April 6, 2025
Exodus 20:12-21
“Sacred Boundaries for a Just Society”
Service Overview: How do we live in a way that honors God and blesses others? The last six commandments reveal God’s design for relationships—built on honor, integrity, and truth. These commands are not just rules but a reflection of God’s character, calling us to a life of righteousness, love, justice, and holy fear.
Memory Verse for the Week:
Romans 13:9-10 – The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Background & Technical Insights:
- The Ten Commandments were much more than laws for governing the life of the nation of Israel. They are part of the covenant God made with Israel when He took them to Himself to be His special people (Ex. 6:1–8; 19:5–8). In the Abrahamic covenant, God gave the Jews the title deed to the Promised Land (Gen. 12:3; 13:14–18), but Israel’s possession and enjoyment of that land depended on their obedience to the Mosaic covenant. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Delivered: Exodus, 125)
- Liberation from Egyptian bondage would be no advantage in itself unless it were consolidated into social structures and moral principles that would sustain the covenant community both vertically in relation to God and horizontally in relation to one another. The Decalogue is the foundation block of such social consolidation, upon which the rest of the laws and institutions of the Torah build their constitution-shaping edifice. (Christopher J.H. Wright, Exodus, 357)
- When God gave his law, he wrote it down on two tablets (Exod. 31:18). Perhaps this means that he provided Moses with two copies. This was customary in ancient times whenever two parties established a covenant. Or perhaps the law was divided into two parts. Traditionally the first four commandments are distinguished from the last six. The first table of the law consists of the four commandments that govern our response to God. The second table consists of the six commandments that govern the way we treat one another. Obviously our human relationships cannot be separated from our relationship to God, but there is a distinction: The first four commandments teach us to love God, while the last six teach us to love our neighbor. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Exodus, 602)
- Our attention to the outward and visible realities of the second section of the law reveals how seriously we take the spiritual realities of the first. As John puts it, ‘whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen . . . anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister’ (1 John 4:20–21). (J. Alec Motyer, Exodus, 218)
What is it these last 6 Commandments convey?
- Basic safeguards that would transform any society.
(Deut. 6:6–7; Ps. 19:7–8; 119:1; Prov. 14:34; Micah 6:8; Mat. 22:37–40; Rom. 13:9–10)
The “law of God” expresses the mind of the Creator, and is binding upon all rational creatures. It is God’s unchanging moral standard for regulating the conduct of all men. (Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Exodus, Location 5251)
The Ten Commandments address the most important elements of human existence. Adherence to these principles would transform any society for the better. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 174)
- The righteous character of the God who gave them.
(Lev. 11:44; Deut. 32:4; Psalm 119:137, 142; Isaiah 33:22; Matthew 5:48; Romans 7:12)
Although the Ten Commandments are primarily a concise and selective list of obligations that the Israelites must fulfill, they provide an important insight into the nature of God. As the Creator of the universe Yahweh alone is the ultimate authority, determining the moral standards by which every creature will be judged. The Ten Commandments underline God’s uniqueness as the supreme moral authority over all creation. (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 174)
- How the problem with people is the problem of the heart.
(Gen. 6:5; Proverbs 4:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18–19; Mark 7:20–23; Romans 3:23)
The first and tenth commandments deal with what’s in the heart, while the other eight focus on outward actions that begin in the heart. Covetous people will break all of God’s commandments in order to satisfy their desires, because at the heart of sin is the sin in the heart (Matt. 15:19). (Warren Wiersbe, Exodus, 131)
The tenth commandment makes explicit what the other commandments only imply — namely, that God requires inward as well as outward obedience. (Phillip Graham Ryken, Exodus, 669)
- How we are all hopeless in keeping the commandments, and are in desperate need of a Savior.
(Ps. 14:3; Ecc. 7:20; Is. 53:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 7:7; Eph. 2:1–5; 1 John 1:8)
[The Law is] God’s way of showing us our sins and stripping us of our self-righteousness so that we cry out for the mercy and grace of God. (Wiersbe, Exodus, 126)
Our culture busily promotes self-esteem so that people can feel good about themselves. To talk about sin is seen as an assault on “project me”. But the irony is the more we promote our self-esteem, the more neurotic and insecure we become. A great gap has been grown between image and reality—and every day people are falling into the void it’s created. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 178)
Conclusion…
Time to take a “quiz”. (For this, Pastor Dave will ask a question, and we’ll all fill in our own answer together.)
