Then God spoke all these words:
² I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
³ Do not have other gods besides me.
⁴ Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. ⁵ Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ iniquity, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.
⁷ Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.
⁸ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: ⁹ You are to labor six days and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. ¹¹ For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

1) Why is verse 2 included before listing the Ten Commandments?
Verse 2 is a preface of sorts.  It reminds the Israelites Who it is that is giving them these commandments.  By reminding them that He alone is Jehovah, God is calling them to remember that He is their creator, their very source of existence.  By reminding them that He brought them out of slavery, He is reminding them that He has been faithful to them and powerful to cause the plagues and the miracles that allowed their exodus.  By making this statement, God reminds the Israelites that He is worthy to command the way they should live.

2) What does it mean that God punishes the children for the fathers’ iniquity?
Many commentators believe that this speaks of the natural consequences of our sin.  As parents, many times our sins have direct effects on our children, and even on their children.  This verse does not mean that the children of sinners are damned because of their parents—Ezekiel 18 points out that every person is responsible for their own sin (as do many other passages).  This serves as a warning to us.  Our idolatry can cause punishment, not only for us, but for our children and grandchildren.  But our faithfulness also has long-lasting good consequences.

3) What does it mean that the seventh day is a Sabbath “to the Lord”?
God gives us the Sabbath, not just for our benefit, to allow our bodies and minds to rest, but for His sake.  We are to dedicate one day in seven to the Lord. This is His day, when we are prescribed a time to remember and worship Him.  We are creatures who too easily forget the One who made us and holds us together, so He gives us the Sabbath to keep us focused on Him.

1) Why is verse 2 included before listing the Ten Commandments?
When I think about myself, my desires, my perceived injustices, I find obedience to God to be cumbersome.  But when I think about the Lord, how He made me, saved me, sustains me, and is so awesome, powerful, just, sovereign, and inconceivably wiser than me, I find obedience to be the clear, easy choice.  Women, remember the God you serve, when you are tempted to think of yourself first!

2) What does it mean that God punishes the children for the fathers’ iniquity?
It is sobering to see my children speak in a way that reveals the sinful way that I’ve spoken to them.  It’s true that God can and does redeem our mistakes in parenting, but it is also true that our sins affect our children negatively.  Let this be a motivating factor as we make decisions; our sinful choices affect more people than only ourselves.

3) What does it mean that the seventh day is a Sabbath “to the Lord”?
Although the Sabbath is practiced differently in the New Covenant (meaning right now) than it was in the Old Covenant (meaning before Jesus’ sacrificial death), it is still a part of the Law that God gave us as a gift.  Often, we feel like we don’t need to take time to rest and worship, but the Sabbath is not about us—it’s about God.  How can you set aside intentional time to cease from your work and remember your Creator? What would it look like to set aside one 24-hour period each week to cease from everything that is work, both paid and un-paid, and simply delight in the life that the Father has given you? Consider trying out God’s rhythm and see if you sense a more gently pace for living!

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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