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Why were only 10 Commandments given?

There are only 10 Commandments given by God to Moses and the question is: Why only this number? These is a reason I have become aware of, but let's see how people react to this question. God took a lot of time to deliver this number but it has never changed. 

Exodus 20:1 - 26

ESV - 1 And God spoke all these words, saying. 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Clarify Share Report Asked March 15 2018 Mini Marvin Reynolds

Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.

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Mini Aurel Gheorghe
First, it’s important to mention that no one is going to be saved by keeping the law (Rom 3:20) - we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8, 9). Keeping the law is only a manifestation of the fact that we are saved (1 John 5:2-4). 

God is love (1 John 4:8) and the Ten Commandments (TC) are the perfect representation of God’s love and character. The TC are a comprehensive depiction of our duty to God and to our fellow man - all is based upon the fundamental principle of love (Luke 10:27; Deut 6:4, 5; Lev 19:18). 

The purpose of the TC is to point out sin in our lives (Rom 7:7) and direct us to Christ. All sin falls into one or more of these three categories: 
a. The lust of the flesh
b. The lust of the eyes
c. The pride of life (1 John 2:16)

In the TC the love principle is carried out in detail and made applicable to every condition and circumstances of life:
1.The First is about Loyalty
2.The Second is about Worship
3.The Third is about Reverence
4.The Fourth is about Relationship
5.The Fifth is about Respect for Parental authority
6.The Sixth is about Respect for Human life
7.The Seventh is about Purity in Relationships
8.The Eighth is about Honesty
9.The Ninth is about Truthfulness
10.The Tenth is about Contentment

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10, 11)

March 16 2018 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army
I'm not sure whether I'm speaking to the point that the questioner has in mind, but one explanation I have heard is that the areas covered by the Ten Commandments are a summary of the "natural law" that all people everywhere know or sense intuitively (whether they have heard of the God of the Bible or not), and by which they can/will therefore be justly judged. (Paul discussed this point in Romans 2:14-16.)

(The same could not be said of the requirements related to the ceremonial or civil aspects of the Law, which applied only to Israel.)

Another explanation that I have seen on this site as to why God stopped after the Ten Commandments refers to Exodus 20:18-19 (immediately after God had spoken the ten commandments), in which the people of Israel (because of the fear they felt as a result of the things that were occurring, such as clouds, thunder, lightning, the loud blast of a trumpet, and Mount Sinai being wrapped in smoke and fire from God's presence (all as described in Exodus 19:16-19)) implored Moses not to let God speak to them any more for fear that they would die.

March 16 2018 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Kenneth Heck
In my opinion, the 10 commandments were written on stone since they were intended to endure and be observed for thousands of years, and possibly forever. These 10 seem to be God's minimum standard for spiritual Israel. Christians use these 10 as a starting point for their higher spirituality based on the heart, rather than outward behavior only.

The other revealed laws and ordinances of the Mosaic revelation were written on perishable materials. And actually these have been modified or eliminated by Jewish authorities over the centuries to fit the various times and places Jews find themselves. Today it is still possible to be a true Jew without a temple, an animal sacrifice, or an Aaronic priesthood, but the 10 commandments are still as important as they ever were since their beginning at Mount Sinai.

March 16 2018 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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