Ten Ways to Be Perfect
Exodus 20
Thinking it Through
In 2003, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore made news by refusing to remove a
monument of the Ten Commandments from a state courthouse. The episode sparked
reactions both all sides of the political spectrum. Underlying this entire turn of events is the
undisputable fact that the Ten Commandments have been a foundational shaping influence
on our society—in homes, in churches, and even in the Public Square.
Most people know what the Ten Commandments are—at least some of them. After
all, ones like “do not steal,” “do not murder” and “do not commit adultery” are things most
everybody agrees with (whether we obey them or not!). However, most of us haven’t spent
much time thinking through the issue of what the Ten Commandments are about. That’s a
problem, because at least as important as the Commandments themselves is the heart of God
behind them. So to help us correct our shortsightedness, let’s think for a few moments about
the “why” behind the Ten Commandments.
The first important thing we need to think about is the setting in which God issued
the Commandments. The children of Israel had been in captivity in Egypt for 400 years,
during which they were immersed in a culture that worshiped numerous gods and had customs
and values that didn’t line up with God’s intentions for man. They were certain to have had
bad ideas about what it meant to love God, love people, and love life, and that would lead to
nothing but bitterness, pain and sorrow. So, had God not given them an official,
straightforward moral code, they would have been doomed to repeat much of what they had
seen and experienced in Egypt. In other words, God was gracious in giving his law. Further,
God makes it clear in Scripture that his law is an extension of his character. Since God is
holy, loving and just, his law is as well (cf. Romans 7:12). So when God gives his law to the
people of Israel, he is both protecting them from sin and blessing them by showing them more
of what he is like, and in turn more of what it looks like to truly love—him, others, and the life he
has given them. In other words, God gave his law, at least in part, to establish a place for good
things to run wild! As G.K. Chesterson once said, “God’s law is a fence around a
playground, not a prison.” The same could be said for any command God gives us to obey.
In order to further impress upon us God’s good intentions toward his people in giving
them his law, notice how Exodus 20 begins: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Only after reminding them of his grace
and love for them does he begin issuing commandments. His law wasn’t something people
could obey in order to get God’s favor…they already had that. They were to obey not to
make him love them, but because he loved them!
But his love for them wasn’t simply shown by giving them a law to obey. He actually
gave them the law to demonstrate to them, in no uncertain terms, that they couldn’t keep it—
they couldn’t “be perfect”! (This, in fact, is the primary argument of the Apostle Paul in
Romans 7 and Galatians 3, among other places). Since the law was a reflection of God’s
character, the peoples’ failure to keep it was meant to show them that they couldn’t measure
up to God’s holiness. This is why David could say with such conviction in Psalm 143:2,
“Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.”
Likewise, his son, King Solomon, said, “There is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). In
turn, this knowledge was (and is) meant to turn people to God for mercy and forgiveness—for
redemption. In other words, it is meant to drive us into the arms of Jesus!
When we see that God gives us commands and rules—whether it’s the Ten
Commandments or any others—to show us what he is like, to show us how life works best, and
to show us Jesus, it shouts of his loving heart toward us, and helps us see the joy found in
loving God, loving people, and loving life!
Questions for Discussion
1.) Before reading this study, what would you have said the purpose of the Ten
Commandments (or any of God’s commandments and instructions, for that matter)
was?
2.) What is our culture’s attitude toward rules in general?
3.) Think about your favorite hobby. Does it have a set of “rules,” a way in which you are
supposed to proceed? If so, what happens when you neglect those rules?
4.) This is a similar question to #3. Think about your relationships. What are the
“ground rules” of relationships with your loved ones—spouse, friend, or child? What
happens when one or both of you ignore those rules?
5.) Why is it important to remember how Exodus 20 begins?
6.) How does God’s Word show you your need for redemption?
7.) What happens if we separate obedience from the love of God, most clearly
demonstrated in the gospel?