Exodus 20 – The Ten Commandments and the Voice of God
Exodus 20 is one of the most pivotal chapters in all of Scripture. God Himself speaks to Israel, delivering the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. These laws reveal His character, His holiness, and His standard for covenant living. The people tremble, and Moses draws near—showing that law and relationship are meant to walk together.
God Speaks. A Covenant Is Formed
Amid thunder and smoke, the God of the universe declares His covenant with His people—not in whispers, but in power. These Ten Commandments are not arbitrary rules—they are reflections of God’s heart, calling His people to holiness, love, and reverence.
✔ God speaks the Ten Commandments audibly.
✔ The law defines the relationship between God and man.
✔ The people are afraid and ask Moses to speak for God.
✔ God reveals both justice and mercy in His voice.
📖 Key Verse: “I am the Lord thy God… Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:2–3
🔎 God’s law is not a burden—it is an invitation to reflect His character.
Exodus Chapter 20 Overview
Exodus 20:1–21 – The Voice of God and the Ten Commandments
📖 Exodus 20:1–2 – “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
🔎 God starts with identity and deliverance:
🔹 The law begins not with rules, but relationship—”I am your God.”
🔹 Redemption precedes obedience. God reminds them of His saving act before calling for allegiance.
🔹 The commandments are not burdens—they’re boundaries of blessing from a Redeemer.
➡️ Grace Foundation: God’s commands rest upon who He is and what He’s done.
📖 Exodus 20:3–17 – The Ten Commandments
🔎 A divine blueprint for holiness, covenant living, and spiritual identity:
Love the Lord thy God – Matthew 22:37
Love thy neighbour as thyself – Matthew 22:39
No other gods before Me – God alone deserves first place in your heart, loyalty, and worship. He is not to be one among many—He is to be everything.
No graven images – Do not reduce God to something made by hands or limited by imagination. Worship must be pure, invisible, and in spirit and truth—not confined to statues, symbols, or self-made religion.
Do not take His name in vain – God’s name is sacred. Do not speak it with disrespect, hypocrisy, or emptiness. Furthermore, to claim His name (Christian) while living in rebellion is also to take His name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy – Set apart the seventh day for rest, worship, and remembering your Creator and Redeemer. It is a gift of holy time, calling you to pause and realign.
Honor your father and mother – Respect the authority God has placed in your life. This command protects family order and brings generational blessing and stability.
You shall not kill – Life is sacred, made in God’s image. This includes hatred, rage, and violence of the heart. Jesus said to be angry without cause is to break this command spiritually (Matthew 5:21–22).
You shall not commit adultery – Be faithful to your spouse in body, heart, and thought. Jesus expanded this to even lustful intent—purity must reign in the mind and soul (Matthew 5:27–28).
You shall not steal – Respect what belongs to others. Stealing includes time, credit, trust, and blessings not earned. God calls for integrity in both public and private life.
You shall not bear false witness – Speak truthfully in all things. Lies, slander, gossip, and silence when truth is needed are all forms of false witness.
You shall not covet – Do not desire what belongs to others. Coveting births discontent, envy, and idolatry. A heart at peace with God trusts His timing and provision.
➡️ Spiritual Summary: The Ten Commandments are not just rules—they are revelations of God’s nature, guidelines for loving Him and others, and a mirror revealing our deep need for grace and transformation.
📖 Exodus 20:18–19 – “All the people saw the thunderings… and said unto Moses, Speak thou with us… but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
🔎 Holy fear overtakes the camp:
🔹 The people see the sounds—a supernatural experience of sight and sound.
🔹 God’s presence is overwhelming, and they fear death.
🔹 They ask for a mediator—Moses—to stand between them and God.
➡️ Mediator Symbolism: This longing for a go-between points forward to Christ, our ultimate Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
📖 Exodus 20:20–21 – “Fear not: for God is come to prove you… that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”
🔎 A healthy fear leads to holiness:
🔹 Moses comforts them—not with compromise, but with clarity.
🔹 God’s appearance was not to frighten—but to purify and establish reverence.
🔹 The fear of the Lord is a safeguard against sin.
➡️ Wisdom Key: True fear of God is not terror—it is awe that leads to obedience.
Exodus 20:22–26 – Altars and Approach
📖 Exodus 20:22–23 – “Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.”
🔎 A reminder after the revelation:
🔹 God contrasts Himself with man-made idols—He speaks, they do not.
🔹 Even after a divine encounter, the temptation to fashion false gods remains.
🔹 The command is clear: no mixture, no compromise. Only Yahweh alone is to be worshiped.
➡️ Heart Check: Idolatry can be subtle—trusting in wealth, security, or image more than the living God.
