Commandments

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After God rescued the Israelites from bondage, He provided instructions for them to live by.  The commandments were God’s instructions for His people to live a wise and obedient life.

Facts Pertaining to the Law

  • The Old Testament contains 613 commandments.
  • All are found in 4 of the 39 books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
  • The purpose of the Law was to show it was important yet impossible for them to keep.

Different Types of Law

  1. Some laws are obedience laws; they demand people to stay loyal to God.
    • You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (Deut. 6:5).
  2. Some laws that seem trivial actually have a deeper purpose rooted in the sin of worshiping other gods.
    • You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk (Deut. 14:21).
  3. Some laws were given to protect the Israelites’ diet.
    • And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you (Lev. 11:7).

The Big 10

  • The 10 Commandments are divided into 4 vertical commandments and 6 horizontal commandments.
  • The first 4 commandments deal with their relationship with the LORD.
  • The last 6 deal with their relationship with each other.
  • The first 4 provide reasons for each command.
  • The commandments were never given as a prerequisite for redemption but as a standard for the redeemed.  

The Heart of the Ten Commandments

Below are listed a summarized version of each commandment and the sinful tendency that it sought to combat.

SUMMARIZED COMMANDMENT – SINFUL TENDENCY

  1. No other gods– ambition to be God
  2. No idols– reducing God
  3. Keep His name holy– speaking of God in a worthy manner
  4. Keep His day holy– trusting God for provision
  5. Honor father and mother– submitting to authority 
  6. No killing– ongoing hostilities
  7. No adultery– sexual purity
  8. No stealing– keeping integrity
  9. No lying– being honest
  10. No coveting– being content