God spoke to the people of Israel. His word is to be obeyed. Through his word God established his covenant with the people of Israel. Also, the Lord delivered them out of the land of slavery in Egypt and brought them to himself. They are new—a people of the word. The first commandment is the source of all the other commands. “You shall have no other gods before me.” The Israelite community was called to worship God only. They were to trust in God’s holy love, never misuse his name and honor the Sabbath. All of these commands reinforce their calling to worship God alone and grow in their love for him.

The remaining commandments were summed up by Jesus as, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (12-17; Mt 22:39) The command not to covet shows that God sees not only our actions, but he also wants our hearts to be pure. The entire community were those delivered by God and called to be his covenant people. The people were fearful at hearing the voice of God, so Moses reassured them. The fear of God was intended to keep them from sinning and to maintain them as God’s holy covenant people.
Application: Lord, thank you for delivering me from sin. Thank you for your life-giving word. Help me to obey you, love you, and worship you only.
One Word: Worship God only