Christians all over the world are learning the Ten Commandments written in the Book of Exodus 20:3-17 of the Holy Bible. It is worth memorizing for most people especially for students in religious institutions. The God of Israel had appointed Moses to free His people from bondage. Moses took the rod of God and performed extraordinary miracles by dividing the Red Sea so that the Israelites could get through.
By God’s direction, Moses led them to Mount Sinai where God gave him the Ten Commandments and other decrees to be followed. He provided them the blueprint to build God’s Holy Tabernacle. God’s plan was to prepare them to live for and serve Him wholeheartedly.
The 10 Commandments
- “You shall have no other gods before Me.” — Since there is only one God, we must serve Him only.
- “You shall not make yourself an idol.” — Worshiping images or even idolizing famous people is a sin of idolatry. We must worship the true God alone.
- “You shall not take the name of God in vain.” — Expressions like “Oh my gosh”, “OMG”, for Christ sake” and anything like it are examples of taking the name of God in vain. Remember that the name of God is holy and we must give full respect with reverence.
- “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” — Keeping the Sabbath means to worship God, to rest and to serve others. For Christians, everyday is a Sabbath as we are in Christ because He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
- “Honor your father and your mother.” — This command has a promise: that you will enjoy long life on earth. To honor means to respect, support, and love them. Praying for them is one the best things we can do for our parents.
- “You shall not murder.” — Remember that God’s plan is to protect life because each of us is previous to Him. Murder can also be having bad thoughts or hatred against our neighbor. That is why ti is important to love our neighbor.
- “You shall not commit adultery.” — Husbands and wives must be faithful to each other till the end. Love is the key here. God hates divorce and must be avoided at all cost. Forgiveness is always better than divorce.
- “You shall not steal.” — Taking whatever what is not yours is stealing. Even in every society everywhere, this is a basic law that needs to be followed.
- “You shall not lie.” — Telling stories that are untrue is lying. Telling a lie will hurt you and other people. If that happens, people will not trust you.
- “You shall not covet.” — Covet means wanting something that does not belong to you. We need to be content of what we have in life.
The benefits of obedience to God's law
God’s law are established for the good of His people. It brings blessings and protection to those who are obedient. However, it will be a curse to those who are disobedient.
Obedience to God’s law has many benefits like long life, good relationships, better health, happy family, and prosperous life. It is God’s ultimate plan for us to have this kind of good life that we could enjoy by obedience to His commands.
Even though we are not perfect, we must continually seek to follow God’s commandments so we can live a life worthy of God’s calling.
