Most of us have heard about them. Right?
But could we list these commandments of God?
Most of us probably know about the Bible 10 Commandments, but we do not really know them.
What are the Ten Commandments anyway? When were they given? Who gave them? Why do they even exist?
Why do the Bible 10 Commandments exist?
We’ll begin by answering that last question from the Bible itself, in the account found in Matt. 19:16-18.
Here, we find a young man asking Christ what he should do to obtain eternal life. Let us notice Christ’s reply “…But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then He listed 5 of the Bible Ten Commandments to show which commandments He was talking about.
So we have to understand that keeping the Bible 10 Commandments is a pre-requisite to obtaining eternal life.
Who gave the Bible 10 Commandments?
It is generally believed that Moses gave the Bible Ten Commandments to ancient Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. But is this view correct?
Let’s notice the following verses.
Ex.20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying …
Ex. 34:28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
Deut. 4:13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
Deut. 10:4 And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the LORD had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me.
Clearly then, it was it was the very Creator God Himself who gave these Bible Ten Commandments to ancient Israel!
That is why they are the 10 commandments of God.
What are the Bible Ten Commandments?
The 1st commandment
Ex. 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
The 2nd commandment
Ex. 20:4-5 You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
The 3rd commandment
Ex. 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
The 4th commandment
Ex. 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
The 5th commandment
Ex. 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
The 6th commandment
Ex. 20:13 You shall not murder.
The 7th commandment
Ex. 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
The 8th commandment
Ex. 20:15 You shall not steal.
The 9th commandment
Ex. 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The 10th commandment
Ex. 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
The Bible Ten Commandments are listed again in Deut. 5:6-21 when Moses recounts the events of the Exodus to the descendants of those who died in the wilderness.
Jesus Christ said very clearly that the Bible 10 Commandments are summarized by two key teachings. When asked by a lawyer what the “great commandment in the law” was (Matt. 22:36), He replied the following:
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matt. 22:37-39
You can read about the same incident in Mark 12:30-31 and Luke 10:27.
Jesus Christ was simply quoting two key verses – Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18 which read
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deut. 6:5)
“… you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19:18)
Then He added these powerful and meaningful words in Matt.22:40 – “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
What can we learn from the above?
The first 4 commandments involve loving God with all our heart, mind and strength.
The last 6 commandments tell us how to love our neighbor as ourselves.
The Bible Ten Commandments are the most important part of the Old Testament and, by extension, the entire Scriptures.