1. St. Matthew evangelical Lutheran church Adult catechumenate
Ten Commandments
St. Matthew evangelical Lutheran church
Adult catechumenate

2. Ten Commandments Can you name all ten in order?
The Ten Commandments Stack can help you!

3. Exodus
Then God spoke all these words: 2I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

4. Exodus
7You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 8Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

5. Exodus
12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13You shall not murder. 14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

6. Ten Commandments
Not every Christian numbers them the same

8. Ten Commandments There are two divisions. Can you see them?
Commandments governing our relationship with God
Commandments governing our relationships with each other

9. Commandments One to Three
The first three commandments have to do with how we understand, value, and honor our relationship with our divine Creator.

10. the First Commandment “You shall have no other gods.”
Read Luther’s explanation
If we could keep this single commandment, all the rest would take care of themselves.

11. the Second Commandment
“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.”
In the world of the bible, names have meaning and power
What is God’s name?
Exodus 3

12. Exodus
13But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ 15God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations. [bolding added]

13. the Second Commandment
Lord = adonai = lord, but behind that is:
YHWH (the tetragrammaton)
“I am who I am”
“I am what I am”
“I will be what I will be”

14. the Second Commandment
Read Luther’s explanation
What does it mean for us to not take God’s name in vain?

15. the Third Commandment “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.”
How do we “keep the sabbath” today?

16. Commandments Four to Ten
The last seven commandments have to do with how we understand, value, and honor the relationships between ourselves and the rest of humanity.

17. YES, NO, Maybe so?!?!
Read Luther’s explanation to the fifth commandment:
We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life’s needs.
Vote with your feet!

18. YES, NO, Maybe so?!?!
Is it in keeping with Luther’s explanation of the fifth commandment to:
Stab someone
Cut somebody off in traffic
Say unkind things about a person behind their back
Call someone a demeaning name
Punch someone in anger

19. Genesis
Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” 2Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

20. Genesis
6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 8Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.

21. Genesis
9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

22. Commandments Four to Ten
How is killing someone like stealing from them?
Why is stealing wrong?
Where does the phrase “bear false witness” come from?
How is lying, not telling the whole truth, or twisting the truth like stealing?
How is coveting like stealing?

23. Commandments Four to Ten
Whether we are talking about: dishonoring or killing someone… cheating on a spouse… stealing, lying, or coveting… the final seven commandments call us to live lives that treat people like people, and not like problems, possessions, competitors, or inferior beings.

24. the Great Commandment
35[And one of the Pharisees], a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37[Jesus] said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22

25. Further Discussion
What commandments do you think are most commonly violated in our world today?
What does God really want from us?
Deuteronomy
Micah 6.8

26. St. Matthew evangelical Lutheran church Adult catechumenate
Ten Commandments
St. Matthew evangelical Lutheran church
Adult catechumenate