God's Ten Commandments
**Exodus 20:1-3 - No Other Gods
Exodus 20:1-6 - You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
**Exodus 20:4-6 - Worshiping Our God
Exodus 20:7 - Living the Life
Exodus 20:7-11 - Taking God's Name in Vain
***Exodus 20:9-11 - REST!!
**Exodus 20:12 - Loving Your Parents
Exodus 20:12-14 - Is God Your God?
**Exodus 20:13 - It's Murder
**Exodus 20:14 - Shut De Door
**Exodus 20:16 - That's Not True
Exodus 20:15-17 - A Broken Wanter
**Exodus 20:17 - What Do You Want?
***No Other Gods
Exodus 20:1-3 - “And God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.
Materials Needed: crochet project, crochet hook, pad of paper, marker, YE3I.1 lesson from CEM
Can you think of any of God’s names?
He is our Creator (Psalm 102:27),
Redeemer (Exodus 20:1-3),
Provider (Jehovah-Jireh - Genesis 22:14; John 1:29),
Sustainer (Acts 17:28).
He is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4),
the Good Shepherd (Jehovah-Rohi - Psalm 23; John 10),
the Light of the World (John 1:4-9).
He is our Peace (Jehovah-Shalom - Judges 6:24).
He is the God of Angel Armies (Jehovah Saboath - Psalm 24:8-10; Isaiah 9:7).
He is our Banner (Jehovah-Nissi - Exodus 17:8-15).
He is God Almighty (El Shaddai - John 15:2; Genesis 17:1-2).
He is our Master (Adonai - Isaiah 25:8).
We could go on for a very long time because God is our all in all. He created us. He sustains us. (Revelation 4:11) What does that look like? Last Friday night at our house, we watched Jennifer pull out hours of work that she had done on a shawl she’s making. Jonathan asked the question we were all feeling, “Do you have to pull it all out?” When you see all of the work that has gone into a project, it almost hurts to watch it all disappear. But Jennifer, after all, was the one who had put in the work. She had the right to pull it all out because she didn’t like the direction it was going. (Show the students a crochet project - and pull it all out as they watch.)
This is just a pale representation of our relationship with God, but it demonstrates that God is Sovereign. He’s in charge; He gets to make all the decisions. Why is that? Because God created us. He sustains us. He provides for us. He guides us. He is our Master and Lord. And if that weren’t enough, God loves us so much - while we were yet sinners - to give His Son as a sacrifice for our sins!
What god is like our God!! There is no god like Jehovah! Who said that? The people who were watching the drama play out between Elijah and the priests of Ashram and Baal (1 Kings 18). They had built altars, sacrificed a bull, and then waited for their gods to consume the sacrifice. Elijah built an altar, sacrificed a bull, told the people to drench the sacrifice and wood with water three times (!), and then prayed for God to make Himself known. The fire came down from heaven, consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and licked up the water. The people’s response: There is no God like Jehovah!
We don’t need to see a drama like that today to know that our God is the Awesome God! We should know better than to put anything before our God in importance! There is no one who can do what our God has already done and continues to do. So when God says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” He’s saying don’t bring anything else before Him and try to pass it off like it’s a god! Another of God’s names is Jealous (Exodus 34:24). He has done all of these things for us. He deserves our worship and praise. He has done it all! And He emphatically says He will not share His glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8). Our God is God alone!
You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is 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 or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:1-6
You shall have no other gods before me. What does this mean? What gods could we put before God? Anything which we treat as more important than God becomes our god. Anything which consumes our attention more than God becomes our god. Anything to which we devote ourselves more than we do to God becomes our god. It could be money, power, prestige. It could be a false god, like Allah or Buddha. It could even be ourselves.
Really? Ourselves? Well, think about it. "I know that God said you shall not bear false witness, but I’ll just tell a little white lie. God will understand." You have now set yourself up as a higher judicial standard than God. In effect, you’ve put yourself in God’s place. And it happens anytime you decide that God didn’t really mean what He said, that He’ll understand when you break His commands, and it won’t matter just this once.
It’s silly, really, to have any god before the One True God. The God we serve and claim as our God made everything else. The Bible says there was not anything made than was not made by Him. Nothing. Zilch. Nada! So, by the very definition of what God is - the supreme, the highest power, the most intelligent, the most righteous, the absolute ruler, that over which there is nothing higher - by that definition, anything that we would worship as god isn’t God, can’t be God, and can never become God.
The second commandment is very much like the first one. You are not to make an image of anything and worship it. Most of us have no problem recognizing that we’re not bowing down in front of a tree or a rose or a car. But making an idol of something God created goes farther than that. It ascribes power and glory to a created thing that only belongs to the Creator.
So what does that look like? Do you think money will make you happy? Then money becomes your idol. Do you think your house will keep you safe? Do you think your husband can satisfy your needs? Anything you put in God’s place, thinking that thing can fulfill God’s role, becomes an idol in your life.
So, do you have a god in your life before the Creator? Are you serving an idol instead of God? It’s something well worth considering because God says He’s a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) and He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11).
***Worshiping Our God
Exodus 20:4-6 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Materials Needed: cards from last week, dry erase board, markers, statues, stuffed animals, photo
Last week we talked about our great God and some of His names. Many of His names are connected with what He does. He is our Healer, our Creator, our Provider, our Redeemer, our Guide, our Rock, our Sustainer, our Master, our Light, our Banner, our Shepherd, our Peace. He is God Almighty, the God of Angel Armies. And His name is Jealous. He is not willing to share His glory with any other.
Aaron made a golden calf and told the Israelites, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:8). What? A golden calf that was not living, had to be carried around - this was the god that rescued the people from Egypt? That’s absolutely ludicrous!
There’s no way we can create something that will be an accurate depiction of God. He is too great, too big, too glorious! That picture in the Christian bookstore that they say is Jesus - that’s not really Jesus. And it’s not a good idea to get an image into our minds - because it’s not true.
But is there anything wrong with making a model of something in creation? No - as long as 1) we don’t say that it is God and 2) we don’t bow down to worship it.
There’s an easy way to check if you’re breaking this second commandment. When you look at something, do you think that it is a depiction of God? No? Good! Do you think that it can do any of the things that God can do? No? Good! Do you bow down and worship the statue or photo? No? Good!
O.K. But do you create an image in your mind when someone talks about Jesus? Do you have a picture in your mind when someone prays to Almighty God? Be very careful not to create something in your head. We don’t know what God looks like and likely anything we would imagine would never come close to doing Him justice.
Living the Life
Exodus 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name" (NIV).
Materials Needed: YE3I.3 lesson from CEM
What if I walked up to your dad and I kicked him in the shin! When he asks why I did that, what if I tell him because it’s what you would do? Do you think that’s a good idea? Why not?! Does it matter if I use your name in a wrong way?
Let’s imagine your mom is speeding down the street and gets stopped by a policeman. When he asks her why she was speeding, what if she tells him she does that because it’s what our church teaches. Is that a good idea? Why would our church members be upset that she would say such a thing?