- How many lies have you told in your lifetime? _______
(Ex. 20:16; Ps. 101:7; Prov. 6:16–19; 12:22; 19:5; Eph. 4:25; Col. 3:9–10; Rev. 21:8)
- Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours, regardless of its value? YES – NO
(Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19; Zech. 5:3; Matt. 15:19; 1 Luke 19:8–9; Cori. 6:9–10; Eph. 4:28)
- Have you ever looked at someone with lust? YES – NO
(Ex. 20:14, 17; Mat. 5:27–28; Rom. 13:13-14; 1 Cor. 6:18-20; Gal. 5:19-21; Col. 3:5)
- Have you ever been angry with someone in a way that wasn’t righteous? YES – NO
(Prov. 14:29; 29:22; Matt. 5:21-22; Gal. 5:19–21; Col. 3:8; James 1:19–20; 1 John 3:15)
- Have you ever been jealous of what someone else had? YES – NO
(Ex. 20:17; Prov. 14:30; Mark 7:21–22; Luke 12:15; Gal. 5:19–21; Col. 3:5; Ja. 3:16)
- According to your own answers, on your own merit would you stand innocent or guilty before God? ______________
(Ps. 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Ecc. 7:20; Is. 53:6; Rom. 3:10–12; 3:23; 5:12; Ja. 2:10; 1 John 1:8)
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature… Sin includes not only individual acts such as stealing or lying or committing murder, but also attitudes that are contrary to the attitudes God requires of us. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 490)
A sin is anything that violates the moral law of the universe. Any time we do what God tells us not to do or fail to do what God commands us to do, we commit a sin. And every time we sin, we are found guilty in the sight of God and deserve divine judgment. (Philip Graham Ryken, Is Jesus the Only Way?, 39)
A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving. (St. Augustine, De mendacio 4, 5: PL 40: 491)
Lust never has what it wants because it never has enough. Lust steals joy by creating an endless state of discontentment in the constant search for that one next thing you don’t have yet. Lust is never happy because lust is never full. (Heath Lambert, Finally Free, 130)
Nothing makes room for Satan more than wrath. (Thomas Manton, Works of Thomas Manton, Vol. 4, 143)
Gospel Connection…
The law reveals our failure and need for a Savior. The greatest news ever is that Jesus fulfilled the law and gives us his righteousness when we turn to and trust in him to save.
(Mat. 5:17; Rom. 3:20-22; 4:5; 7:7; 8:3–4; 10:4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9; Titus 3:5; Heb. 4:15; Jam. 2:10)
In the Law of Moses, we see both our sinfulness and our solution. We see ourselves as we really are in all the ugliness of our sin. And we see Jesus in all the glorious beauty of his righteousness, and all his bountiful provision in giving us that righteousness. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 175)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- How would society change if everyone truly lived by the last six commandments?
- What do these commandments show us about God’s heart for human relationships?
- Why must we admit we can’t keep the commandments on our own?
- How does Jesus’ fulfillment of the law bring hope to sinners?
- Why is it important to honestly ask if we’d be guilty before God?
- How should God’s grace shape the way we treat those who don’t yet know Him?
Quotes to note…
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said God’s will is not about mere outward conformity, but the attitude of our hearts. We can murder people in our hearts—”anyone who is angry with a brother or a sister” has done it (Matthew 5:22). Have you ever harboured violent thoughts, or plotted or imagined another’s downfall—whether or not you ever acted on them? (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 177)
Even adultery is not the unforgiveable sin. It is a terrible sin, but God forbid that there should be anyone who feels that he or she has sinned himself or herself outside the love of God or outside His kingdom because of adultery. No; if you truly repent and realize the enormity of your sin and cast yourself upon the boundless love and mercy and grace of God, you can be forgiven and I assure you of pardon. But hear the words of our blessed Lord: “Go and sin no more.” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 261)
Unfaithfulness is not limited to the overt act, but reaches to the passions behind the act. (Arthur Pink, Gleanings in Exodus, 5378)
To be justified means more than to be declared “not guilty.” It actually means to be declared righteous before God. It means God has imputed or charged the guilt of our sin to His Son, Jesus Christ, and has imputed or credited Christ’s righteousness to us. (Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace, 36)
The law makes us conscious of our problem. “Through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3:20). We all have embarked upon a deep-seated rebellion against God, and what the law does is expose that hidden rejection of God. (Tim Chester, Exodus for You, 170)
To make coveting the climax shows that covenant loyalty in Israel went far deeper than external conformity to statute law. The God who claimed his people’s love (Deut 6:4–5) also claimed the rest of their affections and desires. Indeed, since coveting is a form of wrongly directed love, it puts other things or people in the place only God should be. In that sense, the commandments come full circle. To break the tenth is to break the first: covetousness is idolatry. (Christopher J.H. Wright, Exodus, 379)
The Sinai covenant is based on the underlying assumption that the Israelites will fulfill the covenant obligations out of love for God. They do not keep the commandments in order to merit the love of God. God has already shown his love for them by delivering them from slavery in Egypt. This pattern is reflected in the words of Jesus: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). (T. Desmond Alexander, Exodus, 175)
There is no such thing as a concern for God that ignores our relationships with people. (J. Alec Motyer, The Message of Exodus, 218)
The privilege of freedom brings with it the responsibility to use that freedom wisely for the glory of God and the good of others. (Warren Wiersbe, Be Delivered: Exodus, 125)