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’ ” (Exod. 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.
God’s key summation word for the Decalogue is “love” (Rom. 13:10). The greatest commandment is the commandment of love, which is expressed in two ways: love to God (Deut. 6:5) and love to our neighbor (Lev. 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.
Supplemental EGW Notes
“And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount, and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them.” Thus the Lord, in awful grandeur, speaks his law from Sinai, that the people may believe. He then accompanies the giving of his law with sublime exhibitions of his authority, that they may know that he is the only true and living God. Moses was not permitted to enter within the cloud of glory, but only draw nigh and enter the thick darkness which surrounded it. And he stood between the people and the Lord.
After the Lord had given them such evidences of his power, he tells them who he is. “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” The same God who exalted his power among the Egyptians now speaks his law.—Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, pp. 264, 265.
The law was not spoken at this time exclusively for the benefit of the Hebrews. God honored them by making them the guardians and keepers of His law, but it was to be held as a sacred trust for the whole world. The precepts of the Decalogue are adapted to all mankind, and they were given for the instruction and government of all. Ten precepts, brief, comprehensive, and authoritative, cover the duty of man to God and to his fellow man; and all based upon the great fundamental principle of love. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:27. See also Deuteronomy 6:4, 5; Leviticus 19:18. In the Ten Commandments these principles are carried out in detail, and made applicable to the condition and circumstances of man.—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 305.
The great principles contained in the law of God enjoin upon us the duty of loving God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves. Those who love God will keep the first four precepts of the Decalogue, which define the duty of man to his Creator. But in carrying out this principle through the grace of Christ, we shall express in our characters the divine attributes, and will work out the love of God in all our dealing with our fellow men. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] God gave His best gift to the world, and whosoever has the attributes of God will love his fellow men with the same love wherewith God has loved him. The Spirit of God dwelling in the heart, will be manifested in love to others.—“Our Duty to the Poor and Afflicted,” in Letters and Manuscripts, vol. 9, par. 3.
The above quotations are taken from Ellen G. White Notes for the Sabbath School Lessons, published by Pacific Press Publishing Association. Used by permission.