When my three children were young, I would tell them this (almost every time we walked out the door): You are ambassadors today. You are ambassadors for the name Saladin. You are ambassadors for homeschooling. And you are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We would talk about how people watch the behaviors of people - even when you don’t realize that someone sees what you are doing. If you are behaving badly you bring dishonor, first, to your family name. People say things like, “Oh those Saladin kids! They are always so disrespectful and noisy.” Then you bring dishonor to homeschooling. People say things like, “Oh look at those homeschoolers. You know it’s really much better for them to be in public school. At least then they learn how to act in public.” And lastly, you bring dishonor to Jesus Christ. People say things like, “If that’s what their church teaches is appropriate behavior, I don’t want any part of that.”
This is the essence of the third commandment. It’s much more than saying words - although you should never speak God’s name casually. You should never use God’s name as a curse word or exclamation! Our God is holy! And we need to treat Him with the utmost respect. But the third commandment, "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name,” goes much deeper than the words you speak. It also refers to your conduct.
What kind of behaviors bring glory and honor to God? Humility, kindness, service, generosity, truth, honesty, excellence, trustworthiness, loyalty, respect, mindfulness, love, peacefulness, joy, gratitude. We could go on for a long time.
I love one of Tim Hawkins comic routines. He says if you’re going to drive in un-Christian-like ways, you should put an “I love Satan” sticker on your bumper. Please don’t put Christian stickers on your car and then drive in rude and unsafe ways! That’s good advice for even you - who are not driving yet. If you’re going to behave in un-Christian-like ways, please don’t tell anyone you are a Christian. God says He will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name. And it’s a dreadful thing to have God angry at you because you dishonored Him.
Taking God’s Name in Vain
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and 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. Exodus 20:7-11
When you meet someone for the first time, you are likely to tell them your name. Once you do, your name is tied in their mind to the impression that they have of you. Everything you’ve said and done, how you look, and what you wear are evaluated by the other person. What you say and do is a reflection of who they believe you are.
If you tell them you first and last name, now your words and deeds don’t just reflect on you personally, they also reflect on your family. You’ve introduced yourself with your family name. The other person now files away information about your family based on your words and deeds.
If you tell the other person your first and last name and something else about you, like being a homeschooler, you are now reflecting on yourself, your family, and the homeschool community by your words and deeds.
If you continue on and tell the person your first and last name, that you’re a homeschooler, and that you’re a Christian, now you’re reflecting not only on yourself, and your family, and the homeschool community, now you’re reflecting on God. And that’s serious.
You see, that’s a huge part of what the third commandment means. Some people think that not using God’s name in vain means that they have to stop using God’s name as a curse word or expletive when they’ve hit their thumb with a hammer. The larger part of the commandment is the admonition to not bring dishonor to the God you claim by the deeds and words people around you see and hear.
One of the deeds that lets people know just how very much you value God is obeying the Fourth Commandment. God is the One who set aside the Sabbath day, during Creation Week, and made it holy. He’s the One who gives it as a gift to His people. Part of collection of deeds people around you see is how you obey God’s commands.
Think of it this way: suppose someone made something especially for you. It was carefully thought out. It was for your benefit. It was filled with meaning. But you took the gift and smashed it. You decided to wanted to make something else special in place of that gift. It would be a huge slap in the face of the gift-giver. It would mean you didn’t think much of his gift or of him. That’s what happens when we decide to choose whatever day we want for worshiping God - when God already set aside a day, blessed it, and gave it to us as a gift.
When you think about it, God knows if you’re taking His name in vain if you profess to be a follower of Christ, but you don’t trouble yourself to keep His commandments - starting with the very next one, the Sabbath.
REST!
Exodus 20:9-11 - “Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Let’s suppose I ask you to do 10 jumping jacks. Easy? How about 20? 30? What if I asked you to do 100 jumping jacks? Would you ask me when you could rest?! Probably along about 50 you’d be looking to stop, especially if you don’t do jumping jacks all the time.
That’s kinda how life is. All week long we’re working; we could call it jumping jacks, jumping through hoops, jumping whenever the boss says to. Somewhere along the line, we start looking forward to when we can rest.
Did you know that God designed our bodies to work best if we take one a day a week to let them rest? If we ignore this fourth of the Ten Commandments, we’re really doing ourselves a disservice. After all, the architect of our bodies knows what makes them work best, and He said to rest one day a week.
Does it matter what day you rest? Some people understand that our bodies work best if we rest one day a week; they choose Tuesdays. But again, God is the one who said we should rest. He gets to decide what day that should be - because it’s about more than just physically resting.
Suppose I asked you to stand up and hold out your hands. I’m going to grab your wrists and ask you to lean back as far as you can, keeping your body absolutely straight. That’s hard, isn’t it. Well, it actually depends on how much you trust me. If you don’t think I can hold you, or if you think I won’t hold you, you’re likely to bend at the waist, bend at the knees, or not lean back as far as you actually could.
Your willingness to lean is based on your anxiety or worry about what could happen. So, let’s talk about what things cause you the most worry. Do you worry about spiders under your bed? Do you worry that your dad might get into an accident on the way home from work? Are you concerned that everyone is going to get into the potluck line and eat everything before you get there? Maybe you’re worried about talking during Sabbath School because you don’t want to give a wrong answer. We do tend to worry about things. We are anxious. What if you KNEW that there was nothing to worry about? What would it take for that to happen?
Part of what we’re supposed to learn from Sabbath observance is to rest - not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually. We’re supposed to trust God enough to be at rest, even if something doesn’t go the way we want it to. It’s trusting God enough to believe that He is working all things out for our good - even if it doesn’t look good right now. You could talk to any person in here and you’d find out they’ve gone through some very difficult things in their lives. God can use those events to teach them to trust Him no matter what. It’s called resting in Him.
But that doesn’t happen until you have a relationship with God. And you don’t grow your relationship with God more and more unless you spend time with Him - like coming to church on the day He designed, on the Sabbath. This day is for more than just resting physically and getting caught up on sleep. It’s about resting in God - because you trust Him - because you have spent time with Him and are growing in your relationship with Him. The fourth commandment is absolutely designed for our good.
**Loving Your Parents
Exodus 20:12 - Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Materials needed: dry erase board, marker, YE3I.5 lesson (CEM)
Let’s put our thinking caps on for a moment. If you were going to give your parents a gift, what would be a great thing to give them? Answers might include a snow blower (if you live in Buffalo, NY) or a new car (if you have lots of money). If you don’t have a lot of money, maybe you would agree to mow the lawn or paint the house. Maybe you could make supper every night for a week. Of course, you’d want to make sure the gift was something they’d really like.
If you were going to honor your parents, what would that look like? Would you give them a gift? Would you say nice things about them? What does it mean to honor? Honor is very closely related to respect. So . . . how do you show respect to your parents?
Well, you know exactly what you shouldn’t do! Don’t talk back. Don’t stick out your tongue at them. Don’t say bad things about them to others.
A big way to show honor or respect is by listening to what they have to say . . . and not just listening, but actually implementing what they have told you. If your parents hate the color pink (or Plumb Scuttlebutt), does it show honor and respect to them to paint their house pink? They may need their house painted, but ignoring what they’ve told you doesn’t show respect or honor.
If you tell your mom that you’ll come till her garden for her, and she says, “No, I’m not ready for that yet,” does it show respect for her if you till her garden anyway? Just because you don’t know why she’s not ready doesn’t give you permission to surprise her with something she has specifically told you she doesn’t want done.
