can only prosecute you for theft for a certain amount of time. Charges for theft cases between $100 and $1000 must be brought within 2 years of the commission of the crime. In most other misdemeanors in Maryland, the State must charged you within one year from the date of the alleged crime. (ricelawmd. org) Restitution: Restoring that which was stolen.

OT/NT Commandment Comparison Commandment Old Testament New Testament You shall have no other gods before Me. Exo. 20: 3, Deut. 5: 7 Matt. 4: 10, Luke 4: 8, Rev. 14: 7 You shall not make idols. Exo. 20: 4 -6, Deut. 5: 8 -10 Acts 15: 20, 1 Cor. 6: 9 -10, Gal. 5: 19 -20, Eph. 5: 5 You shall not take the name Exo. 20: 7, Deut. 5: 11 of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Matt. 5: 33 -37, 1 Tim. 6: 1, James 2: 7 Exo. 20: 8 -11, Deut. 5: 12 -15 Luke 4: 16, 23: 55 -56; Acts 17: 1 -2 l, 18: 4; Heb. 4: 9; 1 John 2: 6

Our Relationships With Others Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20: 12

Key Points ◦ Shows us that learning respect and honor in the family setting show us how to honor our ultimate Father (See Malachi 1: 6). ◦ First commandment with promise ◦ Teaches us to honor all people (1 Pet. 2: 17) and to respect/submit to authority (Rom. 13: 1) – a lifelong commitment.

Sixth Commandment: Exodus 20: 13 You shall not murder. ◦ God values life highly. ◦ Jesus emphasized its spiritual intent – do not become angry without cause or to allow anger to cause us to do violence or even abuse another person verbally. (Matt. 5: 2122) ◦ Hate is murder – Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him (1 John 3: 15). ◦ We can murder with our tongues (Prov. 18: 21, James 3: 5 -8) ◦ Love conquers hate!! Sun rises on the evil and the good (Matt. 5: 43 -45)

Seventh Commandment: Exodus 20: 14 You shall not commit adultery. ◦ Designed to protect the sanctity of marriage and to show the importance of faithfulness. ◦ Jesus expanded the commandment to say that even looking lustfully is mental adultery (Matt. 5: 27 -29). ◦ Paul countered with the body is not for sexually immorality but for the Lord (1 Cor. 6: 13). ◦ All sex outside of marriage is prohibited (premarital sex, adultery, homosexuality and other sins) 1 Cor. 6: 9 -10

Eighth Commandment: Exodus 20: 15 You shall not steal. ◦ Protects personal property. ◦ Teaches us to respect the property of others ◦ Contrasts two ways of life: getting versus giving (Let him who stole, steal no longer – Eph. 4: 28); it is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20: 35). ◦ God is the source of every good gift that we have (James 1: 17)

Ninth Commandment: Exodus 20: 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbors. ◦ Designed to prevent slander and perversion of justice. ◦ Lying and dishonesty pervert and corrupt hearts and are abominations to God. ◦ We align with Satan, the father of lies; and stand against God, Who can not lie. ◦ No swearing falsely ◦ God wants us to replace lying with honesty in our words and our hearts and our thoughts ◦ White Lies – Let us speak truth with our neighbor for we are members of one another (Eph. 4: 25)

Tenth Commandment: Exodus 20: 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 is your neighbor’s. ◦ To covet means “to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11 th edition).

Key Points ◦ Ten Commandments involves our thoughts, attitudes and approaches – our heart’s condition (what spoken out of the mouth come from the heart – Matt. 15: 18 -20) ◦ Form of idolatry (Col. 3: 5 -6, Eph. 5: 5) ◦ Antidotes to covetousness includes: Contentment, Generosity, Faith, Repentance ◦ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life (Rev. 22: 12) ◦ [She] who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what [she] does (James 1: 25).

OT/NT Commandment Comparison Commandments Old Testament New Testament Honor your father and your mother. Exo. 20: 12, Deut. 5: 16 Matt. 15: 4 -9, 19: 19; Mark 10: 19; Luke 18: 20; Rom. 1: 29 -30; Eph. 6: 1 -3 You shall not murder. Exo. 20: 13, Deut. 5: 17 Matt. 5: 21 -22, 19: 18; Mark 10: 19; Luke 18: 20, Rom. 1: 29 -30, 13: 9 You shall not commit adultery. Exo. 20: 14, Deut. 5: 18 Matt. 5: 27 -28; 19: 18, Mark 10: 11 -12, 19; Luke 16: 18, 18: 20; Rom. 7: 2 -3, 13: 9 You shall not steal. Exo. 20: 15, Deut. 5: 19 Matt. 19: 18; Mark 10: 19; Luke 18: 20; Rom. 13: 9; Eph. 4: 28; 1 Pet. 4: 15; Rev. 9: 21 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exo. 20: 16, Deut. 5: 20 Matt. 19: 18; Mark 10: 19; Luke 18: 20; Acts 5: 3 -4; Rom. 13: 9; Eph. 4: 25 You shall not covet. Exo. 20: 17, Deut. 5: 21 Luke 12: 15; Rom. 1: 29, 7: 7, 13: 9; 1 Cor. 6: 9 -10; Gal. 5: 19 -21; Eph. 5: 3, 5

Questions? ? ◦ Questions can be placed in the chat or verbally asked any time during the lesson by raising your hand.

References ◦ King James Bible ◦ Foster, John. Were the 10 Commandments Around Before Moses? (2020). Church of God, A Worldwide Association, Inc. ◦ God’s 10 Commandments: Still Relevant Today. (2013) Allen, Texas: Church of God & Thomas Nelson, Inc. ◦ Youtube. com