Exodus 20

26 March, 2019, PSC Cafe Connecting Group

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20


Potential Discussion Questions:-

  • Why did God give us laws / commandments?

Read:- https://devos20xx.blogspot.com/2019/02/why-did-god-give-us-laws.html (Quoting a line from it: "Law distinguishes what is Christ-like and what is not (this is very important as we are all called to be Christ-like). ")


  • Many say - “Why should I follow laws from a God? I want to live my own way”. How do you respond to that?

Read:- https://devos20xx.blogspot.com/2019/02/why-did-god-give-us-laws.html.

Quoting from above:-

"Yea, there are many who reject God saying they do not want anyone to tell them what is right and is wrong. They want to have full control of their lives and do whatever they want. Well this kind of lifestyle is anyways not possible. At home, at work, I am sure you have many "dos" and "dont's". Why? For instance, you would agree that to maintain order in a community, we at the very least need rules and regulations, right?

Also God has made us and he knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves. He also loves us infinitely more than anyone else. So I would trust His ways, for my life, over my ways! God gave us laws because He loves us and cares about us. God's laws and commandments are for our good, as they are purely about love (i.e., Matthew 22:37-40). If you find a way of life, better than one defined by God's laws and commandments, let me know! (Yea there are many practiced & believed "ways of life" in this world. Some are 'OK' with even eating other humans - In this world, it can get very confusing trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Thankfully we have God's laws that helps us differentiate between right and wrong)"


  • Which law do you think is hardest to follow and scares many off Christianity? How do you respond to that?

How about Exodus 20:4-6? - The ultra-controversial issue of "exclusivity" ...

Why did the rich young ruler run away? (Mark 20:17-27) Why did many disciples leave? (John 6:60). They were thinking of obeying God on their own strength. Jesus clarified (when Peter seeked clarification - Luke 18:26) that it is indeed impossible to follow God on one's own strength (Luke 18:27). But the good news is that God helps us to follow Him and makes the impossible act of following Him very much possible for a prospective follower (Luke 18:27).

Also anyone who thinks that commandments such as Exodus 20:4-6 are very stifling is WRONG! This commandment such is meant to liberate a person, and not stifle one's life & freedom. Jesus says in Matthew 10:39 "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. "


  • How are the TEN COMMANDMENTS related to JESUS?

These commandments are also meant to tell us a lot about God's / Jesus's holy character. So through these commandments, God is revealing Himself (/ what He is like) to the people. This is very important to note, as often people ask what is God like?

Now, TODAY, beyond these ten commandments, at the end of the day we are called to follow Jesus and be like Him. So, now we ask, "what would Jesus do? - in a particular situation". These laws still help us to answer that question.


  • When can you break a law from God?

One should always ask what is the heart / spirit behind a law? Else, if one is blindly following the laws, then there is a danger that he / she may become like kinds of Pharisees that Jesus complained about.

For example read Mark 2:23-27:- "One Sabbath he (Jesus) was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” ".

So here, God was OK that David broke His law. Why?


  • Are laws & commandments from OT still applicable under new covenant? (i.e., Sabbath)
  • Should we follow God’s law out of fear or love? Does Exodus 20:20 suggest we should follow out of fear? Given Exodus 20:20 and death threats from God (Exodus 19:21), how can one follow God out of GREAT love and not fear?

Note that the Israelites have just started to getting know God. So far, they have seen a God who is indeed quite scary (i.e., Exodus 19:20, etc). Hence it makes sense why Moses would advice the Israelites to obey out of fear. Note they are yet to know that this same God would die for them!! God is revealing Himself, not in one shot, but piece by piece, in His timings. Thousands of years latter, people will know how greatly & deeply He loves people, through His Son Jesus and His great sacrificial act at the CROSS (i.e., John 3:16, Romans 8:32, etc). Then it is to become very clear why we should follow God out of love and not fear.

Read:- https://devos20xx.blogspot.com/2019/02/why-did-god-give-us-laws.html.