On the other hand, if your dad tells you to make sure you check the oil on your car, and you do that faithfully, you are honoring him. He may not even know that you’re doing what he’s asked, except he knows you don’t have to buy a new car because the engine seized up.
It’s interesting, isn’t it?! The primary way we show respect to our parents is by living our lives the way they raised us to live them. We’re doing what they taught us to do. Hmm. It’s very much the same way we show honor and respect to God: we do what He tells us to do.
In both cases, our words mean absolutely nothing if they are not backed up by our words. That is, you can tell your parents that you love them, but if you are disrespectful, they’re not going to feel loved and honored. God is the same. If you tell God that you love Him, but you don’t do what He says, He has overwhelming evidence to refute your claim that you love Him.
Ephesians 6:2-3 points out that this commandment is the first one with a promise: Honor your father and your mother that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. There’s a natural consequence - for your good - if you honor your parents. Think about it.
Is God Your God?
Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:12-14
How do you honor your parents? Is it just obeying them? I don’t think so. I think you can obey without really honoring your parents. So what is it that constitutes honoring? It’s showing the respect that is due to them. You show deference. You do what you’re told. You aren’t disrespectful or disobedient.
O.K. Why? For what reason(s) should you honor your parents? Ephesians 6:2-3 says that this command is the first with a promise: that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. That’s a good reason to honor your parents. I’d like to live long in the land.
Another reason is simply because God tells you to. He has the authority. He has given your parents authority over you. You need to honor that.
The third reason is closely tied with the second: that is, when you honor your parents, you are honoring God who told you to honor them. You are obeying your heavenly Parent when you show respect and deference to your earthly parents.
What about murder? It’s easy to see that murdering someone is wrong. You don’t have the right, the authority, to take another person’s life. But what about capital punishment? What about just wars? What about putting to death that person who murdered your child in cold blood?
War is a terrible thing. But a just war is not wrong. When Jesus Christ returns, He will come as the conquering King. The very word “conquering” indicates that He will be fighting a war - and will be winning that war. Also remember that numerous instances are recorded in the Old Testament when God sent the Israelites into battle to take the land - and He fought for them.
What about capital punishment? What about the state putting a murderer to death? It’s Biblical. It’s one of the primary purposes of government. It’s God-given responsibility that the state is charged with administering justly.
So then, personal vengeance must also be Biblical. Oh, it’s Biblical, but it’s not condoned by God. God says that vengeance is His; He will repay. Even in cases of manslaughter, the cities of refuge were established where family members weren’t allowed to exact payment, i.e. a life for a life.
There’s another aspect of this commandment: when you murder, you are setting yourself up as God. He alone has the right to decide when life begins and when life ends. When you take a life, you are taking His authority upon yourself; you’re breaking the first commandment as well as the sixth!
What about committing adultery? Very simply, God made marriage between one man and one woman for life. There are certain behaviors that should only exist within that relationship.
Furthermore, this commandment also speaks to your relationship with God - the One who bought and paid for you with the price of the blood of His Son. You belong to Him and you have no business becoming involved with, messing around with, anything that is not godly. If He is your God, then He’s 100% your God. You can’t hold back 5% of your life where you mess around with things that are ungodly and disrespectful to Him as your Heavenly Parent.
As we continue talking about the ten commandments, you’ll see how each and every one of them is a reflection of how you view God, what your relationship with Him is like, and whether He truly is your God or not. After all, if He’s your God and He tells you not to do something, then if you don’t obey, is He really your God?
Think about it.
**It’s Murder
Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder.”
Materials Needed: CEM lesson (YE3I.6), puppet
Teacher: Have you ever heard of Curious George? Well, Curious Caleb is here today to talk about the Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder. It’s simple and to the point. I guess that’s it for our sabbath lesson today. (Caleb jumping up and down!!) What in the world? Do you have a question, Caleb?
Caleb: What’s the difference between murder and kill?
Teacher: Good question. Let’s ask the kids if they know. Murder is killing someone when you don’t have the authority to kill them. Killing means the ending of their life. O.K. Pretty straight-forward. I guess we’re done today.
Caleb: Wait! So is there ever a time when killing someone isn’t murder?
Teacher: Another good question. Let’s ask the kids if they know. Capital punishment is not murder. Killing someone accidentally is not murder.
Caleb: What is capital punishment?
Teacher: Capital punishment is when the government (legal authorities) determine that someone’s crime requires that they are put to death. In the Bible there are several crimes that were punishable by death: murdering someone, blaspheming God, kidnapping are three.
Caleb: How could you kill someone accidentally?
Teacher: If you didn’t plan ahead of time to murder them, if you didn’t have a desire to murder them, if it was simply something that happened accidentally, then it is not murder. The Biblical example is an axehead flying off (Deuteronomy 19:5).
Caleb: What if someone kills your family member? Can you kill them in today’s society? Is that capital punishment?
Teacher: No. Even though that person killed your family member, you can’t kill them. It’s the responsibility of the government to administer the death penalty. So I have a question for you: is abortion murder?
Caleb: Yeeesss?
Teacher: Absolutely. It’s premeditated. You intend to kill them. You are murdering a living being.
Caleb: Then when we cut down trees, is that murder?
Teacher: No. Trees are not human beings. God gave dominion over the rest of creation to mankind. So humans will be held accountable for not taking care of plants and animals. Revelation 11:18 says that God will destroy those who destroy the earth. However, murder refers to killing human beings, not trees and not animals. Do you know why murder is so wrong? God is the God of life (Matthew 22:32). He’s the One who gives life. He’s the One who sustains life (Revelation 4:11). He’s the One who numbers our days (Psalm 37:18). A person who decides to murder someone else has tried to usurp God’s authority. Trying to do God’s job for Him is never a wise choice. Does that make sense?
**Shut De Door
Exodus 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery."
Materials: wedding vows, CEM YEA lesson (YE3I.7)
“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today, before God and in the sight of these witnesses, to join these two in holy matrimony.”
Does that sound familiar? Many wedding services start just this way. It is legal terminology. There are witnesses to the contract that is about to be signed: God and all of the people attending the ceremony. Two key words in this introduction are “holy” and “matrimony.” Holy means set apart. Matrimony is the state or quality of being married.
These two people are embarking upon a lifelong commitment - covenant - as God is their witness - that they will abide by the terms of the contract. What is that contract? Many of them go like this:
I, Ron, faithfully promise and covenant with God, in the presence of these witnesses, to take Cynthia to be my wife, to love and comfort, to honor and cherish, and to be faithful to her in sickness and in health until death we are parted.
Then then bride states her part of the contract:
I, Cynthia, faithfully promise and covenant with God, in the presence of these witnesses, to take Ron to be my husband, to love and comfort, to honor and cherish, to submit myself to him, and to be faithful to him in sickness and in health until we are parted by death.
The covenant binds this man and this woman together for as long as they both shall live. They each prefer the other over all others. They are loyal and support of each other above all other relationships. In fact, there is no room for another person in this union. This is the promise they each make to the other.
If someone wants to wedge themselves into this relationship, to break that trust, each has the obligation before God to repudiate that advance. Like Joseph, they should get completely away from the situation. In fact, it’s best if they never put themselves into a situation that could potentially break that trust. There are many examples of a pastor (or other leader) refusing to meet with/counsel a woman without his wife present. That’s just wise! They are avoiding even the appearance of evil.
