Exodus 20 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Exodus 20 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• God delivered the Israelites from slavery in approximately 1491 B.C.

• The events of Exodus 20 took place 3 months after the Hebrews left Egypt (19:1).

CHARACTERS:

• God – The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in chapter 19 to speak with Moses.

• Israelites (Hebrews) – They were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and they grew into a great nation of people during their time in Egypt.   

• Moses – A Hebrew who grew up in the house of Pharaoh. He fled Egypt in Exodus 2 and went to live in Midian. God called him back to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from slavery.

• Aaron – Moses’ brother who helped him lead the people of Israel. Aaron was from the tribe of Levi.

WHERE:

• The Israelites moved from Rephidim to the wilderness of Sinai and encamped near Mount Sinai (19:2).  

OUTLINE:

• GOD GIVES MOSES THE 10 COMMANDMENTS (20:1-21):

  • The “10 Commandments” are a famous list of laws God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. They are only a small portion of the total laws given to the Jews.

  • 1. The Hebrews were to honor no other gods above the Lord.

  • 2. They were not to make idols or worship man-made images.

  • 3. They were not to take the Lord’s name in vain.

  • 4. Israel was to observe a Sabbath day of rest every week, just as God had rested on the 7th day after creation.

  • 5. They were to honor their father and mother.

  • 6. They were not to murder.

  • 7. They were not to commit adultery.

  • 8. Stealing was forbidden.

  • 9. They were not to give false testimony.

  • 10. They were told not to covet the possessions of others.

• THE ISRAELITES FEAR GOD (20:18-21):

  • When the Israelites saw the flashes of thunder and the heard the sound of the trumpet coming from the mountain, they were afraid.

  • They told Moses they didn’t want God to speak to them, they wanted Moses to speak to God on their behalf.

  • Moses told them God had descended on the mountain, in part, so they would learn to reverence Him and therefore obey Him.

• LAWS ABOUT BUILDING ALTARS (20:22-26):

  • The Hebrews were to offer sacrifices to God on altars made of earth.

  • If an altar of stone was made, it was not to be crafted with tool, it was to be built with unhewn stones.

  • They were not to have steps ascending to the altar so their “nakedness” wouldn’t be exposed to those below as they climbed the stairs.

APPLICATION:

• God has always wanted His people to pursue holiness and to live lives separate from the immoralities in the world.

• “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness” (1 Thes 4:7).

• As followers of God we aren’t to participate in the things that corrupt God’s good creation, but we are to strive to live as we were created, in the image of God (Gen 1:26).

• “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16).

• As we come to know God we strive to be like Him, and we want to purge our lives of the things contrary to His nature. We don’t want to do to the things that God would never do.