Moses and the Ten Commandments

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Exodus 19:20 - "And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up."

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Moses and the 10 Commandments for Little Kids

This map shows the Sinai Wilderness where Moses was when God told him the Ten Commandments! After Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and were freed from Egypt, God told Moses to have all the people come to the bottom of Mount Sinai, a special mountain that God showed Moses. Then there was great fire and smoke on top of the mountain, and Moses went up to meet with God. God spoke the 10 Commandments and then had Moses write them on 2 tablets made of stone. God spoke to them and gave them His commandments.

A commandment is a rule made by God that we should always obey because they are good for us.

These are the Ten Commandments:

1. Love God more than anything else.
2. Don't make anything in your life more important than God.
3. Always say God's name with love and respect.
4. Obey God and rest on the seventh day of the week.
5. Love and respect your parents.
6. Never hurt anyone.
7. Always be faithful to your husband or wife.
8. Don't take anything that isn't yours.
9. Always tell the truth.
10. Be happy with what you have and don't wish for other people's things.

Moses and the 10 Commandments for Big Kids

The 10 Commandments and Bible History. God revealed in the New Testament that the law was given as a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. In the ancient New Testament world every child that had schoolmaster relied on this person to help him in all the affairs of education and responsibility. The law is a set of rules that must be obeyed, the problem is that man cannot obey and avoid sin because he has a sinful nature. The solution to the sin problem is the blood of a substitute and this was God's chosen plan. The rules of the law were very good but they could never be lived out. In fact the Bible declares that rules and laws produce death, they do not produce freedom and they do not produce life. The law was not bad, but the only one who fulfilled the law perfectly and never sinned was Jesus, that is why He said that he did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, the power of the law was sin and Jesus overcame that power and gave freedom to every man who believed in him. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead brought freedom from the law and freedom from sin, and now the law kills but the Spirit gives freedom and life. God promises that the Holy Spirit will help us to love one another.

Historical Background. The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea and came into the wilderness. Little did they know that this would be the testing place where God was going to prove them as His people and teach them about faith and trust. After three months they arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai and they made a camp. Moses went up to the mountain to pray and God told Moses that He would speak to the people in three days. On the third day the sky became black, there was powerful thunder and lightning and great darkness. The mountain became a place of smoke and a great furnace, and the ground was like a constant earthquake. Suddenly the voice of God spoke like a deafening trumpet calling Moses, and then uttering the 10 Commandments from the mountain spoken by the voice of God.

The 10 Commandments.

1. Thou Shalt Have No Gods Before Me
2. Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images
3. Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain
4. Remember to Keep Holy the Sabbath
5. Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother
6. Thou Shalt Not Kill
7. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
8. Thou Shalt Not Steal
9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness
10. Thou Shalt Not Covet

Moses. The name of the hero who saved Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians was Moses. After the 10 plagues, Moses led the children of Israel across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai. It was on Mount Sinai that Moses received the 10 Commandments.

The Wilderness of Sin. After the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea they came into the wilderness. They had become free from Egypt but now they were in a place of desolation, and they had to learn how to rely on the Lord to give this great number of people food and water to survive. God did a miracle called manna in the wilderness, it was a delightful way for to give them food. They were tested many times, that led them to the beautiful oasis to show that he was with them. At one point they grew so thirsty that they were provided water from a rock, but the people still grumbled. They finally arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai.

Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai was indeed the holy mountain of God. It was on Mount Sinai that the laws of God were given to Moses, the 10 Commandments. Mount Sinai was also referred to as Mount Horeb in the Bible. Traditionally the place were Moses received the 10 Commandments was "Jebel Musa" which means the "mountain of Moses." The location of this traditional place is in the southern portion of the Sinai Peninsula, and it stands 7500 feet above sea level. It is a magnificent mountain made of red granite. But there is no way of knowing at this point which mountain it was that Moses ascended.

The Sin of the Golden Calf. When Moses had gone up to the mountain he had not returned for a long period of time. The people began to murmur and a cried to Aaron saying "You must now make for us a God, because we do not know what happened to this Moses who brought us out of Egypt." Aaron replied "bring me gold and I will give you what you want." So they brought him gold and he melted down in the fire and created a golden calf. He built a magnificent altar to the calf and the people made sacrifices to it claiming "this is the God that let us out of Egypt" and they began dancing and feasting. While Moses was on the mountain God said to him "the people have forgotten my commandments, and they shall feel my anger." Moses prayed for them and said please forgive them they are your chosen people, you brought them out of Egypt, why destroy them in your fury." When Moses came down the mountain he heard the celebration in the feasting and he saw the golden calf. He hurled the two tables of the 10 Commandments onto the ground and brought them into pieces.

The Unbroken Tables of Stone. Moses went back up to the mountain and God wrote the 10 Commandments with his own finger on two tablets of stone. Moses came down the mountain with the unbroken tables of stone and they were placed later into the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was constructed just after they were at Mount Sinai. The Ark was to be the place of mercy in the Old Testament, and it was to dwell in the holy of holies. Inside the Ark were the 10 Commandments, the perfect law of God. The reason why no one was allowed to look into the ark was because no man could look at God's law from his sinful human flesh and live. The blood must be sprinkled and atonement must be made. This was done every year on the day of atonement until Jesus came and paid the debt in full with His own blood.

The study of the Ten Commandments is very important in the study of the Bible, let's pray:

Dear Jesus, we thank you for the 10 Commandments. You revealed something absolutely perfect, yet to sinful man it became a curse. But to the son of God who never send. Help us to be strong. We love you. In Jesus name? Amen!

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