God does not take the marriage covenant lightly. How do we know this? Because the Seventh Commandment says, “You shall not commit adultery.” Breaking this commandment breaks that trust, breaks the promise made to your husband or wife. It’s serious stuff.
**That's Not True!
Exodus 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
Materials needed: candle, matches, buttons with crest/design, YEA lesson YE3I.9 (from CEM)
I remember my grandfather saying that a man was only as good as his word. It makes a lot of sense. In a community where people depended on one another, it was crucial that a person was reliable, that he did what he said he would do.
There’s another saying I associate with Grandad. “If he says he’ll do it, you can take it to the bank.” In other words, if someone agreed to do a task, it was a sure thing; it was as if you had the money in your hand, ready to take it to the bank.
It doesn’t take very long when you’re around people to figure out who you would trust completely and whose word isn’t worth a plug nickel.
Individually and collectively, when you can’t trust what people say, there are serious consequences. Not keeping your word covers all sorts of things - from relatively unimportant, like saying that you’ll do the dishes after supper to testifying in court. Truth is so important in court cases - because you’re dealing with people’s lives - that before you give your testimony you are required to swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. That’s a very serious oath - and it needs to be because your words literally could mean the difference between life and death in some cases.
For many years, important documents had a seal applied, to verify their authenticity. (We still do this today; it’s called a notary.) A small amount of sealing wax was melted and allowed to drip onto a document. Then a ring with a family or monarch’s crest was pushed down into the wax. That way, if you received a document, you knew exactly who it was from and if it had been tampered with. Sometimes the seal was applied to the end of the document; sometimes it was applied after the document had been folded.
Telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is a problem today. It was a problem back when sealing wax was used. It was a problem in Biblical times. God was very clear that it was a transgression of His law to bear false witness, to not tell the truth. God’s consequence was effective. Deuteronomy 19:18-19 says, “The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.” So, if you lie to get your brother in trouble, whatever punishment he would have received, you will get instead!
Proverbs 19:9 says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” Our God expects us to tell the truth! We would expect nothing less from the One who says He is the Way and the Truth and the Life! So you won’t be surprised to find that in the New Heavens and the New Earth, Revelation 21:8, here’s what it says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
All liars are included in this list of those who will not be part of God’s kingdom. God means it when He says, “You shall not bear false witness.”
A Broken Wanter
You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. Exodus 20:15-17
These three commandment have something in common: you break them because you want something you don’t have. You steal because you want something that isn’t yours. You covet - you look at what someone else has and you want that one, the one that isn’t yours. You bear false witness because the truth is not going to get you what you want, you think - a good name, escape from consequences, or in Ahab’s case, something he coveted and then stole, a vineyard (1 Kings 21).
There’s a phrase for this intense desire to have something you don’t presently have. It’s called having a broken wanter. That means there’s something wrong with this intense desire you have. James says that we quarrel and fight, we murder and covet, because of this broken wanter, wanting the things we don’t have. James says that we don’t have because we don’t ask. Now some people might stop there and say, “Oh, all I have to do is ask God for what I want and He’ll grant it to me.” Doesn’t Matthew 7:7 say, “Ask and it shall be given to you”? Not asking might be the first thing that is wrong in the case of a broken wanter. But James says there’s more. What if you’re asking for something you really shouldn’t have. Can you say, “I really want Keith and Diane’s house” and expect that God will give it to you? Just because you ask doesn’t mean God is obligated to give something to you.
James 4:3 says it this way: When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Oh, you mean that if I’m only concerned about how I feel and what I want (being the god of my own universe) then expecting the true God to be a genie in a bottle isn’t going to work out too well for me? That’s about it. You have a broken wanter because you are acting as if you are the god of the universe and everything’s about you. You want to put yourself first. So you’ve broken the first commandment because you’re putting yourself in the place of God. Now it’s just a matter of which and how many of the other commandments you’re also going to break. If you’re a Christian, or say you’re a Christian, you’re breaking the third commandment because a broken wanter doesn’t bring glory and honor to God’s name, and so you’re taking His name in vain.
A broken wanter reflects a distrust of God, the One who made you and has redeemed you. God is the One who gives every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), the One who knows much more than your physical parents how to give good gifts to those who ask (Matt 7:11). God’s perspective is eternity; His plan is for molding each of us, forming Christ in us, purifying us as a people for His own possession, to bring each of us into His kingdom. If that’s God’s perspective, His goal, He has a plan for how to get us there. And He knows which gifts are for our benefit.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting things. God has given us a world that is full of delightful things. But we have a broken wanter when we don’t want God first. Wanting God first means wanting His ways, wanting His perspective, wanting His plan for our lives, wanting a relationship with Him. That means submission to Him, trust that His ways are best, and contentment with what we have been given. It means wanting Him most of all.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
**What Do You Want?
Exodus 20:17, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Materials Needed: miscellaneous trinkets, YEA lesson (YE3I.10), dry erase board, markers, cards with Biblical characters on them
Do you have a list of things you really want? Are the things you listed material possessions, time-related, people-related, or something else? What is most important to you? Is wanting things bad? Wanting things is not bad; really, really wanting something can provide motivation to strive and persevere. It’s when you want things that other people have, things that are not yours, that you are breaking the Tenth Commandment. What do I mean? Well, let’s use some Bible examples:
Gehazi - This was Elisha’s servant. And the story to which I’m referring is found in 2 Kings 5; it’s the story of Naaman. What did Gehazi want that didn’t belong to him? He wanted the reward that Naaman was offering to Elisha, which Elisha completely disregarded. Gehazi didn’t earn it; it didn’t belong to him. So what did he do? He lied. How did he think his actions weren’t going to be discovered? The consequence? He contracted leprosy.
David - This was the greatest king in ancient Israel. But what did David want that didn’t belong to him? He wanted Bathsheba. So what did he do? He took her - and ended up murdering her husband to cover up his sin.
Solomon - The wisest man who ever lived wanted something too. What was it? Women! He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. What did God’s law say? From the very beginning (Genesis 2:24), God ordained marriage to be one man and one woman. Jesus reaffirms this in Matthew 19. Deuteronomy 17:17 specifically says that the king shall not have many wives, lest they turn his heart away from following God. What did Solomon end up doing? Turning away from following God with his whole heart - and the kingdom would be divided due to his sin.
Shadrach, Meshack, and Abedngo - The three young men who were thrown into the fiery furnace wanted something. What was it? They wanted to be found faithful to God - even if it meant they died in the fiery furnace. What does this example show us? There are things that you can really, really want - even if it means you lose your life - that are very pleasing to God.
It’s important to spend some time thinking about what you really want. Gehazi, if he’d thought about it, should have realized that he wanted the favor of God and Elisha more than a few sets of clothing. David, if he had really thought about it, should have realized that he wanted the relationship with God more than he wanted a relationship with Bathsheba. Solomon, if he had really thought about it, should have followed God’s law to maintain the relationship he had with God - the one where God loved him enough to tell him to ask for anything. What would that be worth to you - to have God tell you that you could ask for anything?!
Don’t spend time looking at what someone else has and wishing that it was yours. Do what God has given you to do and trust Him to provide what you truly need. Obeying this commandment, like obeying all of the others, can keep you out of a lot of trouble!
