The Ten Commandments of God
Senior 1 · Religion and Ethics
The Ten Commandments of God
Lesson 3 of 5
18 min
Imagine a new school where every student makes up his or her own rules. Some would steal, some would bully and nobody could trust anybody. The Israelites at Sinai were a people newly freed from slavery, about to build a nation. The scriptures explain why God gave them commandments, and why Christians and Muslims believe these commands still matter today.
Christians believe the Ten Commandments still guide them. Jesus said: "Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17). He also taught that the commandments reach the heart: anger can be the beginning of murder (Matthew 5:21–22), and a lustful look the beginning of adultery (Matthew 5:27–28). Obedience grows from love: "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15). Paul wrote: "Love doesn’t harm a neighbour. Love therefore is the fulfilment of the law." (Romans 13:10)
Muslims believe God gave Musa the scripture as guidance: "And when We gave unto Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (of right and wrong), that ye might be led aright." (Qur'an 2:53). The Criterion is what separates right from wrong. The Qur'an calls that scripture "an explanation of all things, a guidance and a mercy" (Qur'an 6:154).
Muslim scholars such as al-Ghazali (died 1111) taught that God's law (Shari'ah) aims to protect five essentials of human well-being, the objectives of the Shari'ah (maqasid al-shari'ah). They match the Ten Commandments closely:
| Essential protected | A matching commandment |
|---|---|
| Religion | "You shall have no other gods before me." |
| Life | "You shall not murder." |
| Family and lineage | "Honour your father and your mother"; "You shall not commit adultery." |
| Property | "You shall not steal." |
| Intellect (the mind) | Islam forbids intoxicants that cloud the mind. |
| To believers | To society |
|---|---|
| They guide a right relationship with God: worship, prayer, respect for God's name. | They protect life, so people feel safe. |
| They form the conscience, the inner sense of right and wrong. | They protect marriage and the family. |
| They set aside time for rest and worship. | They protect property and build trust in business. |
| They bring peace of mind and, both faiths teach, God's blessing. | Truthful witnesses make fair courts possible. |
| They help believers resist temptation. | Respect for parents and elders holds families and communities together. |
Many of these duties are also written into Rwandan law: murder, theft, corruption and lying under oath in court are all crimes. When citizens keep these values freely, fewer laws need to be enforced by force.
Question: Explain two reasons why God gave the commandments to the Israelites. (4 marks)
Model answer: First, the commandments were part of the covenant. God had freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 20:2), and obeying the commandments was their grateful response (2 marks). Second, they were given for the people's good: they protected life, family and property so the new nation could live in peace, as Deuteronomy 6:24 says, "for our good always" (2 marks).
Tip
Exam technique. For "why" questions, use C-H-G-S-S-P: Covenant, Holy people, their Good, keep from Sin, Show what sin is, Peace together. For "importance" questions, draw two columns in your head: believers and society, and give a point from each.
Which event does God remind the people of at the start of the commandments?
Answer: bringing them out of slavery in Egypt, "out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2).
According to Matthew 5:17, did Jesus come to abolish the law?
Answer: no. He said: "I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17)
Name the five essentials that, according to Muslim scholars, God's law protects.
Answer: religion, life, intellect, family (lineage) and property.
Give two ways in which society benefits when people keep the commandment "You shall not steal".
Answer (any two): people can trust one another; businesses and markets run honestly; less money is spent on guards and police; the poor are not robbed of what little they have.
Mugisha says: "The commandments were only for ancient Israel." How would a Christian and a Muslim respond?
Model answer: a Christian would say Jesus came to fulfil the law, not to destroy it (Matthew 5:17), and that he summed it up as love of God and neighbour, which still binds his followers. A Muslim would say the Qur'an teaches the same duties to Muslims today, for example in Qur'an 6:151–153, and that God's law protects religion, life, intellect, family and property in every age.
Remember
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