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Picture two ways of joining something. In the first, a club hands you a 40-page rule book: "Keep all these rules perfectly, and then you can become a member." In the second, a family adopts a child. On the first night the parents say, "You're ours now. Here's how our family lives: we tell the truth, we look after each other, we eat dinner together."
In the first, the rules are how you get in. In the second, the rules are how you live once you're already in. Lots of people think the Bible works like the club. At Mount Sinai, we discover that God's covenant with Israel is much more like the family.
What you'll learn
- Why God rescued Israel before he gave them his law
- What the Ten Commandments are about: loving God and loving others
- How Jesus did what Israel couldn't do, and keeps this covenant for us
Rescued, then called
God had promised Abraham a great nation, and Abraham's family did grow into one, in Egypt. But they became slaves. God heard their cry and remembered his covenant with Abraham (Exodus 2:24). He sent Moses, brought the plagues on Egypt, saved his people through the Passover and led them through the sea. Three months later, they arrived at Mount Sinai, and God spoke:
"‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine." (Exodus 19:4–5)
| Exodus 19 | What it means |
|---|---|
| What God has done (v. 4) | Rescued them from Egypt and carried them like an eagle carries its young, bringing them to himself. |
| What God asks (v. 5) | Listen to him and keep his covenant. |
| Who they will be (vv. 5–6) | His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. |
Again and again in the Old Testament, God sums up this covenant in a few words: he will be their God, and they will be his people (see Exodus 6:7 and Leviticus 26:12). That is a relationship, like a marriage or an adoption, not a business deal.
A "kingdom of priests" means Israel was meant to bring the other nations to God. That links straight back to Abraham: all the families of the earth would be blessed through his family.
The Ten Commandments
Before God gives a single commandment, he says who he is and what he has done:
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:2)
The rescue comes first. The commandments show rescued people how to live as God's family. Here they are in plain words (you can read them in full in Exodus 20:1–17):
| Commandment (in our words) | Love God or love others? |
|---|---|
| 1. Have no other gods except the LORD. | Love God |
| 2. Don't make idols to worship. | Love God |
| 3. Don't misuse God's name. | Love God |
| 4. Keep the Sabbath day holy: a day of rest. | Love God |
| 5. Honour your father and mother. | Love others |
| 6. Do not murder. | Love others |
| 7. Do not commit adultery (be faithful in marriage). | Love others |
| 8. Do not steal. | Love others |
| 9. Do not lie about others. | Love others |
| 10. Do not covet (wish you had what belongs to someone else). | Love others |
The first four are about loving God. The last six are about loving the people around you. Centuries later, Jesus summed up the whole law in just two commands: love God with everything you are, and love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:37–40).
Notice that the tenth commandment is different. "Do not covet" isn't about what you do; it's about what you want. God's law reaches right into the heart.
A broken covenant
The people promised to do everything the LORD had said. Moses sprinkled blood on them and called it the blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:3–8). The relationship was sealed.
Then, while Moses was still up the mountain, the people made a golden calf and worshipped it (Exodus 32). Within weeks, they had broken the first two commandments.
It's the same problem we saw after Noah: the trouble is inside the human heart. And this pattern keeps repeating through Israel's history. God stays faithful; the people keep breaking the covenant. Something more would be needed.
The promise chain: link 4
| Who? | What did God promise? | Sign | Fulfilled in Jesus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moses and the people of Israel | God will be their God, and they will be his treasured people (Exodus 19:5–6). | The Sabbath (Exodus 31:13); the covenant sealed with blood (Exodus 24:8). | Jesus kept the law perfectly, and through him people from every nation become God's people (1 Peter 2:9). |
Key words
- Law: the commands God gave his people to show them how to live.
- Commandment: one of God's instructions, like the Ten Commandments.
- Covet: to want something that belongs to someone else.
- Treasured possession: something precious that belongs to you; God's name for his people.
How this points to Jesus
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17)
Jesus kept God's law perfectly, every commandment, in his actions and in his heart. He did what Israel couldn't do, and what we can't do either. And just as the covenant at Sinai was sealed with blood, Jesus would later speak of a new covenant sealed with his own blood.
Think about it
Which came first at Sinai, the rescue or the rules? Why does that matter?Show answer
The rescue came first. It shows the commandments aren't a way to earn God's love, but a way for people he has already rescued to live as his family.
How is "do not covet" different from the other commandments?Show answer
The others are mostly about actions, but coveting happens inside, in what you want. It shows that God cares about our hearts, not just our behaviour.
If God gave these rules to people he had already rescued, how might a Christian think about obeying God today?Show answer
Christians believe Jesus has already rescued them, so they obey God out of thankfulness and love, not to earn his acceptance.
Take it further
This week, pick one of the "love others" commandments and think about what keeping it would look like at school or at home, in your heart as well as your actions. Your worksheet helps you sort the commandments and add the next link to your promise chain.
If you'd like to, you could pray:
God, thank you that you rescue first. Thank you that Jesus kept your law perfectly when we couldn't. Help me to love you and love others, not to earn your love, but because I already have it. Amen.