Exodus 20:1-6 - You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
**Exodus 20:4-6 - Worshiping Our God
Exodus 20:7 - Living the Life
Exodus 20:7-11 - Taking God's Name in Vain
***Exodus 20:9-11 - REST!!
**Exodus 20:12 - Loving Your Parents
Exodus 20:12-14 - Is God Your God?
**Exodus 20:13 - It's Murder
**Exodus 20:14 - Shut De Door
**Exodus 20:16 - That's Not True
Exodus 20:15-17 - A Broken Wanter
**Exodus 20:17 - What Do You Want?
***No Other Gods
Exodus 20:1-3 - “And God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.
Materials Needed: crochet project, crochet hook, pad of paper, marker, YE3I.1 lesson from CEM
Can you think of any of God’s names?
He is our Creator (Psalm 102:27),
Redeemer (Exodus 20:1-3),
Provider (Jehovah-Jireh - Genesis 22:14; John 1:29),
Sustainer (Acts 17:28).
He is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4),
the Good Shepherd (Jehovah-Rohi - Psalm 23; John 10),
the Light of the World (John 1:4-9).
He is our Peace (Jehovah-Shalom - Judges 6:24).
He is the God of Angel Armies (Jehovah Saboath - Psalm 24:8-10; Isaiah 9:7).
He is our Banner (Jehovah-Nissi - Exodus 17:8-15).
He is God Almighty (El Shaddai - John 15:2; Genesis 17:1-2).
He is our Master (Adonai - Isaiah 25:8).
We could go on for a very long time because God is our all in all. He created us. He sustains us. (Revelation 4:11) What does that look like? Last Friday night at our house, we watched Jennifer pull out hours of work that she had done on a shawl she’s making. Jonathan asked the question we were all feeling, “Do you have to pull it all out?” When you see all of the work that has gone into a project, it almost hurts to watch it all disappear. But Jennifer, after all, was the one who had put in the work. She had the right to pull it all out because she didn’t like the direction it was going. (Show the students a crochet project - and pull it all out as they watch.)
This is just a pale representation of our relationship with God, but it demonstrates that God is Sovereign. He’s in charge; He gets to make all the decisions. Why is that? Because God created us. He sustains us. He provides for us. He guides us. He is our Master and Lord. And if that weren’t enough, God loves us so much - while we were yet sinners - to give His Son as a sacrifice for our sins!
What god is like our God!! There is no god like Jehovah! Who said that? The people who were watching the drama play out between Elijah and the priests of Ashram and Baal (1 Kings 18). They had built altars, sacrificed a bull, and then waited for their gods to consume the sacrifice. Elijah built an altar, sacrificed a bull, told the people to drench the sacrifice and wood with water three times (!), and then prayed for God to make Himself known. The fire came down from heaven, consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and licked up the water. The people’s response: There is no God like Jehovah!
We don’t need to see a drama like that today to know that our God is the Awesome God! We should know better than to put anything before our God in importance! There is no one who can do what our God has already done and continues to do. So when God says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” He’s saying don’t bring anything else before Him and try to pass it off like it’s a god! Another of God’s names is Jealous (Exodus 34:24). He has done all of these things for us. He deserves our worship and praise. He has done it all! And He emphatically says He will not share His glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8). Our God is God alone!
You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is 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 or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:1-6
You shall have no other gods before me. What does this mean? What gods could we put before God? Anything which we treat as more important than God becomes our god. Anything which consumes our attention more than God becomes our god. Anything to which we devote ourselves more than we do to God becomes our god. It could be money, power, prestige. It could be a false god, like Allah or Buddha. It could even be ourselves.
Really? Ourselves? Well, think about it. "I know that God said you shall not bear false witness, but I’ll just tell a little white lie. God will understand." You have now set yourself up as a higher judicial standard than God. In effect, you’ve put yourself in God’s place. And it happens anytime you decide that God didn’t really mean what He said, that He’ll understand when you break His commands, and it won’t matter just this once.
It’s silly, really, to have any god before the One True God. The God we serve and claim as our God made everything else. The Bible says there was not anything made than was not made by Him. Nothing. Zilch. Nada! So, by the very definition of what God is - the supreme, the highest power, the most intelligent, the most righteous, the absolute ruler, that over which there is nothing higher - by that definition, anything that we would worship as god isn’t God, can’t be God, and can never become God.
The second commandment is very much like the first one. You are not to make an image of anything and worship it. Most of us have no problem recognizing that we’re not bowing down in front of a tree or a rose or a car. But making an idol of something God created goes farther than that. It ascribes power and glory to a created thing that only belongs to the Creator.
So what does that look like? Do you think money will make you happy? Then money becomes your idol. Do you think your house will keep you safe? Do you think your husband can satisfy your needs? Anything you put in God’s place, thinking that thing can fulfill God’s role, becomes an idol in your life.
So, do you have a god in your life before the Creator? Are you serving an idol instead of God? It’s something well worth considering because God says He’s a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) and He will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11).
***Worshiping Our God
Exodus 20:4-6 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Materials Needed: cards from last week, dry erase board, markers, statues, stuffed animals, photo
Last week we talked about our great God and some of His names. Many of His names are connected with what He does. He is our Healer, our Creator, our Provider, our Redeemer, our Guide, our Rock, our Sustainer, our Master, our Light, our Banner, our Shepherd, our Peace. He is God Almighty, the God of Angel Armies. And His name is Jealous. He is not willing to share His glory with any other.
Aaron made a golden calf and told the Israelites, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:8). What? A golden calf that was not living, had to be carried around - this was the god that rescued the people from Egypt? That’s absolutely ludicrous!
There’s no way we can create something that will be an accurate depiction of God. He is too great, too big, too glorious! That picture in the Christian bookstore that they say is Jesus - that’s not really Jesus. And it’s not a good idea to get an image into our minds - because it’s not true.
But is there anything wrong with making a model of something in creation? No - as long as 1) we don’t say that it is God and 2) we don’t bow down to worship it.
There’s an easy way to check if you’re breaking this second commandment. When you look at something, do you think that it is a depiction of God? No? Good! Do you think that it can do any of the things that God can do? No? Good! Do you bow down and worship the statue or photo? No? Good!
O.K. But do you create an image in your mind when someone talks about Jesus? Do you have a picture in your mind when someone prays to Almighty God? Be very careful not to create something in your head. We don’t know what God looks like and likely anything we would imagine would never come close to doing Him justice.
Living the Life
Exodus 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name" (NIV).
Materials Needed: YE3I.3 lesson from CEM
What if I walked up to your dad and I kicked him in the shin! When he asks why I did that, what if I tell him because it’s what you would do? Do you think that’s a good idea? Why not?! Does it matter if I use your name in a wrong way?
Let’s imagine your mom is speeding down the street and gets stopped by a policeman. When he asks her why she was speeding, what if she tells him she does that because it’s what our church teaches. Is that a good idea? Why would our church members be upset that she would say such a thing?
