[Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17] “And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me…’” (Please insert the full NIV or ESV text here)
### The Only Words Written Directly by God
Last week, we discussed how the Bible was written over 1,500 years by about 40 different authors. However, there is one part of the Bible that God wrote directly with His own finger: The Ten Commandments.
The first five books of the Bible, which include the Ten Commandments, are called the ‘Torah.’ While we often translate Torah simply as ‘Law,’ its original meaning is closer to ‘Direction’ or ‘Teaching.’ It was never meant to be a suffocating set of rules, but rather a spirit of coexistence—a guide for living harmoniously within a community.
### The Sandlot Soccer Game
When I was young, there was a hill with a wide grassy area behind my neighborhood. We didn’t have a proper soccer field, so we just placed two rocks for goalposts and created invisible boundary lines—like “from that tree to that hill.”
One day, while playing, a boy who didn’t want to lose the ball kept dribbling far beyond our invisible boundaries. Immediately, all the kids stopped and yelled, “Hey! What are you doing?”
Our soccer games had no strict lines and no referees. If a goal was disputed, we listened to the majority and compromised so we wouldn’t ruin our friendships. Why? Because the ultimate goal wasn’t to win a rigid match, but to have fun and play safely together.
God’s purpose in giving the Ten Commandments and the Torah was exactly the same. The Hebrews had lived as slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years. They were used to taking orders and being beaten if they made a mistake. When over two million of them suddenly gained freedom, they lacked the structure to live together as a healthy nation. God didn’t give them the Torah to punish them; He gave it as a loving guideline for humanity.
### Not a Condition for Salvation, But a Way of Life
The Jews mistakenly believed that strictly keeping the law would earn them salvation. But think about it: Did God wait to see if the Hebrews passed a “law-keeping test” before rescuing them from Egypt? No. He saved them first out of pure grace, and then He gave them the law.
As Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us, we are saved by grace through faith, not by works. Therefore, the Torah is not a strict grading rubric for salvation, but a ‘spirit of life’ for those already saved. And the core of that spirit is Love. Commands 1 through 4 are about loving God, and 5 through 10 are about loving our neighbors.
### Jesus Perfects the Law: From Action to Heart
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the true depth of the Ten Commandments.
- “You shall not murder” (6th Commandment): Jesus expanded this by saying that anyone who calls their brother a “fool” is also subject to judgment (Matthew 5:22). Ignoring the pain of an outcast or an isolated neighbor is a violation of this command.
- “You shall not commit adultery” (7th Commandment): Jesus taught that looking at someone with lust is committing adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:28). It is a call to protect the dignity of others and treat everyone around us with the same respect we would give our own family.
### A Mother’s Perspective
God’s heart in giving the Ten Commandments is like that of a mother looking at her newborn. To a stranger, a baby might just be a crying infant. But to a mother who endured the pain of childbirth, that child is the most precious life in the world. When a mother disciplines her child, the foundation of that discipline is profound love.
Dear youth, the culture of this world constantly tries to mold us into its image. To avoid drifting into the ways of the world and to walk safely in the light, we must look into the mirror of God’s Word.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
I pray that you will come to see the Ten Commandments not as chains that bind you, but as God’s warm, loving embrace. May we walk safely through this dark world, lighting our path with His Word and living a life full of love for God and our neighbors.