Maybe you’re like me and you grew up watching “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston every year on Easter weekend. Or maybe you saw the Ten Commandments hanging on a school classroom wall or on a monument outside a courthouse. One way or another, most of us have heard of them. We think of them mostly as a list of activities we shouldn’t do (e.g., don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery, don’t covet, etc.). Somewhere along the line, we got the impression that as long as we didn’t do anything bad, we were OK. But the commandments God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai were much more far-reaching than we notice at first glance.
The Israelites saw the Ten Commandments (or “words”) as summary statements covering all of the Law outlined in the following chapters of what we know as the book of Exodus. The rest of the law is what defined these commandments and gave them breadth. For example, there is more encompassed in “Do not murder” than simply not taking another’s life. A positive command was implied. Jesus pointed to this deeper understanding in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) when He said, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you….” He defined “murder” as a problem of the heart; anyone who was angry had already committed murder in his heart.
This 10-lesson podcast series takes you through the Ten Commandments for a richer and deeper understanding of the kind of lives God intended His people to lead. Remember, the Old Testament was the only Bible the early Christians had. It was in the Old Testament, the circulated stories of Jesus, and the letters from the Apostle Paul and others that taught them what it meant to be holy. God had an expectation of His people, and He clearly showed them from the beginning of the nation of Israel what that expectation was.
These Ten Commandments were meant to declare God’s expectations, to reveal our shortcomings, to protect our relationships, and to enrich our lives. It is my prayer that they will guide you in your quest for true holiness.
#1 – Put God First
10 Commandments 1 – note-taking guide-fillable
#2 – Worship God Only
10 Commandments 2 – note-taking guide-fillable
#3 – Revere God’s Name
10 Commandments 3 – note-taking guide-fillable
#4 – Cultivate Rest with God
10 Commandments 4 – note-taking guide-fillable (fillable PDF)
#5 – Honor God’s Established Authority
10 Commandments 5 – note-taking guide-fillable
#6 – Protect Life
10 Commandments 6 – note-taking guide-fillable
#7 – Practice Covenantal Faithfulness
10 Commandments 7 – note-taking guide-fillable
#8 – Be Generous
10 Commandments 8 – note-taking guide-fillable
#9 – Be Truthful
10 Commandments 9 – note-taking guide-fillable
#10 – Be Content with What You Have
10 Commandments 10 – note-taking guide-fillable
My husband Dan David (also an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church) and I shared this series of messages at our church several years ago. We’ve chosen to share these messages with you now because we believe God’s standard of living for His people is unchanging, regardless of how much culture has changed. He still expects us to be holy. And His Ten Commandments are packed with practicality and applicability for us today.