Exodus 20

Then God spoke all these words.

The first words were not a rule. They were about who God is and what he had already done.

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (20:2).

Months before, at a burning bush, God had told Moses his name (Exodus 3:15). Now God said that name to all the people. He called himself "the LORD your God" (20:2). He belonged to them, and they belonged to him.

God reminded them what he had done. They had been slaves. God had set them free.

The order matters. God rescued them first. Then he gave them his commandments. They did not earn their freedom by keeping rules. The rules were for people who were already free.

Then God gave the first command. "You shall have no other gods before Me" (20:3). Lutherans call this the First Commandment. Other churches count the commandments in a different way. There is more about this in Back Then, below.

God told them not to make an idol. An idol is a statue or picture that people worship as a god. They must not make one that looks like anything in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. They must not bow down to idols or worship them.

God called himself "a jealous God" (20:5). Here, jealous does not mean petty or envious. The Bible often compares God's love for his people to a marriage (Hosea 2:19). Faithful love like that will not share its place with anyone else.

God said the guilt of people who hate him would reach their children, to the third and fourth generation. But his "loving devotion" would reach "a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments" (20:6). Loving devotion means faithful, never-quitting love.

The Second Commandment was about God's name. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain" (20:7).

"In vain" means in an empty or wrong way. It means using God's name to curse, lie, trick people, or treat God as unimportant. God said he would punish anyone who did this.

The Third Commandment was about God's day. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" (20:8).

The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. For six days, the people would do their work. But the seventh day belonged to the LORD.

No one was to work on that day. That rest was for everyone. It was for sons and daughters. It was for servants and animals. It was even for foreigners living among them.

God gave a reason. In six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So he blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.

About forty years later, Moses gave the people a second reason. He told them to remember that they had been slaves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). Now God gave rest to everyone in the house, even the servants.

The Fourth Commandment was about families. "Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you" (20:12).

To honor means to treat someone with respect and care. The letter to the Ephesians later calls it the first commandment with a promise (Ephesians 6:2). God promised a long life in the land he was giving them.

Honoring parents does not mean obeying someone who hurts you. If anyone at home hurts you, tell a trusted adult. There is more about this below.

The next four commandments were short. Each one protected something God cares about.

The Fifth Commandment protected life. "You shall not murder" (20:13).

The Sixth Commandment protected marriage. "You shall not commit adultery" (20:14). Adultery means breaking a marriage promise by having sex with someone who is not your husband or wife.

The Seventh Commandment protected what people own. "You shall not steal" (20:15).

The Eighth Commandment protected the truth, and a person's good name. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (20:16). Bearing false witness means telling lies about someone, especially in court.

God protected life, marriage, belongings, and truth. He cared about how his people treated each other.

The last commandments were different. They were about what happens inside a person.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house" (20:17). To covet means to want something that belongs to someone else so much that you would take it from them.

God also said not to covet a neighbor's wife, servants, ox, donkey, or "anything that belongs to your neighbor" (20:17). Lutherans count these as the Ninth and Tenth Commandments.

You can't see coveting from the outside. It happens in a person's thoughts and wishes. So these commandments showed that God cares about more than actions. He cares about what we want.

The people saw the thunder and lightning. They heard the ram's horn. They saw the mountain covered in smoke. They trembled with fear, and they stood far away.

They said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen" (20:19). They asked him not to let God speak to them. They were afraid they would die.

"Do not be afraid," Moses replied (20:20).

Moses said God had come to test them. God wanted them to have a deep respect for him, so they would not sin.

The people stayed far away. Moses went near, into "the thick darkness where God was" (20:21).

The people were afraid of God. But God had come near to them first. He had spoken his name. He had said, "I am the LORD your God" (20:2).

This part isn't retold as its own scene.