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When God spoke the Ten Commandments, did He reveal something entirely new to the Israelites and through them, to the gentile nations and peoples of the world?
by Ken Graham Sr.
ometime around 1400 to 1500 B.C., God spoke directly to the Israelites from Mt. Sinai, located in a desert region south and west of modern-day Israel. Exodus chapters 20 through 24 chronicle the establishing of a covenant, or agreement, between God and the descendants of Abraham; his son, Isaac; and grandson, Jacob.
God gave the Ten Commandments, and He spoke from the mountain directly to the people. They were so frightened by the sound that they pleaded with Moses for God not to speak to them, but that they would hear from Moses what God wanted.
When God spoke the Ten Commandments, did He reveal something entirely new to the Israelites, and through them, to the gentile nations and peoples of the world? Or did God "codify," or write down and then include in a specific covenant with Israel, preexisting definitions of sin and righteousness?
Many say that the Ten Commandments were simply the "old covenant." They also say that when the old covenant passed away, so did the need for obeying the Ten Commandments, unless they were specifically repeated in the new covenant.
Others say that God has had a standard of righteous conduct that began at the time of the creation of Adam and has not changed since. Let's study this together and see what we can discover about God's intention for how His people should act toward each other and toward Him, and whether His standards of sin and righteousness have changed through the years.
Going through the Bible together:
Exodus 20:1-20 (Hint: Ask someone to read these verses out loud.)
Discussion: Why are the Ten Commandments important? (Hint: You might explore the following questions with your family.)
Discussion: What do these scriptures teach us about what sin is? (Hint: You might have someone read the following scriptures and then ask the family how these define sin. Are there other scriptures that define, in general terms, what sin is?)
Discussion: What conclusions can we draw about what defines sin? (Hint: In what ways does God use definitions that relate to physical conduct and definitions that relate to attitudes to define sin?)
Was there sin before God spoke the Ten Commandments to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai?
Discussion: What examples are there that specifically define sin, wickedness or other lawless conduct before Exodus 20 ? (Hint: Have family members look up the following, read the passage and identify which Commandments were broken.)
Did God have a different standard of sin for a gentile nation than He did for His chosen people? (Hint: Was Abimelech, the gentile king in Genesis 20, subject to the same commandments defining sin and righteousness as was Abraham?)
Discussion: What other consequences are there for sin? (Hint: You might ask what the physical and psychological consequences are when people sin. Also, what happens to relationships when there is sin? How are families, communities or even nations weakened by sin? Does righteous conduct strengthen relationships?)
Discussion: What kind of obedience did Jesus want from His people? (Hint: Was keeping the "letter of the law" enough? What does the phrase "keeping the spirit of the law" mean to you? Can we keep the intent of the law and break the letter of the law? Should the intent or spirit of the law guide us in how we can best keep the letter of the law?)
How many of the Ten Commandments can you find mentioned before Exodus 20 ? (Hint: Look for either a specific statement about them, like the Sabbath in Genesis 2, or the scriptures showing a sin, like murder in Genesis 4:6. A concordance will help with this study.)
Why is sin, or unrighteousness, bad? Why is righteousness, or obedience to God's commandments, good? Who is hurt when any of the Ten Commandments is broken? What happens when the Ten Commandments are obeyed? (Hint: You might go through each of the Ten Commandments individually and ask the same questions for each: "What happens when this Commandment is broken? What happens when this Commandment is obeyed?")
Does the New Testament teach commandment-keeping? Will there be commandment-keeping for all people after the return of Jesus Christ?
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This outline is intended to suggest topics and questions to spark discussion in Bible study. You may find it useful to spread the study out over a number of days and to adapt it to fit the age groupings within your family. GN
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Other Articles by Ken Graham
Keywords: Law of God Commandments
God's law, before Moses: