Family Bible Study:
Were the Ten Commandments Known Before Mount Sinai?

Sometime around 1400 to 1500 B.C., God spoke directly to the Israelites from Mt. Sinai, located in a desert region south and west of modern-day Israel. Exodus chapters 20 through 24 chronicle the establishing of a covenant, or agreement, between God and the descendants of Abraham; his son, Isaac; and grandson, Jacob.

God gave the Ten Commandments, and He spoke from the mountain directly to the people. They were so frightened by the sound that they pleaded with Moses for God not to speak to them, but that they would hear from Moses what God wanted.

When God spoke the Ten Commandments, did He reveal something entirely new to the Israelites, and through them, to the gentile nations and peoples of the world? Or did God "codify," or write down and then include in a specific covenant with Israel, preexisting definitions of sin and righteousness?

Many say that the Ten Commandments were simply the "old covenant." They also say that when the old covenant passed away, so did the need for obeying the Ten Commandments, unless they were specifically repeated in the new covenant.

Others say that God has had a standard of righteous conduct that began at the time of the creation of Adam and has not changed since. Let's study this together and see what we can discover about God's intention for how His people should act toward each other and toward Him, and whether His standards of sin and righteousness have changed through the years.

Going through the Bible together:

Exodus 20:1-20 (Hint: Ask someone to read these verses out loud.)

Discussion: Why are the Ten Commandments important? (Hint: You might explore the following questions with your family.)

• Who decides what is right and wrong?
• Who has the right to decide what is right and wrong for everybody to do?
• Are there any books or writings other than the Bible that define for us what God says is righteousness and what is sin?
• Which of the Ten Commandments reveal information that man cannot understand except by revelation from God? Which could be understood through scientific study or contemplation?

What are the general definitions of sin given in the Bible?

Discussion: What do these scriptures teach us about what sin is? (Hint: You might have someone read the following scriptures and then ask the family how these define sin. Are there other scriptures that define, in general terms, what sin is?)

• Romans 14:23 Whatsoever is not of faith
• James 4:17 Not doing the good we should
• 1 John 3:4-10 Transgression of the law (lawlessness)
• 1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness
• James 2:19 Having respect for persons

Discussion: What conclusions can we draw about what defines sin? (Hint: In what ways does God use definitions that relate to physical conduct and definitions that relate to attitudes to define sin?)

Was there sin before God spoke the Ten Commandments to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai?

Discussion: What examples are there that specifically define sin, wickedness or other lawless conduct before Exodus 20? (Hint: Have family members look up the following, read the passage and identify which Commandments were broken.)

• Genesis 4:1-16 Cain
• Genesis 6:1-12 Noah
• Genesis 18:17-22 Sodom and Gomorrah
• Genesis 20:1-20 Abimelech and Abraham
• Genesis 26:5-11 Abimelech and Isaac

Did God have a different standard of sin for a gentile nation than He did for His chosen people? (Hint: Was Abimelech, the gentile king in Genesis 20, subject to the same commandments defining sin and righteousness as was Abraham?)

What are the consequences of sin?

• Romans 6:23 Eternal death
• Ezekiel 20:7-43 Being cut off from God
• 1 Samuel 15:7-31 When leaders reject the commandments, it causes them to be rejected by God as leaders, and new leaders to be put in their place (example of Saul)

Discussion: What other consequences are there for sin? (Hint: You might ask what the physical and psychological consequences are when people sin. Also, what happens to relationships when there is sin? How are families, communities or even nations weakened by sin? Does righteous conduct strengthen relationships?)

Has God always wanted obedience from the heart?

• Genesis 4:1-12 Did God want Cain to master the temptation before it mastered him? Is temptation a matter of the letter of the law or the spirit of the law?
• Hebrews 8:7-13 What laws were to be written on the "new heart" of a Christian? (This is cited from Jeremiah 31:31-34.)
• Matthew 15:1-9 Did Jesus want obedience that was "lip service," or did He want heartfelt obedience?
• Ezekiel 36:24-36 Was this new heart free from commandment-keeping? What was this new heart supposed to do? What will God's attitude be in the Millennium toward commandment-keeping? What will God's Spirit cause people to do?

Discussion: What kind of obedience did Jesus want from His people? (Hint: Was keeping the "letter of the law" enough? What does the phrase "keeping the spirit of the law" mean to you? Can we keep the intent of the law and break the letter of the law? Should the intent or spirit of the law guide us in how we can best keep the letter of the law?)

Family Research Topics:

How many of the Ten Commandments can you find mentioned before Exodus 20? (Hint: Look for either a specific statement about them, like the Sabbath in Genesis 2, or the scriptures showing a sin, like murder in Genesis 4:6. A concordance will help with this study.)

Why is sin, or unrighteousness, bad? Why is righteousness, or obedience to God's commandments, good? Who is hurt when any of the Ten Commandments is broken? What happens when the Ten Commandments are obeyed? (Hint: You might go through each of the Ten Commandments individually and ask the same questions for each: "What happens when this Commandment is broken? What happens when this Commandment is obeyed?")

Does the New Testament teach commandment-keeping? Will there be commandment-keeping for all people after the return of Jesus Christ?

• Matthew 5:19-32 What did Jesus teach about obedience to the commandments?
• 1 John 2:3-6 What did John say about those who do not obey the commandments?
• Revelation 22:10-21 At the end of all things, does Jesus Christ want commandment-keepers?

GN

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This outline is intended to suggest topics and questions to spark discussion in Bible study. You may find it useful to spread the study out over a number of days and to adapt it to fit the age groupings within your family. Special thanks to Ken Graham Sr. from Indianapolis, Indiana, for his discussion on this topic, which inspired this study guide.