We have seen that in 34:28 the Ten Commandments are called the ten words of God. According to the Bible, words denotes expression. The words spoken by a particular person are the expression of that person. If a person is silent, he will be mysterious. There is no way to know what is within him. The more we speak, the more we are expressed, and what is within us is exposed. This applies to the Ten Commandments as the ten words of God. The commandments are not merely laws; they are also God’s expression. Through these ten words, God has revealed Himself to us.
When I was very young, I thought that God was broad-minded. When I read in the Bible that He is a jealous God, I was bothered. To me, jealousy was not a positive thing. I certainly would not want to be thought of as a jealous person. I would much rather be regarded as kind, broad-minded, and all-embracing. Many who have such a concept of God think that all religions are the same. They do not like to hear in our gospel preaching that Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are in error. Such people prefer to think that God is broad-minded and not in the least jealous. But, as the Ten Commandments reveal, God is jealous, and He will not tolerate idols. Apart from the Ten Commandments, there would be no way for us to realize that God is narrow, or jealous, in this way. God wants us to love Him and Him alone. If we love someone or something in place of Him, He will be jealous. Thus, the Ten Commandments first reveal God’s jealousy, even His hatred (Rom. 9:13). Jealousy results in hatred. The Bible says not only that God is love, but also that He is jealous. In 2 Corinthians 11:2 Paul refers to the jealousy of God. The ten words, the expression of God, reveal that God is unique. He is a jealous God, and He will not give place to any other god. Do not allow anything else to be your god. Do not take education or wealth as your god. God alone must be your God.
The Ten Commandments also reveal that God is holy. The fourth commandment, which concerns keeping the Sabbath, is related to God’s holiness, to His being separate from all things. According to Genesis 2, God sanctified the seventh day, or made it holy. Thus, the Sabbath as the seventh day is a sign of God’s holiness, of His separation. Although many Jews and Seventh-Day Adventists keep the Sabbath, not many know the true significance of keeping a day unto the Lord. Not many realize that the Sabbath is a sign of God’s holiness. Although the Gentiles are common, God’s people have been separated unto Him. As a mark of separation, one day is set apart unto Him. The keeping of this day identifies them as God’s holy and separated people. Furthermore, this reveals that the very God whom we worship is holy, separate. As His people, we must have a mark, a sign, of our separation from everything other than God Himself. This reveals that our God is holy.
Verses 12 through 14 reveal that God is a God of love. If we do not honor our parents, it means that we do not love them. Likewise, if we love others, we shall not steal from them. In Matthew 22:37-40 the Lord Jesus answered His opposers by implying that the whole law is fulfilled in loving God and man. We must not only love the Lord with our whole being, but we must also love others as we love ourselves. In Galatians 5:14 Paul says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If we consider the Ten Commandments in depth, we shall see that God’s love is revealed in them.
Exodus 20:5 and 6 say that God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him, but He shows mercy unto thousands of generations who love Him and keep His commandments. God’s love is revealed in these verses also. God will charge iniquity as far as the third or fourth generation, but to those who love Him, He will show mercy for a thousand generations. In this we see God’s lovingkindness. If you hate God, He will visit your family for three or four generations. This means that He will charge you with hatred toward Him for this number of generations. But if we love God, His mercy will be upon us for a thousand generations. In the Bible, a thousand denotes fullness. For example, the psalmist said that a day in the Lord’s courts is better than a thousand (Psa. 84:10). To enjoy God’s mercy to the fullest is to enjoy it for eternity. His mercy is endless. Although God’s anger can be counted, His mercy is beyond counting.