📖 Exodus 20:24 – “An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me… and in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.”
🔎 A simple altar, a sacred promise:
🔹 God calls for altars of earth, not stone carved by tools—no human pride added.
🔹 He desires authentic, humble worship, not ornate display.
🔹 Wherever His name is honored, He promises presence and blessing.
➡️ Worship Principle: True worship is not about architecture—it’s about authentic encounter and obedience.
📖 Exodus 20:25–26 – “If thou wilt make me an altar of stone… neither shalt thou go up by steps… that thy nakedness be not discovered.”
🔎 Modesty and reverence in approach:
🔹 Even in building an altar, careful respect is required.
🔹 No chiseled stone—God wants what He created, not what man reshapes.
🔹 No elevated steps—worship should never draw attention to self, but always to God.
➡️ Final Reflection: Holiness governs both the heart and the method of worship. When we approach God, we must come with humility, reverence, and purity.
Exodus Chapter 20 - Deeper Study
Overview: God’s Voice and Covenant Standards
🔹 Timeframe: The third day after Israel’s preparation at Mount Sinai.
🔹 Setting: Base of Mount Sinai, amidst smoke, thunder, and trumpet blast.
🔹 Theme: God’s holy law reveals His nature and defines covenant faithfulness.
Gods Law – The Ten Commandments
📖 Exodus 20:3–17 – The Ten Commandments
🔎 A divine blueprint for holiness, covenant living, and spiritual identity:
Love the Lord thy God – Matthew 22:37
Love thy neighbour as thyself – Matthew 22:39
No other gods before Me – God alone deserves first place in your heart, loyalty, and worship. He is not to be one among many—He is to be everything.
No graven images – Do not reduce God to something made by hands or limited by imagination. Worship must be pure, invisible, and in spirit and truth—not confined to statues, symbols, or self-made religion.
Do not take His name in vain – God’s name is sacred. Do not speak it with disrespect, hypocrisy, or emptiness. Furthermore, to claim His name (Christian) while living in rebellion is also to take His name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy – Set apart the seventh day for rest, worship, and remembering your Creator and Redeemer. It is a gift of holy time, calling you to pause and realign.
Honor your father and mother – Respect the authority God has placed in your life. This command protects family order and brings generational blessing and stability.
You shall not kill – Life is sacred, made in God’s image. This includes hatred, rage, and violence of the heart. Jesus said to be angry without cause is to break this command spiritually (Matthew 5:21–22).
You shall not commit adultery – Be faithful to your spouse in body, heart, and thought. Jesus expanded this to even lustful intent—purity must reign in the mind and soul (Matthew 5:27–28).
You shall not steal – Respect what belongs to others. Stealing includes time, credit, trust, and blessings not earned. God calls for integrity in both public and private life.
You shall not bear false witness – Speak truthfully in all things. Lies, slander, gossip, and silence when truth is needed are all forms of false witness.
You shall not covet – Do not desire what belongs to others. Coveting births discontent, envy, and idolatry. A heart at peace with God trusts His timing and provision.
➡️ Spiritual Summary: The Ten Commandments are not just rules—they are revelations of God’s nature, guidelines for loving Him and others, and a mirror revealing our deep need for grace and transformation.
Key Takeaways
🔑 The Commandments reveal God’s heart and order.
🔑 God desires reverence, worship, and right living.
🔑 Fear of God brings wisdom and restraint.
🔑 The law shows us our need for grace.
🔑 Relationship with God includes obedience.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Ten Commandments – Still apply under the new covenant as moral law (Romans 3:31).
🔮 Fear and trembling at the voice – Seen again at Christ’s transfiguration and second coming.
🔮 Moses as mediator – Foreshadowing Christ as our final and perfect Mediator.
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Ancient covenants – Often began with stipulations from the king (suzerain) to the people (vassals).
📜 Ten Commandments – Form the core of Hebrew law and ethics.
📜 Public revelation – God chose to speak audibly to all Israel, not just in private.
💡 Final Reflection: Do You Still Hear His Voice?
The mountain shook, but so did the people. God wanted to speak—but also to draw near. The Commandments were not cold rules—they were an invitation to walk with a holy God.
📌 Do you still see the law as good, holy, and just?
📌 Are you living in fear of God—or fear of failure?
📌 Has the voice from the mountain become distant in your life?
🚀 God still speaks through His Word. Let His voice carve truth into your heart.
The Ten Commandments
Exo 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Exo 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Exo 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exo 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
Exo 20:21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Laws About Altars
Exo 20:22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
Exo 20:23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
Exo 20:24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
Exo 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
Exo 20:26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
26