1.19.2025 | The Ten Commandments
Exodus 19:1–20:17; 31:18
Have you ever played a game with someone that added rules to the game or changed them as the game went on? Without knowing the rules, you can’t know when you do something wrong or why you might get penalized. It’s also not fair if the rules change and other players get a chance that you didn’t get. It can be very frustrating to not know the rules. You just wish you knew what is required to win the game!
God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments to help them know what is required for a person to be righteous. Everyone had the same commandments, and they didn’t change. The first four commandments showed the Israelites what it meant to love God and how to have a right relationship with Him. The other six commandments taught the Israelites how to live with and love others.
God’s rules are good and are meant to help us love Him, love others, and live a life that is righteous. There was one big problem. The Israelites—and all people for that matter—could never perfectly follow those rules. The Bible is clear that we all sin and fall short of God’s standard for holiness. Our obedience can’t save us.
Salvation is found in Jesus alone, the only perfectly righteous One. He takes away the sin of anyone who believes and welcomes them into God’s family. To those who believe in Him, Jesus gives power through the Holy Spirit to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39).
God gave His people commandments so they would know how to honor Him and live rightly. Because of sin, no one is able to keep these commandments perfectly. God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect, sinless life. Jesus died and rose again so that sinners can be forgiven.
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
Mornings
Thank God for the Bible showing us what it means to be righteous. Praise Him for showing us how we can receive the righteousness of Jesus when we believe in Him. What does the Bible say about our ability to perfectly obey? What did God do to bring us back into a relationship with Him?
Evenings
Think through your day and take a moment to confess the ways you disobeyed God’s commandments. Thank God for the gift of Jesus who took the punishment of sin and credits His perfect life to all those who believe in him.
Family Activities
For Fun
Play a game of “Simon Says”. Play a few rounds while making the game increasingly difficult. Try to make it so that no one can perfectly follow the calls to move. Discuss how hard it is to follow God’s rules perfectly. Then talk about how Jesus kept all the commandments perfectly on our behalf, and how we are saved by grace and not by following rules.
To Serve
Use a poster board to write out the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:1-17. Over a 10-day period, study one commandment each day. Discuss how the commandment might help a person to love God or love others. Talk with kids about the ways we might disobey the commandment, and how it points us to Jesus as the only perfectly righteous one.
