In the Word of God, it tells us that God Himself has written His commandments in our hearts. So men are without excuse. When you read these commandments, you will probably be like, everyone knows these things. And to some extent you are right. One of the things that the LORD revealed to me when I read through these two different sections in Scripture, is that, the order was a little different, towards the end. Now in Exodus it tells us not to covet our neighbor’s house first, then in Deuteronomy it says not to covet our neighbor’s wife before it says house. I do not know about you, but I think this was not by mistake by the LORD. He does know the heart of man and the one thing that I see time and again throughout history is men coveting each others houses and wives. To the point of actually murdering people over these two things. I believe in today’s society that we see even more of this, then any other time in civilized history. Why do you think that we have so much adultery, divorce, bankruptcy, etc. We covet what other people have and we are not content with what we have. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading thru these commands and I hope you follow them whole heartedly. I heard a pastor say one time, that we have over 4 million laws on the books in the United States, but if we would just do the ten commandments that we would not hardly need any of them. May God Bless you and keep you!!!
Commandment: n. a law or order; especially, in the Bible, any of the ten laws (Ten Commandments) that God gave to Moses.
Exodus 20:1-21
Then God instructed the people as follows:
“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
“Do not worship any other gods besides me.
“Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
“Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For is six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.
“Do not murder.
“Do not commit adultery.
“Do not steal.
“Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
“Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.”
When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the horn, and when they saw the lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.
And they said to Moses, “You tell us what God says, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us. If he does, we will die!”
“Don’t be afraid,” Moses said, “for God has come in this way to show you his awesome power. From now on, let your fear of him keep you from sinning!”
As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was.
Deuteronomy 5:1-33
Moses called all the people of Israel together and said, “Listen carefully to all the laws and regulations I am giving you today. Learn them and be sure to obey them! “While we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God made a covenant with us. The LORD did not make this covenant long ago with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today. The LORD spoke to you face to face from the heart of the fire on the mountain. I stood as an intermediary between you and the LORD, for you were afraid of the fire and did not climb the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed the words on to you. This is what he said:
“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
“Do not worship any other gods besides me.
“Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
“Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God had commanded you. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out with amazing power and mighty deeds. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
“Honor your father and mother, as the LORD your God command you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.
“Do not murder.
“Do not commit adultery.
“Do not steal.
“Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
“Do not covet your neighbor’s wife. Do not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.’
The LORD spoke these words with a loud voice to all of you from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me. But when you heard the voice from the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your tribal leaders came to me. They said, ‘The LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen God speaking to humans, and yet we live! But now, why should we die? If the LORD our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire. Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire and yet survive? You go and listen to what the LORD our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.’
“The LORD heard your request and said to me, ‘I have heard what the people have said to you, and they are right. Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever. Go and tell them to return to their tents. But you stay here with me so I can give you all my commands, laws, and regulations. You will teach them to the people so they can obey them in the land I am giving to them as their inheritance.’”
So Moses told the people, “You must obey all the commands of the LORD your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.