Through Moses, God led his people out of Egypt on a journey that would eventually see them return to the land of Canaan. During the journey God spoke to Moses and affirmed the special status of the Hebrews as God’s chosen people. We can now speak of the covenant made between God and the people of Israel through their great leader, Moses. This covenant describes the binding relationship between God and the people of Israel.
The Israelites were instructed to obey the voice of God. To help them do this, they were given a set of detailed instructions which spelt out clearly what was permitted and what was forbidden. The most important of these were the Ten Commandments. Moses received them on Mount Sinai after the escape from Egypt but before arriving in the Promised Land. They are recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:1-22.
The TEN Commandments
1 I am the LORD your God . . . you shall have no other gods before me.
2 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God.
3 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.
4 Honor your father and your mother. 5 You shall not murder.
6 You shall not commit adultery.
7 You shall not steal.
8 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9&10 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife . . . or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
