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What is a mirror good for? It shows you the food stuck in your teeth or the hair sticking up at the back. But a mirror can't wash your face. It shows the problem; it can't fix it. And if you hated what you saw, smashing the mirror wouldn't help either.
After God rescued Israel from Egypt and brought them through the sea, he led them to Mount Sinai and gave them the Ten Commandments. In this lesson you'll look underneath the commandments, and find out they work a lot like that mirror.
What you'll learn
- Why the Ten Commandments are about our hearts, not just our actions
- How God's law works like a mirror
- How Jesus kept the commandments perfectly and fulfils them for us
Rescued, then commanded
You can read the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1–17. Two things are worth remembering:
- God says who he is and what he has done before he gives a single command: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2). Rescue comes first. The commandments show rescued people how to live.
- The first four are mainly about loving God. The last six are mainly about loving other people.
Here's a question to think about: if someone kept every one of these on the outside, would that make them a good person?
Jesus goes deeper
Jesus answered that question in the Sermon on the Mount. Here's what he said about the sixth commandment:
"You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:21–22)
According to Jesus, you can break "Do not murder" without ever hurting anyone physically, through hateful anger, contempt and insults. Jesus isn't adding new rules. He is showing what God meant all along: the commandments are about the heart.
Beneath the surface
Every commandment protects something good, has a heart attitude underneath it, and has a positive side: something to do, not just something to avoid.
| Commandment | What it protects | The heart behind it | The positive side |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. No other gods | God's rightful place | What I love and trust most | Love God first, with everything |
| 2. No idols | Knowing God as he really is | Building my life around something else, or a god I made up | Worship God as he has shown himself |
| 3. Don't misuse God's name | God's honour | Treating God as a joke, or claiming his name while ignoring him | Speak of God with respect; live as someone who belongs to him |
| 4. Keep the Sabbath | Rest, worship, workers and animals | Thinking everything depends on me | Rest, trust God and worship him (Mark 2:27) |
| 5. Honour parents | Families | Contempt and disrespect | Listen, help, speak well of them |
| 6. Do not murder | Human life | Hateful anger and insults (Matthew 5:21–22) | Make peace; protect others |
| 7. Do not commit adultery | Marriage and trust | What we let our eyes and minds dwell on (Matthew 5:27–28) | Be faithful; treat other people's bodies with respect |
| 8. Do not steal | Property and fairness | Greed, envy and entitlement | Work hard and share generously (Ephesians 4:28) |
| 9. Do not lie about others | Truth and reputations | Gossip, spin, making myself look good | Tell the truth; stand up for others' names |
| 10. Do not covet | Contentment | Wanting someone else's life, stuff or looks | Be grateful and content |
Which of these is most tested by phones and social media? For a lot of people, it's the ninth and tenth: gossip, comparing yourself with others, and wanting someone else's life.
(Honouring your parents never means accepting harm. If something at home isn't safe, talk to a teacher or another trusted adult.)
The law is a mirror
Once you see the heart behind the commandments, nobody can honestly say they've kept them all. Paul puts it like this:
"Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin." (Romans 3:20)
The law is good. But like a mirror, it can show the problem without fixing it. That isn't a failure of the law; it's part of its job. It points us to someone who can fix the problem.
The one who kept it all
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus loved God with everything and loved his neighbour perfectly, inside and out, every day of his life. He is the only person who has ever kept the commandments all the way down to the heart. He said he came to fulfil the law, not to abolish it (Matthew 5:17). He fulfils it in three ways: by keeping it perfectly, by dying for those who broke it, and by giving his people new hearts that want to love God.
So what is the law really aiming at? Paul says:
"Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
For Christians, the commandments aren't a checklist to earn God's love. They are a picture of what love looks like. Jesus said that people who love him will keep his commands (John 14:15). Love comes first; obedience follows.
The rescue road: sign 4
| Where? | What did God do? | How does it point to Jesus? |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Sinai (Exodus 20) | Gave his rescued people his good law, showing what love for God and others looks like. | Jesus kept the law perfectly, to the heart, and fulfils it for us (Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 4:15). |
Key words
- Commandment: one of God's instructions for how to live.
- Covet: to want something that belongs to someone else.
- Fulfil: to complete something or bring it to its full purpose.
- Sabbath: a weekly day of rest and worship.
How this points to Jesus
The commandments show us what love looks like, and where we fall short. Then they point us to the only one who never fell short. Christians believe that Jesus kept the law in their place, died for their failures, and now gives them his Spirit to help them love God and others from the heart.
Think about it
Choose one commandment. What does it protect, and what is the heart behind it?Show answer
For example, "Do not steal" protects property and fairness, and the heart behind it is greed or envy. Its positive side is working hard and sharing generously.
How is God's law like a mirror?Show answer
It shows us what is wrong with our hearts, but it can't fix the problem. It points us to Jesus, who can.
Is a mirror that shows you a problem a good thing or a bad thing?Show answer
It's a good thing, even if it's uncomfortable. You can't fix a problem you can't see, and the law shows us we need help.
Take it further
Pick one commandment this week and try living out its positive side, not just avoiding the wrong thing. For example, instead of just not gossiping, stand up for someone's name. Your worksheet helps you dig beneath the surface of the commandments.
If you'd like to, you could pray:
God, thank you for your good commandments. When they show me where I fall short, help me not to hide, but to come to Jesus, who kept them perfectly for me. Give me a heart that loves you and loves others. Amen.