The Ten Commandments - Exodus 19 - 20 (Bible lesson for teens)

Exodus 20 records God’s giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. The commandments were given as a set of laws for God’s people to follow and serve as a guide for leading a God-honouring life. In this Bible study, we will examine each of the Ten Commandments and explore their significance in our lives today.

Key Points:

The Ten Commandments reveal God’s law.
The Ten Commandments reveal our need for a Saviour.
The Ten Commandments show us how to lead a God-honouring life.

BIBLE READING: Exodus 19 – 20

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The Ten Commandments pdf – preteen and teen Bible lesson

BIBLE STUDY NOTES FOR TEENS

BACKGROUND TO PASSAGE

The Ten Commandments were first given to Moses on Mount Sinai as part of a covenant between God and the Israelites. The Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt by God and were now making their way through the wilderness, guided by Moses. At Mount Sinai, God revealed Himself and gave Moses the Ten Commandments as a set of laws for His people to follow. This was an important event in the history of the Israelites, as it established them as a distinct nation with its own set of laws and regulations distinct from other nations at that time.

The Ten Commandments found in Exodus are:

You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Honour your father and mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
You shall not covet.

KEY POINTS

1. THE ROLE OF GOD’S LAW – GALATIANS 3

2. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD – EXODUS 20:3-11

3. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS – EXODUS 20:12-17

Read full notes in the pdf lesson

YOUTH GAMES AND ACTIVITIES – The Ten Commandments

COMMANDMENT SIGN DESIGN

Instructions:

Divide players into small groups of 3-4.
Provide each group with a sheet of paper and some art supplies like markers, coloured pencils, or crayons.
Instruct each group to pick one commandment from a bowl.
Give players 5-10 minutes to design a warning road sign that represents the chosen commandment. Encourage them to use colours, symbols, and text to make their sign clear and creative.
After the time is up, have each group hold up their sign and allow the other players to guess which commandment it represents.

COMMANDMENT SAYS

Instructions:

Gather all players in a circle and choose one person to be the leader.
The leader will give commands to the players, but instead of using the phrase “Simon says,” they will use the phrase “Commandment says.”
Talk about the importance of listening to God’s commands and doing our best to follow them.

COMMANDMENT RELAY RACE

Materials needed:

10 pieces of paper with numbers 1 – 10 and the Ten Commandments written on them per team

Instructions:

Divide the group into two or more teams and line them up.
Place the pieces of paper with the numbers and commandments at the opposite end of the playing area.
On “go,” the first player on each team runs to the end of the playing area, picks up one of the upside-down papers and runs back to their team.
The next player in line then runs to the end of the playing area.
The team checks if they have already collected that number. If they have, the paper must be returned to the end of the playing area and the next player can go. If they don’t have it, they keep the paper.

The first team to collect all ten commandments wins.