Charles Spurgeon Commentary Exodus 20
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Exodus 20
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Exodus 20
"And God spake all these words, saying, I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." — Exodus 20:1-3 (ASV)
God is the only God, and no other object of worship is to be tolerated for a moment.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them, for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." — Exodus 20:4-6 (ASV)
Here we are forbidden to worship God under any likeness whatsoever. The first command forbids the worship of another God; the second strictly forbids us to worship anything which our eyes can see, under the pretense that we are worshipping God in that way.
This is another offense, and much more common than the first; and it is often pleaded—"Oh, we do not worship these things: we worship God whom these represent." But here it is strictly forbidden to represent God under any form or substance whatsoever and to make that an object of worship.
"Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." — Exodus 20:7 (ASV)
A reverence for the very name of God is demanded, and all things that are connected with His worship are to be kept sacred.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." — Exodus 20:8-11 (ASV)
It is good for us that we make the Sabbath a day of rest – a day of holy worship – a day of drawing near to God. So far, we have the first table, containing the duties towards God. The rest inscribed on the second table are our duties towards man.
"Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery." — Exodus 20:12-14 (ASV)
These commandments take a far wider sweep than the mere words. Thou shalt not kill includes the doing of anything by which life may be shortened as well as taken away. It includes anger – every evil wish and every malicious passion. And Thou shalt not commit adultery includes every form of unchastity and impurity.
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