The Ten Commandments of God
Senior 1 · Religion and Ethics
The Ten Commandments of God
Lesson 4 of 5
18 min
Why should a builder in Kigali put a railing around a balcony? Why should a trader in Nyabugogo use honest scales? Why should an employer pay a casual worker on time? More than three thousand years ago, the laws of Moses already answered these questions. They show that, for believers, God cares about every part of daily life, not only about prayer.
The Mosaic laws are all the laws that the Bible says God gave through Moses. Besides the Ten Commandments, they fill much of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Jewish tradition counts 613 commandments in these books. Christian teachers often sort them into three kinds:
| Kind | What it covers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Moral laws | right and wrong for everyone | "you shall love your neighbour as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18) |
| Civil (social) laws | how the nation was run: justice, work, property, health | laws on wages, courts and safety |
| Ceremonial (religious) laws | worship: sacrifices, festivals, priests, clean and unclean food | the Passover festival; food laws in Leviticus 11 |
Christians teach that Jesus came to fulfil the law (Matthew 5:17). Many churches teach that the moral laws still apply; that the ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Christ (in Mark 7:19 Jesus teaches that food cannot make a person unclean, "making all foods clean"); and that the civil laws were for ancient Israel, although their principles, such as justice and care for the poor, remain. Some Christians, for example Seventh-day Adventists, still keep the Saturday Sabbath and avoid the foods Leviticus 11 calls unclean.
Muslims believe God revealed the Tawrat to Musa (Qur'an 5:44). The Qur'an says that Jesus (Isa) came "confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful some of that which was forbidden unto you." (Qur'an 3:50). Islamic law shares many of the same principles:
Question: Give two Mosaic laws that protected the poor and explain how each helped them. (4 marks)
Model answer: First, farmers had to leave the corners of their fields and the gleanings for the poor and the foreigner (Leviticus 19:9–10); this let hungry people gather food for themselves (2 marks). Second, wages had to be paid the same day (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15), so a poor labourer could buy food for the family that evening (2 marks).
Tip
Memory hook: M-C-C. Mosaic laws are Moral (right and wrong), Civil (running the nation) and Ceremonial (worship). For each law you quote, add one sentence starting "This was important because…".
What are the Mosaic laws?
Answer: all the laws the Bible says God gave through Moses, found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, including but not only the Ten Commandments.
Classify each law as moral, civil or ceremonial: (a) the Passover festival; (b) paying wages the same day; (c) loving your neighbour as yourself.
Answer: (a) ceremonial; (b) civil; (c) moral.
Which Mosaic law is like a modern building-safety rule?
Answer: Deuteronomy 22:8, which required a railing around the roof of a new house so nobody would fall.
Give one Qur'an teaching that matches the Mosaic law on honest weights.
Answer: Qur'an 83:1–3 condemns "the defrauders" who demand full measure for themselves but give others short measure.
A shopkeeper sets her scale to show 1 kg when only 900 g of beans are on it. Which Mosaic law does she break, and why does it matter?
Answer: "You shall have just balances, just weights" (Leviticus 19:36). It matters because she steals from every customer, and trust in the market is destroyed.
Remember
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