Exodus 20

From Theologica

Revision as of 18:58, 10 December 2007

Overview

The Ten Commandments

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20:1 -

Observation

• God spoke those commandments to Israel diretly
• On the third day, Israel met god and He gave them commandments for them to keep
• Not t:hrough Moses, but diretly to the people (see v. 20:22)
  • Brings to mind John 4:23-24

20:2 -

• God is statingwho He is: He is the Lord; He is their God.
• He is the one who brought them out of Egypt
  • Out of the houses of slavery
• These are God's credentials
• He has redeemed them; they are His
  • Redemption: "Deliverance by the payment of a price"
  •  ? What price did God pay here?
  • Can refer to rescue or deliverance
  • "In nearly every instance, [redemption] ... was secured by the payment of a price."
• Did God redeem or free Israel
• Does Israel owe God anything?
  • Are they indebted to Him?
• Has all of this been answered elsewhere (ie does God need to justify Himself (comprehensively))?
• Is this rather just establishing that the Lord is God, the one who rescued Israel? It wasn't a gimmick, or a trick. He really is a God and everything really did happen.

20:3 - The first commandment

Observation

• No other gods are to come before God
• There are to be no oter gods besides God
• xref
  • Dt 6:14: "you shall not follow other gods"
  • 2 Kings 17:55: you shall not fear|bow down to|serve|sacrifice to other gods

Interpretation

• Why is this the first commandment?

20:8 - The Sixth Commandment

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Observation

• Be mindful of the Sabbath
• Keep it separate from the other days
• "remember" - be mindful, remember what the day represents
• "Keep it holy" - a day to focus on God

20:9 -

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

Observation

• Six days of the week are for labors
• Does not necessarily mean we should move to a six-day work week

20:10 -

but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.

Observation

• The seventh day is a sabbath to God
• You are not to do any work
• No one in your ousehold is to do any work

20:11 -

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Observation

• In six days God labored over creation
• He rested on the seventh
• Therefore, the seventh day is blessed and is holy

Interpretation

• Definition: Sabbath - desist, rest, cease
• Why is the seventh day blessed and holy?
• How is it blessed and holy?
• There is no real need to even mention the seventh day unless God was providing a model for us to follow
• On the seventh day of creation, God looked on what He did and declared it very good.
  • Are we to take a day to evaluate our previous week?
  • To look upon what we have done?
  • To see where we are going?
• If God can cease from His activities and even make a law concerning the seventh day and the 'rest' therein, can I not be satisfied with resting one day and evaluating what I have done?
• God had to make it a law or no one would think about it; no one would take time.