When my three children were young, I would tell them this (almost every time we walked out the door): You are ambassadors today. You are ambassadors for the name Saladin. You are ambassadors for homeschooling. And you are ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We would talk about how people watch the behaviors of people - even when you don’t realize that someone sees what you are doing. If you are behaving badly you bring dishonor, first, to your family name. People say things like, “Oh those Saladin kids! They are always so disrespectful and noisy.” Then you bring dishonor to homeschooling. People say things like, “Oh look at those homeschoolers. You know it’s really much better for them to be in public school. At least then they learn how to act in public.” And lastly, you bring dishonor to Jesus Christ. People say things like, “If that’s what their church teaches is appropriate behavior, I don’t want any part of that.”
This is the essence of the third commandment. It’s much more than saying words - although you should never speak God’s name casually. You should never use God’s name as a curse word or exclamation! Our God is holy! And we need to treat Him with the utmost respect. But the third commandment, "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name,” goes much deeper than the words you speak. It also refers to your conduct.
What kind of behaviors bring glory and honor to God? Humility, kindness, service, generosity, truth, honesty, excellence, trustworthiness, loyalty, respect, mindfulness, love, peacefulness, joy, gratitude. We could go on for a long time.
I love one of Tim Hawkins comic routines. He says if you’re going to drive in un-Christian-like ways, you should put an “I love Satan” sticker on your bumper. Please don’t put Christian stickers on your car and then drive in rude and unsafe ways! That’s good advice for even you - who are not driving yet. If you’re going to behave in un-Christian-like ways, please don’t tell anyone you are a Christian. God says He will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name. And it’s a dreadful thing to have God angry at you because you dishonored Him.
Taking God’s Name in Vain
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and 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. Exodus 20:7-11
When you meet someone for the first time, you are likely to tell them your name. Once you do, your name is tied in their mind to the impression that they have of you. Everything you’ve said and done, how you look, and what you wear are evaluated by the other person. What you say and do is a reflection of who they believe you are.
If you tell them you first and last name, now your words and deeds don’t just reflect on you personally, they also reflect on your family. You’ve introduced yourself with your family name. The other person now files away information about your family based on your words and deeds.
If you tell the other person your first and last name and something else about you, like being a homeschooler, you are now reflecting on yourself, your family, and the homeschool community by your words and deeds.
If you continue on and tell the person your first and last name, that you’re a homeschooler, and that you’re a Christian, now you’re reflecting not only on yourself, and your family, and the homeschool community, now you’re reflecting on God. And that’s serious.
You see, that’s a huge part of what the third commandment means. Some people think that not using God’s name in vain means that they have to stop using God’s name as a curse word or expletive when they’ve hit their thumb with a hammer. The larger part of the commandment is the admonition to not bring dishonor to the God you claim by the deeds and words people around you see and hear.
One of the deeds that lets people know just how very much you value God is obeying the Fourth Commandment. God is the One who set aside the Sabbath day, during Creation Week, and made it holy. He’s the One who gives it as a gift to His people. Part of collection of deeds people around you see is how you obey God’s commands.
Think of it this way: suppose someone made something especially for you. It was carefully thought out. It was for your benefit. It was filled with meaning. But you took the gift and smashed it. You decided to wanted to make something else special in place of that gift. It would be a huge slap in the face of the gift-giver. It would mean you didn’t think much of his gift or of him. That’s what happens when we decide to choose whatever day we want for worshiping God - when God already set aside a day, blessed it, and gave it to us as a gift.
When you think about it, God knows if you’re taking His name in vain if you profess to be a follower of Christ, but you don’t trouble yourself to keep His commandments - starting with the very next one, the Sabbath.
REST!
Exodus 20:9-11 - “Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Let’s suppose I ask you to do 10 jumping jacks. Easy? How about 20? 30? What if I asked you to do 100 jumping jacks? Would you ask me when you could rest?! Probably along about 50 you’d be looking to stop, especially if you don’t do jumping jacks all the time.
That’s kinda how life is. All week long we’re working; we could call it jumping jacks, jumping through hoops, jumping whenever the boss says to. Somewhere along the line, we start looking forward to when we can rest.
Did you know that God designed our bodies to work best if we take one a day a week to let them rest? If we ignore this fourth of the Ten Commandments, we’re really doing ourselves a disservice. After all, the architect of our bodies knows what makes them work best, and He said to rest one day a week.
Does it matter what day you rest? Some people understand that our bodies work best if we rest one day a week; they choose Tuesdays. But again, God is the one who said we should rest. He gets to decide what day that should be - because it’s about more than just physically resting.
Suppose I asked you to stand up and hold out your hands. I’m going to grab your wrists and ask you to lean back as far as you can, keeping your body absolutely straight. That’s hard, isn’t it. Well, it actually depends on how much you trust me. If you don’t think I can hold you, or if you think I won’t hold you, you’re likely to bend at the waist, bend at the knees, or not lean back as far as you actually could.
Your willingness to lean is based on your anxiety or worry about what could happen. So, let’s talk about what things cause you the most worry. Do you worry about spiders under your bed? Do you worry that your dad might get into an accident on the way home from work? Are you concerned that everyone is going to get into the potluck line and eat everything before you get there? Maybe you’re worried about talking during Sabbath School because you don’t want to give a wrong answer. We do tend to worry about things. We are anxious. What if you KNEW that there was nothing to worry about? What would it take for that to happen?
Part of what we’re supposed to learn from Sabbath observance is to rest - not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually. We’re supposed to trust God enough to be at rest, even if something doesn’t go the way we want it to. It’s trusting God enough to believe that He is working all things out for our good - even if it doesn’t look good right now. You could talk to any person in here and you’d find out they’ve gone through some very difficult things in their lives. God can use those events to teach them to trust Him no matter what. It’s called resting in Him.
But that doesn’t happen until you have a relationship with God. And you don’t grow your relationship with God more and more unless you spend time with Him - like coming to church on the day He designed, on the Sabbath. This day is for more than just resting physically and getting caught up on sleep. It’s about resting in God - because you trust Him - because you have spent time with Him and are growing in your relationship with Him. The fourth commandment is absolutely designed for our good.
**Loving Your Parents
Exodus 20:12 - Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Materials needed: dry erase board, marker, YE3I.5 lesson (CEM)
Let’s put our thinking caps on for a moment. If you were going to give your parents a gift, what would be a great thing to give them? Answers might include a snow blower (if you live in Buffalo, NY) or a new car (if you have lots of money). If you don’t have a lot of money, maybe you would agree to mow the lawn or paint the house. Maybe you could make supper every night for a week. Of course, you’d want to make sure the gift was something they’d really like.
If you were going to honor your parents, what would that look like? Would you give them a gift? Would you say nice things about them? What does it mean to honor? Honor is very closely related to respect. So . . . how do you show respect to your parents?
Well, you know exactly what you shouldn’t do! Don’t talk back. Don’t stick out your tongue at them. Don’t say bad things about them to others.
A big way to show honor or respect is by listening to what they have to say . . . and not just listening, but actually implementing what they have told you. If your parents hate the color pink (or Plumb Scuttlebutt), does it show honor and respect to them to paint their house pink? They may need their house painted, but ignoring what they’ve told you doesn’t show respect or honor.
If you tell your mom that you’ll come till her garden for her, and she says, “No, I’m not ready for that yet,” does it show respect for her if you till her garden anyway? Just because you don’t know why she’s not ready doesn’t give you permission to surprise her with something she has specifically told you she doesn’t want done.
