A.      The Ten Commandments are considered by many to be God’s basic code for governing man’s behavior.

                                                             1.      The Ten Commandments address both man’s relationship with God (the first four commandments) and man’s relationship with other people (the last six commandments).

                                                             2.      The Ten Commandments may be considered as categories into which all the other commandments of God fall.  These categories relate to every moral, ethical, spiritual, and practical matter.

                                                             3.      These commandments are recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

B.      The Ten Commandments were given by God through Moses to the nation of Israel, but they have been passed on to all men through the gospel of Jesus Christ with the exception of the Sabbath law.

                                                             1.      When the Ten Commandments were given, they were exclusively for the people of Israel.  They were the basis for the entire covenant between God and Israel that was given through Moses at Mount Sinai following Israel’s exodus from Egypt (Ex. 19:1-8; 34:27-28).

                                                             2.      While the Ten Commandments through Moses were only for Israel, they were not entirely unique.

a.       Many of them are common sense laws and are part of the natural law that has always governed mankind since the beginning of creation.

b.       God installs these natural laws into the hearts of men by their consciences.  Notice Romans 2:14-15 – "For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them…”

                                                             3.      Today, the Ten Commandments minus the Sabbath law govern us because the gospel of Christ has renewed them and not because Moses gave them.  Even the Sabbath law has an important application that we must observe today.

C.      Presently, let us begin a study of the Ten Commandments that focuses on how they should govern us today.

II.      THE COMMANDMENT TO ISRAEL: YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS

Exodus 20:2-3 – "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.”

A.      The Ten Commandments to Israel began with a declaration of God’s identity and a historical perspective.

                                                             1.      The word "LORD” in Exodus 20:2 (KJV, NKJV, NASB) is an interpretation of the name YHWH or Jehovah.

a.       This name of God derived from the Hebrew verb hayah, which means "to be.”  The name YHWH or Jehovah (anglicized version) means "I AM” (see Ex. 3:14) and indicates the eternal and ever-present nature of God.

b.       The interpretation of "LORD” arises from a Jewish tradition of saying "Lord” (Heb. Adonay) instead of Jehovah when reading the Scriptures aloud.  The Jews did this for fear of violating the third commandment by taking God’s name in vain.

                                                             2.      By saying "I am the LORD,” God reminded Israel who He was and that they were obligated to keep His commandments.

a.       God often used this phrase for this purpose.  In fact, "I am the LORD” occurs in seventy-three verses of the five books of Moses.

b.       Any objection that might be raised against keeping these commandments was answered simply by this phrase, "I am the LORD.”

                                                             3.      By reminding Israel of their deliverance from Egypt, God expressed both His power and His love for them.

a.       Israel’s exodus from Egypt had been a mighty display of God’s wondrous power, including the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.  It was this same powerful God who now gave them these Ten Commandments and covenant.

b.       Israel’s deliverance had occurred because "their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God” and "God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Ex. 2:23-24).  God cared for His chosen people.

c.        For those who first received the Ten Commandments at Sinai, the exodus from Egypt was fresh in their memories.  For those who would inherit these commandments many years later, this reference to the exodus was a historical reminder of the power of God and His love for Israel.

B.      The first commandment is an absolute prohibition against following any other god whatsoever.

                                                             1.      The term "before Me” in Exodus 20:3 should be understood as "besides Me” so that the commandment means "You shall have no other gods besides Me.”

                                                             2.      Jehovah had established Himself as the only God of Israel.

a.       He had humiliated the Egyptians and shown that their gods were nothing.

b.       No one else had even attempted to deliver Israel from their plight.  Only Jehovah had such power and concern for Israel.

c.        He would further prove Himself at Mount Sinai with a fearful show of power.

                                                             3.      Sadly, it was this first commandment along with the second one that Israel would struggle most to keep, for they spent much of their history worshiping false gods.

III.   THE MODERN APPLICATION

A.      Just as it was important for Israel to consider God’s identity and to have a historical perspective, it is also important for us to do the same.

                                                             1.      We serve the same God who delivered Israel.  He is the God who created the universe and maintains power over it.

                                                             2.      We have an even greater perspective on God’s works through history because we have the full revelation of His word.  The Scriptures reveal God’s historical providence and power and the unfolding of His gospel plan for the salvation of man through Christ.

                                                             3.      We have even more reasons for obeying God’s commandments than Israel had.

B.      Today, it is still vital to recognize that there is only one God, but it is equally vital to accept that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only way to have access to God.

                                                             1.      This was the theme of the apostle Paul’s sermon to the Athenians in Acts 17:22-31.

a.       Paul revealed the "Unknown God” to the pagan, idolatrous Athenian Gentiles.  He declared that God is the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Lord of heaven and earth.

b.       He also declared that now is the time for all men to repent because God will judge the world in righteousness through the Man whom He raised from the dead, namely, Jesus.

                                                             2.      While we must recognize that there is only one true and living God, we must also understand that there are three distinct persons who are God.

a.       The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all separately but equally God (for references to all three together, see Gen. 1:26; 3:22; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2Cor. 13:14; 1Pet. 1:2).

b.       When Paul was giving examples of unity to the Ephesians, He listed all three members of the Godhead – "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6)

                                                             3.      Just as we, like Israel, are to have no other God besides Jehovah, so also do we have no other Savior besides Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

a.       Notice the following words about Jesus from the first chapter of the gospel of John:

i.         "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (v. 1)

ii.        "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (v. 14)

iii.      "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (v. 18)

b.       Jesus explained about Himself in John 14:6, saying, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

c.        Peter declared of Jesus in Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Nothing is more essential to a soul’s existence than to honor the God who made him.  He is the God of every soul, and no one should have another god besides Him.

B.      In our next lesson, we will see that the second commandment is very closely related to the first one, but it specifically addresses the problem of idolatry.