God’s chosen people were the Children of Israel. His first written Law was given to them through the prophet Moses. It began with the Ten Commandments, which were later written on tables of stone by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). All of these laws and ordinances were specific, and the people were required to know them and to teach them to their children. See Deuteronomy 6:6-9.
QUESTIONS
- When and where did God give Moses and the Children of Israel the Ten Commandments? See Exodus 19:1, 20-25.
- Briefly write down each of the Ten Commandments.
- Which of these commandments covered the people’s relationship with God? with their fellow man?
- What was God’s promise to the Children of Israel if they kept all His commandments? See Exodus 19:5-6 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14
- What did Paul the Apostle say was the first commandment with promise (Ephesians 6:2-3)? What does the phrase “with promise” signify?
- What was Jesus’ reply when He was asked, “which is the great commandment in the law?” See Matthew 22:36-40.
- What did Jesus mean, in Matthew 22:40, when He said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”?
- What was the reply of the rich young ruler when Jesus told him he would have eternal life if he would “keep the commandments”? How did Jesus answer him? See Matthew 19:16-22.
- Today we live under the New Testament covenant through Jesus Christ, and not under the Old Testament Law of Moses. Under this new covenant, where does God tell us He will put His laws? See Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 10:16-18.
THEME THOUGHTS
It is not difficult to go through the Bible and compile an extensive list of first events from which we can learn valuable lessons. Most people are interested in how or when something started and who started it. This quarter will focus on beginnings. The first two lessons deal with the beginning of everything—Creation and the first man. The next two are about the first sin and the first plan of escape from God’s judgment for sin. The next lesson is about the people who built the first “skyscraper” and the pitfalls of trying to be independent from God. Four Bible characters will be studied: the first Hebrew, Abraham; the first leader, Moses; Israel’s first priest, Aaron; and the first king of Israel, Saul. There also will be a lesson on God’s first written Law. The point of studying these lessons is to help us get a better understanding of some of the firsts in Bible history and, more importantly, to learn that, since the beginning of our world, each of these has played an important part in Gods plan for our lives. We want to grow spiritually from what we have learned.