On the other hand, if your dad tells you to make sure you check the oil on your car, and you do that faithfully, you are honoring him. He may not even know that you’re doing what he’s asked, except he knows you don’t have to buy a new car because the engine seized up.
It’s interesting, isn’t it?! The primary way we show respect to our parents is by living our lives the way they raised us to live them. We’re doing what they taught us to do. Hmm. It’s very much the same way we show honor and respect to God: we do what He tells us to do.
In both cases, our words mean absolutely nothing if they are not backed up by our words. That is, you can tell your parents that you love them, but if you are disrespectful, they’re not going to feel loved and honored. God is the same. If you tell God that you love Him, but you don’t do what He says, He has overwhelming evidence to refute your claim that you love Him.
Ephesians 6:2-3 points out that this commandment is the first one with a promise: Honor your father and your mother that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. There’s a natural consequence - for your good - if you honor your parents. Think about it.
Is God Your God?
Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:12-14
How do you honor your parents? Is it just obeying them? I don’t think so. I think you can obey without really honoring your parents. So what is it that constitutes honoring? It’s showing the respect that is due to them. You show deference. You do what you’re told. You aren’t disrespectful or disobedient.
O.K. Why? For what reason(s) should you honor your parents? Ephesians 6:2-3 says that this command is the first with a promise: that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. That’s a good reason to honor your parents. I’d like to live long in the land.
Another reason is simply because God tells you to. He has the authority. He has given your parents authority over you. You need to honor that.
The third reason is closely tied with the second: that is, when you honor your parents, you are honoring God who told you to honor them. You are obeying your heavenly Parent when you show respect and deference to your earthly parents.
What about murder? It’s easy to see that murdering someone is wrong. You don’t have the right, the authority, to take another person’s life. But what about capital punishment? What about just wars? What about putting to death that person who murdered your child in cold blood?
War is a terrible thing. But a just war is not wrong. When Jesus Christ returns, He will come as the conquering King. The very word “conquering” indicates that He will be fighting a war - and will be winning that war. Also remember that numerous instances are recorded in the Old Testament when God sent the Israelites into battle to take the land - and He fought for them.
What about capital punishment? What about the state putting a murderer to death? It’s Biblical. It’s one of the primary purposes of government. It’s God-given responsibility that the state is charged with administering justly.
So then, personal vengeance must also be Biblical. Oh, it’s Biblical, but it’s not condoned by God. God says that vengeance is His; He will repay. Even in cases of manslaughter, the cities of refuge were established where family members weren’t allowed to exact payment, i.e. a life for a life.
There’s another aspect of this commandment: when you murder, you are setting yourself up as God. He alone has the right to decide when life begins and when life ends. When you take a life, you are taking His authority upon yourself; you’re breaking the first commandment as well as the sixth!
What about committing adultery? Very simply, God made marriage between one man and one woman for life. There are certain behaviors that should only exist within that relationship.
Furthermore, this commandment also speaks to your relationship with God - the One who bought and paid for you with the price of the blood of His Son. You belong to Him and you have no business becoming involved with, messing around with, anything that is not godly. If He is your God, then He’s 100% your God. You can’t hold back 5% of your life where you mess around with things that are ungodly and disrespectful to Him as your Heavenly Parent.
As we continue talking about the ten commandments, you’ll see how each and every one of them is a reflection of how you view God, what your relationship with Him is like, and whether He truly is your God or not. After all, if He’s your God and He tells you not to do something, then if you don’t obey, is He really your God?
Think about it.
**It’s Murder
Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder.”
Materials Needed: CEM lesson (YE3I.6), puppet
Teacher: Have you ever heard of Curious George? Well, Curious Caleb is here today to talk about the Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder. It’s simple and to the point. I guess that’s it for our sabbath lesson today. (Caleb jumping up and down!!) What in the world? Do you have a question, Caleb?
Caleb: What’s the difference between murder and kill?
Teacher: Good question. Let’s ask the kids if they know. Murder is killing someone when you don’t have the authority to kill them. Killing means the ending of their life. O.K. Pretty straight-forward. I guess we’re done today.
Caleb: Wait! So is there ever a time when killing someone isn’t murder?
Teacher: Another good question. Let’s ask the kids if they know. Capital punishment is not murder. Killing someone accidentally is not murder.
Caleb: What is capital punishment?
Teacher: Capital punishment is when the government (legal authorities) determine that someone’s crime requires that they are put to death. In the Bible there are several crimes that were punishable by death: murdering someone, blaspheming God, kidnapping are three.
Caleb: How could you kill someone accidentally?
Teacher: If you didn’t plan ahead of time to murder them, if you didn’t have a desire to murder them, if it was simply something that happened accidentally, then it is not murder. The Biblical example is an axehead flying off (Deuteronomy 19:5).
Caleb: What if someone kills your family member? Can you kill them in today’s society? Is that capital punishment?
Teacher: No. Even though that person killed your family member, you can’t kill them. It’s the responsibility of the government to administer the death penalty. So I have a question for you: is abortion murder?
Caleb: Yeeesss?
Teacher: Absolutely. It’s premeditated. You intend to kill them. You are murdering a living being.
Caleb: Then when we cut down trees, is that murder?
Teacher: No. Trees are not human beings. God gave dominion over the rest of creation to mankind. So humans will be held accountable for not taking care of plants and animals. Revelation 11:18 says that God will destroy those who destroy the earth. However, murder refers to killing human beings, not trees and not animals. Do you know why murder is so wrong? God is the God of life (Matthew 22:32). He’s the One who gives life. He’s the One who sustains life (Revelation 4:11). He’s the One who numbers our days (Psalm 37:18). A person who decides to murder someone else has tried to usurp God’s authority. Trying to do God’s job for Him is never a wise choice. Does that make sense?
**Shut De Door
Exodus 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery."
Materials: wedding vows, CEM YEA lesson (YE3I.7)
“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today, before God and in the sight of these witnesses, to join these two in holy matrimony.”
Does that sound familiar? Many wedding services start just this way. It is legal terminology. There are witnesses to the contract that is about to be signed: God and all of the people attending the ceremony. Two key words in this introduction are “holy” and “matrimony.” Holy means set apart. Matrimony is the state or quality of being married.
These two people are embarking upon a lifelong commitment - covenant - as God is their witness - that they will abide by the terms of the contract. What is that contract? Many of them go like this:
I, Ron, faithfully promise and covenant with God, in the presence of these witnesses, to take Cynthia to be my wife, to love and comfort, to honor and cherish, and to be faithful to her in sickness and in health until death we are parted.
Then then bride states her part of the contract:
I, Cynthia, faithfully promise and covenant with God, in the presence of these witnesses, to take Ron to be my husband, to love and comfort, to honor and cherish, to submit myself to him, and to be faithful to him in sickness and in health until we are parted by death.
The covenant binds this man and this woman together for as long as they both shall live. They each prefer the other over all others. They are loyal and support of each other above all other relationships. In fact, there is no room for another person in this union. This is the promise they each make to the other.
If someone wants to wedge themselves into this relationship, to break that trust, each has the obligation before God to repudiate that advance. Like Joseph, they should get completely away from the situation. In fact, it’s best if they never put themselves into a situation that could potentially break that trust. There are many examples of a pastor (or other leader) refusing to meet with/counsel a woman without his wife present. That’s just wise! They are avoiding even the appearance of evil.
