Tuesday: The Gift of the Decalogue

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 19th of August 2025

Read Exodus 20:1-17. What are the principles of the Decalogue, and how is it organized?

Note that the Decalogue does not begin with the commands but with God’s gracious action for His people:

“ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery’ ” (Exodus 20:2, NIV). The Lord first shows His grace by giving freedom and salvation to Israel, and only then does He reveal His will. These commandments were to be observed out of love and gratitude for what God did for them.

Image © Phil McKay at Goodsalt.com

God’s key summation word for the Decalogue is “love” (Romans 13:10). The greatest commandment is the commandment of love, which is expressed in two ways: love to God (Deuteronomy 6:5) and love to our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18).

In the first four commandments, the Decalogue interprets what it means to love God; in the following six commandments, the law interprets what it means to love your neighbor. The Decalogue begins with honoring God above all (vertical love) and continues with respecting others (horizontal love):

Honoring and revering God by giving Him the first and the highest place in every situation of our life (the first commandment);
Honoring and preserving God’s unique position and not replacing Him by an idol in any form, either physical, symbolic, or spiritual. Our purest affections belong to the Lord (the second commandment);
Revering God’s name—His reputation and character (the third commandment);
Honoring His day of rest and worship—the Sabbath (the fourth commandment);
Respecting parents (the fifth commandment);
Respecting life (the sixth commandment);
Respecting marriage (the seventh commandment);
Respecting people’s property (the eighth commandment);
Respecting the reputation of others (the ninth commandment); and
Respecting self so that no selfish desires will mar our character (the tenth commandment).

As Jesus Himself said: “ ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments’ ” (John 14:15, ESV; see also 1 John 4:20-21). Thus, true obedience is simply an expression of love and gratitude toward Jesus, a love expressed most powerfully in how we treat our neighbors.

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