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KEY TEXT: Exodus 20:2 (KJV) – “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

In this verse, God starts by saying who He is and what He has done specifically for them. He doesn’t start by saying how He created the world and what He has done for others. God begins by telling them what He has done for them. God is a personal God who wants you to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants you to acknowledge what He has done in your life before you acknowledge what He has done for others.

Unlike fashion trends, entertainment, and other man-made inventions, God never runs out of relevance. Most of the fashionable items of the 1940s are irrelevant now. Music and movies of the 1930s are barely known by the current generation. Psalm 90:2 (KJV) – “Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” God never runs out of relevance. He reigns from everlasting to everlasting. He is eternal. He ministers to every generation and to every individual in a personal way. Therefore, when He comes to you, He tells you what He has done for you and not what He has done for other people.

God tells the Israelites that He has brought them out of the land of Egypt. The question is, how were the Israelites living in Egypt? They were enslaved people living under Egyptian laws. God allowed them to be taken captive and live like that because they did not obey God’s commandments. When God sees that you want to pursue a particular path, whether good or evil, He allows you to follow that path.

God allowed Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil without stopping or restricting them. One may be highly stubborn, wanting to pursue an evil path. God is a God of free will. He will allow you to follow it because He cannot force you. Once you have pursued and experienced the harm that your chosen path has, you will probably make the right decision in future. However, some people are so hard-hearted they constantly and willingly indulge in sin despite the severe consequences that they have faced.

Some Israelites had lost trust in God while they were in slavery. Many had lost hope in God. They did not know that God would come to their rescue. However, there are still some who might have remained steadfast in God. When God delivered them out of Egypt, many were astonished because they thought it an impossibility to be freed from their enslaved state. Some had already been comfortable in Egypt and had gotten tired of asking God to take them out. Others were born in Egypt, and that was the life they were accustomed to since their birth. Therefore, they had probably not asked to be taken out of Egypt.

God gives you some blessings you never asked for. Ephesians 3:20 (KJV) – “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” God will not only give you blessings you have not asked for, but He will also bestow you with blessings you are not worthy of. He has given you all that you have, not because you have earned it but because He is a God of love and is abundant in grace.

God took the Israelites out of slavery. What does it mean to be in slavery?

• Being in slavery means that your hands are tied, and you cannot do much.
• Being in slavery means you cannot be fruitful.
• Being in slavery means that you do not have the freedom to choose.
• Being in slavery means that you are under the control of other people.
• Being in slavery means that you cannot be prosperous.
• Being in slavery means that you do a lot of work with little or no pay,
• Being in slavery means that you don’t even have control of your family. For example, Pharaoh ordered all the newborn male Israelites to be killed.

“Out of the land of Egypt, Out of the house of bondage (Exodus 20:2).” The keyword is out. God took them out of a terrible situation. When God tells them this, He virtually tells them, “Now you have freedom.” However, as humans, our wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are minimal because they are finite. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV) – “For now we see through a glass, darkly.” As a result, God could not leave them without rules lest they get themselves back into the mess (slavery) they were previously in. Therefore, He gave them laws to live by. These commandments were not restrictions. They were instructions and guidelines on how to maintain or boost their liberation.

Despite giving them the Decalogue, they still had free will. However, they would have no one to blame if they encountered consequences due to disobedience. It is like a gym instructor (or any other instructor) whose work is to instruct you on the proper way of doing exercises, but they cannot do it for you. If you follow the instructions, you will succeed. If you don’t, you will fail. God, the teacher of all teachers, tells you to keep His commandments and live (Proverbs 4:4).

Which commandments is God talking about?

Commandment 1: Exodus 20:3 (KJV) – “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”

Commandment 2: Exodus 20:4-6 (KJV) – “4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.⁵ Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; ⁶ And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.”

Commandment 3: Exodus 20:7 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.”

Commandment 4: Exodus 20:8-11 (KJV) – “⁸ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: ¹⁰ But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

Commandment 5: Exodus 20:12 (KJV) – ^“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”

Commandment 6: Exodus 20:13 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not kill.”

Commandment 7: Exodus 20:14 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

Commandment 8: Exodus 20:15 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not steal.”

Commandment 9: Exodus 20:16 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”

Commandment 10: Exodus 20:17 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”

 “The man who attempts to keep the commandments of God from a sense of obligation merely—because he is required to do so—will never enter into the joy of obedience. He does not obey. When the requirements of God are accounted a burden because they cut across human inclination, we may know that the life is not a Christian life. True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right—because right doing is pleasing to God.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 97.1, Ellen G. White.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for personally delivering me from the things that once held me captive. You are not a distant God, you are my God. Make me free from what is still holding me captive. Open my eyes to see how You have worked in my life. Teach me to walk in freedom, to value Your commandments, and to love righteousness from the heart. May I never forget that You brought me out to bring me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Activity

1. Reflect and Write: On a piece of paper or journal, create two columns titled:
   • “My Egypt” – Write down areas where you once felt bound, enslaved, or helpless (e.g. fear, addiction, guilt, confusion, etc.).
   • “My Exodus” – Beside each one, write how God delivered you or is delivering you. Be honest-even small steps of freedom count.
2. Speak It Out: Choose at least one thing God has brought you out of and thank Him out loud for it. Let this be a moment of personal testimony.
3. Live It: Choose one commandment from Exodus 20 and intentionally live it out today, not as a rule but as a joyful act of obedience. For example:
   • If it’s the Sabbath commandment, plan how you’ll honor the Sabbath more fully.
   • If it’s honoring your parents, make a kind call or do something special for them.
4. Share this message with someone.

Author: Mark Alex   

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