God does not take the marriage covenant lightly. How do we know this? Because the Seventh Commandment says, “You shall not commit adultery.” Breaking this commandment breaks that trust, breaks the promise made to your husband or wife. It’s serious stuff.
**That's Not True!
Exodus 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
Materials needed: candle, matches, buttons with crest/design, YEA lesson YE3I.9 (from CEM)
I remember my grandfather saying that a man was only as good as his word. It makes a lot of sense. In a community where people depended on one another, it was crucial that a person was reliable, that he did what he said he would do.
There’s another saying I associate with Grandad. “If he says he’ll do it, you can take it to the bank.” In other words, if someone agreed to do a task, it was a sure thing; it was as if you had the money in your hand, ready to take it to the bank.
It doesn’t take very long when you’re around people to figure out who you would trust completely and whose word isn’t worth a plug nickel.
Individually and collectively, when you can’t trust what people say, there are serious consequences. Not keeping your word covers all sorts of things - from relatively unimportant, like saying that you’ll do the dishes after supper to testifying in court. Truth is so important in court cases - because you’re dealing with people’s lives - that before you give your testimony you are required to swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God. That’s a very serious oath - and it needs to be because your words literally could mean the difference between life and death in some cases.
For many years, important documents had a seal applied, to verify their authenticity. (We still do this today; it’s called a notary.) A small amount of sealing wax was melted and allowed to drip onto a document. Then a ring with a family or monarch’s crest was pushed down into the wax. That way, if you received a document, you knew exactly who it was from and if it had been tampered with. Sometimes the seal was applied to the end of the document; sometimes it was applied after the document had been folded.
Telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is a problem today. It was a problem back when sealing wax was used. It was a problem in Biblical times. God was very clear that it was a transgression of His law to bear false witness, to not tell the truth. God’s consequence was effective. Deuteronomy 19:18-19 says, “The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.” So, if you lie to get your brother in trouble, whatever punishment he would have received, you will get instead!
Proverbs 19:9 says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.” Our God expects us to tell the truth! We would expect nothing less from the One who says He is the Way and the Truth and the Life! So you won’t be surprised to find that in the New Heavens and the New Earth, Revelation 21:8, here’s what it says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
All liars are included in this list of those who will not be part of God’s kingdom. God means it when He says, “You shall not bear false witness.”
A Broken Wanter
You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. Exodus 20:15-17
These three commandment have something in common: you break them because you want something you don’t have. You steal because you want something that isn’t yours. You covet - you look at what someone else has and you want that one, the one that isn’t yours. You bear false witness because the truth is not going to get you what you want, you think - a good name, escape from consequences, or in Ahab’s case, something he coveted and then stole, a vineyard (1 Kings 21).
There’s a phrase for this intense desire to have something you don’t presently have. It’s called having a broken wanter. That means there’s something wrong with this intense desire you have. James says that we quarrel and fight, we murder and covet, because of this broken wanter, wanting the things we don’t have. James says that we don’t have because we don’t ask. Now some people might stop there and say, “Oh, all I have to do is ask God for what I want and He’ll grant it to me.” Doesn’t Matthew 7:7 say, “Ask and it shall be given to you”? Not asking might be the first thing that is wrong in the case of a broken wanter. But James says there’s more. What if you’re asking for something you really shouldn’t have. Can you say, “I really want Keith and Diane’s house” and expect that God will give it to you? Just because you ask doesn’t mean God is obligated to give something to you.
James 4:3 says it this way: When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Oh, you mean that if I’m only concerned about how I feel and what I want (being the god of my own universe) then expecting the true God to be a genie in a bottle isn’t going to work out too well for me? That’s about it. You have a broken wanter because you are acting as if you are the god of the universe and everything’s about you. You want to put yourself first. So you’ve broken the first commandment because you’re putting yourself in the place of God. Now it’s just a matter of which and how many of the other commandments you’re also going to break. If you’re a Christian, or say you’re a Christian, you’re breaking the third commandment because a broken wanter doesn’t bring glory and honor to God’s name, and so you’re taking His name in vain.
A broken wanter reflects a distrust of God, the One who made you and has redeemed you. God is the One who gives every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), the One who knows much more than your physical parents how to give good gifts to those who ask (Matt 7:11). God’s perspective is eternity; His plan is for molding each of us, forming Christ in us, purifying us as a people for His own possession, to bring each of us into His kingdom. If that’s God’s perspective, His goal, He has a plan for how to get us there. And He knows which gifts are for our benefit.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting things. God has given us a world that is full of delightful things. But we have a broken wanter when we don’t want God first. Wanting God first means wanting His ways, wanting His perspective, wanting His plan for our lives, wanting a relationship with Him. That means submission to Him, trust that His ways are best, and contentment with what we have been given. It means wanting Him most of all.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
**What Do You Want?
Exodus 20:17, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Materials Needed: miscellaneous trinkets, YEA lesson (YE3I.10), dry erase board, markers, cards with Biblical characters on them
Do you have a list of things you really want? Are the things you listed material possessions, time-related, people-related, or something else? What is most important to you? Is wanting things bad? Wanting things is not bad; really, really wanting something can provide motivation to strive and persevere. It’s when you want things that other people have, things that are not yours, that you are breaking the Tenth Commandment. What do I mean? Well, let’s use some Bible examples:
Gehazi - This was Elisha’s servant. And the story to which I’m referring is found in 2 Kings 5; it’s the story of Naaman. What did Gehazi want that didn’t belong to him? He wanted the reward that Naaman was offering to Elisha, which Elisha completely disregarded. Gehazi didn’t earn it; it didn’t belong to him. So what did he do? He lied. How did he think his actions weren’t going to be discovered? The consequence? He contracted leprosy.
David - This was the greatest king in ancient Israel. But what did David want that didn’t belong to him? He wanted Bathsheba. So what did he do? He took her - and ended up murdering her husband to cover up his sin.
Solomon - The wisest man who ever lived wanted something too. What was it? Women! He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. What did God’s law say? From the very beginning (Genesis 2:24), God ordained marriage to be one man and one woman. Jesus reaffirms this in Matthew 19. Deuteronomy 17:17 specifically says that the king shall not have many wives, lest they turn his heart away from following God. What did Solomon end up doing? Turning away from following God with his whole heart - and the kingdom would be divided due to his sin.
Shadrach, Meshack, and Abedngo - The three young men who were thrown into the fiery furnace wanted something. What was it? They wanted to be found faithful to God - even if it meant they died in the fiery furnace. What does this example show us? There are things that you can really, really want - even if it means you lose your life - that are very pleasing to God.
It’s important to spend some time thinking about what you really want. Gehazi, if he’d thought about it, should have realized that he wanted the favor of God and Elisha more than a few sets of clothing. David, if he had really thought about it, should have realized that he wanted the relationship with God more than he wanted a relationship with Bathsheba. Solomon, if he had really thought about it, should have followed God’s law to maintain the relationship he had with God - the one where God loved him enough to tell him to ask for anything. What would that be worth to you - to have God tell you that you could ask for anything?!
Don’t spend time looking at what someone else has and wishing that it was yours. Do what God has given you to do and trust Him to provide what you truly need. Obeying this commandment, like obeying all of the others, can keep you out of a lot of trouble!