Ten Commandments For Life

Unit 17 – Travelers

Lesson 51 – God Gives the Ten Commandments – Exodus 19-24

Preparation for the Teacher

1. Aim: To lead the people to understand some of the reasons why God gave the Ten Commandments.

2. Explanation of the Aim: Paul the apostle explains why God gave us the law of the commandments when he wrote, “The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God.” (Gal. 3:24) The law is a useful school-master to teach us where we go astray from God’s will. When a pupil makes a mistake the law acts as a tutor reproving and correcting the student so they can get back on the right track. The law teaches us that we need salvation found only through faith in Christ Jesus. It is only God’s grace that supplies salvation, not by keeping of the law. The Lord uses the law to show us how inadequate we are to live according to the righteousness of God. The law points us to Christ where we find our adequate, acceptance and justification before God. His laws help expose sin and they give standards for righteous living.

3. The Bible Story: After the Israelites escaped from the Egyptians by the Red Sea, God led them through the wilderness where they arrived at the base of Mount Sinai, God’s holy mountain. It was here that the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments along with instructions for the building of the Tabernacle as the center of worship. Through the process of God giving the law we learn how important it is to obey the Lord and only serve Him. God designed the law to enhance our relationship with Him.

4. Prepare to Teach: The INTRODUCTION is used to find out if the people know why God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments? Find out if any of the people know some of the advantages the people of Israel enjoyed because of the Ten Commandments that other nations did not have? Read Gal. 3:24 and ask some of the people if they can explain the meaning of that verse? Ask the people what would happen if a society did not have any laws? The BIBLE STORY teaches how the basic reasons why God gave his people the Ten Commandments. Help the people learn at least three main benefits that the Israelites had after they were given the laws of God. The MEANING FOR OUR LIVES allows the people to make applications from the lesson. Ask the people if they can explain several benefits that the law provided to the Israelites? Find out if the people understand why God still uses His laws in our personal lives and communities? Ask the people why the law is adequate to bring righteousness into the life of any individual? Find out if any of the people can explain why the law is insufficient to bring righteousness, justification, and perfection to any person?

CLASS TIME (Begin With Prayer)

Introduction

Ask the people if they know why God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai? Find out if any of the people know about the advantages that the Israelites enjoyed over others nations because of the Ten Commandments? Read Gal. 3:24 and ask some of the people if they can explain the meaning of that verse? Ask the people what would happen if a society did not have laws?

The Bible Story

God used Moses as the messenger of God’s Ten Commandments. Notice that God is the initiator of all that is righteous, true and holy. People are called to obey what the directives given to them by God. The more we obey God the greater insights He will give us about His will for our life. The people of God were given the Ten Commandments as a covenant by which they were to establish the government of Jehovah. God’s law give us the guidelines by which we are to order our individual lives, our family life as well as our society. The law of God is the basis of all other laws. Let us remember that the Ten Commandments were but a shadow of the good things to come in Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said, “All of the law of the prophets is summarized by the commandment “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:26,27) However, as we read the Old Testament will learn how Israel broke God’s law and so he declared a new covenant with Israel would be written not on stone, but in their hearts. (Jer. 31:33 and Hebrews 8:7-10)