v1: The Lord God spoke these words, which therefore have authority and importance. They are not human ideas. They are not suggestions to be discussed, but commandments to be obeyed. God spoke all these words; there is not a mixture of human and divine.

Here is God's standard of righteousness, a permanent written standard of morality (Deut 4.8; Ps 19.7-9; 119.142). The further effect was that the Law exposes sin (Rom 3.20; 5.20; 7.7; Gal 3.19); this is important as it leads us to find forgiveness in Christ.

v2: The deliverance from Egypt is the basis for obedience to God. The people had been delivered from bondage, into a relationship with God, a relationship of freedom and privilege. Since He is our God, we are obliged to obey Him, 1 Kings 18.21; John 14.15. As we realise the truth of who God is, and what He has done for us, we must respond in obedience to Him.

We understand too that the commandments of God set the Israelites as distinct from the surrounding nations, whose morals were lax in the extreme, and where punishment was frequently cruel and unjust.

v3-11: A right attitude to God. As in Matt 26.6-12, it is never a waste simply to worship God, and to honour Him, and to put Him first. Indeed, unless we do so, our lives become disordered.

v3: "No other gods"; nothing even to be considered like Him (see v23).Jesus Christ is described as "far above all" (Eph 1.21), other gods, angels, principalities and powers. They do not even come close to deity, all these others are created beings. Who should we worship? We should worship God alone, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Israel had learned idolatry in Egypt; see Ezek 20.6-8; 23.8. Here God clearly required that they turn away from idolatry, and that they learn to worship the God who delivered them.

Idols were an alternative way to God (ch 32), as a representation of the deity, they were initially the way to God. Later, it seems, the idol was identified as the deity itself (1 Kings 12.25-33).

Max Lucado quotes a Jewish Rabbi, ‘the command calls us to elevate the name or reputation of God to the highest place. We exist to give honour to his name.’ (It’s not about me.) 

v4: How should we worship? We should worship Him His way, as in v22-26. To worship Him another way is not to worship Him at all, for worship of God must be like God. We recognise that He is the Creator, utterly holy and different from His creation. We are reminded that His people are to be a holy people; see 19.6 (Old Testament), 1 Pet 2.9 (New Testament).

v5: God is a jealous God, accepting no rivals (34.14). Notice that the iniquity of man has consequences today and tomorrow; here the consequences were passed on to the third and fourth generations. Such consequences are only there because of those who "hate" Him. Individual acts of sin, and the general falling short, to which man is prone, are not necessarily treated in the same way. We are confident that God is always fair in His treatment of men and women.

v6: Showing mercy to thousands, for God delights in mercy. In this context, God's mercy is conditional, although it far outweighs our own mercy.

v7: We are treat His Name with proper respect; respect for God infers a respect for His Name. Our words reveal the state of our hearts (Matt 15.18-19).

v8-11: The fourth commandment has the longest explanation. One of the signs of God's people was that they maintained the Sabbath day as holy. This followed God's hallowing of the day (Gen 2.3). The children of Israel were seen to be distinct from the Gentile nations by their observance of the day. The example had already been set (16.22-30), and further explanation would follow (31.12-17). We see the day as providing an opportunity to enjoy God in an unobstructed way.

v10: The whole household was to enjoy the rest, including any servants. They would learn that to serve in an Israelite household was a blessing.

v11: The reason for the command, that God made all creation in six days, and rested the seventh day. God made it holy, so man should not make it common. The Sabbath was made for man's benefit, Mark 2.23-26; 3.1-6. There is therefore a blessing in obedience here.

v12-17: A right attitude to others.

A right attitude to God must lead us to a right attitude to others, "all are summed up in this saying, namely, "you shall love your neighbour as yourself"", Rom 13.9, quoting Lev 19.18. "Love does no harm to a neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilment of the law" (Rom 13.10). To insist on right worship, but to neglect love, is the error of the Pharisees (Luke 11.42); but to insist on caring for people, whilst neglecting God, is the error of the humanist. 1 John teaches particularly that love for others is an essential mark of faith in Jesus Christ (see also John 13.35).

v12: Honour both parents. It is a sign of a general departure from God's standards when people are described as "disobedient to parents" (Rom 1.30; 2 Tim 3.2). Here too is a blessing, "that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you," see Eph 6.3.

v13: Since human life is sacred (see Gen 9.4-6), it is wrong to take life.

v14: Adultery is destructive to relationships. By implication, this command also prohibits other sexual sins, e.g. 22.16-17, 19. Adultery is the opposite of faithfulness; for just as we are to be faithful to God, so we are to be faithful to husband or wife.

v15: Stealing follows greed and selfishness. Often the sinful action has been brought about by sinful attitudes and thoughts. The Lord Jesus explicitly provided this link, see for example Matt 5.28.

v16: False testimony is simply lying. Again, this destroys trust and relationships. It is not insignificant that liars are listed with more "serious" sins in Rev 21.8.

v17: Coveting is also to do with greed, and with a dissatisfaction with what God has given. We note that both rich and poor can covet. A love for money is common to all "classes". Here also coveting goes beyond money, but to anything. We also understand this to include attitudes, reputation, ability, etc.

v18: The people feared the presence of God.

v19: Their terror was such that they thought their lives were at risk; perhaps they were right, for the declaration of the law of God would surely have exposed bad attitudes in them.

v20: Knowledge of Him in His glory should keep us from sin. When we grow over-familiar with God, or we treat the presence of God as something trivial, we can become careless towards sin.

v21: Moses drew near to God to intercede for the people.

v22-23: Holy worship, nothing to be with God, for He alone has spoken from Heaven, therefore manmade gods cannot be compared to Him. We should avoid the use of icons and pictures, to 'aid' us in our worship. Idolatry was common amongst the Gentiles, and the people of God were to be distinct. Their worship had to reflect the holy character of God.

v24-26: The altar of earth, or of stones. The concept of holiness was to be reflected even in the altar. There was to be a simplicity and practicality about it.

v25-26: Two ways to avoid defiling the altar; not to used dressed stones, and not to approach the altar by steps. We see that true holiness applies in many ways; the law of God was given for the whole of life. Jesus Christ has called us into a way of life in Him, and nothing in our lives is to be outside that.