The Israelites had been traveling in the desert for about three months when they arrived at Mount Sinai. They were going to stay there for a while since they had excellent shelter in the mountains.
Moses decided to go up the mountain to talk to God. Remember that this was not so easy for Moses because he was already 80 years old.
God knew Moses was coming so He talked to Moses and told him to tell the Israelites to get ready. Moses went down to tell the people to bathe and clean all their clothes.
By doing this the people were preparing to hear important words from God. That’s why we always dress up or make sure we wear clean clothes to church. That makes us behave a little better and show respect to God.
The Story of the 10 Commandments of God
Table of Contents
On the third morning after Moses had spoken with God, the Israelites were busy preparing their breakfasts when suddenly a loud sound resounded and a beam of light flashed over the mountain. Those who were still sleeping were surprised and woke up suddenly. They all went out to look and right over the mountain there was lightning and thunder and a very thick cloud was hanging over the mountain so they couldn’t see the top. Even the mountain shook and the sound of trumpets could be heard, blowing very, very loudly. So Moses went up the mountain to listen to God one more time.
Moses and the 10 Commandments
On this occasion God told Moses, “Go down to the people and tell them not to follow you up the mountain, the mountain is a special place because I am here.” So Moses warned the people not to touch or go near the mountain.
After that, Moses went back up the mountain. But this time he stayed there for a long time (40 days and 40 nights). God surely had a lot to say to him. God wanted to instruct people on how to live. By following his rules, they would have less sadness in their lives. God just wanted to protect them.
It’s like when our parents give us rules to protect ourselves: look both ways before crossing the street, don’t hit our brother or sister. They give us rules because they love us and know what is best for us.
The 10 Commandments Simplified
How to teach the10 commandments in a fun way
We will talk about the first ten commandments that God told Moses, otherwise we could be here for 40 days and we don’t have time for that. Also, the 10 Commandments are the most important thing for us right now. Remember as you listen to each commandment that they are all equally important, none is more important than another.
Bible Ten Commandments vs. Roman Catholic Ten Commandments
Abbreviated Protestant Ten Commandments
- You shall have no other gods but me.
- You shall not make unto you any graven images
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
- You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
- Honor your mother and father
- You shall not murder
- You shall not commit adultery
- You shall not steal
- You shall not bear false witness
- You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
What are the Ten Commandments for Catholic?
Abbreviated Catholic Ten Commandments
- “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any gods before Me.”
- “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
- “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”
- “Honor thy father and mother.”
- “Thou shalt not kill.”
- “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
- “Thou shalt not steal.”
- “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
- “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
- “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”
Also read: The Life of Jesus for Kids
10 Commandments Explained for kids
All the great religions of the world have a series of texts that speak of their beliefs and a series of rules that must be followed to comply with the marked religious values, being the case of the Catholic Church the Bible and the commandments.
The First Commandment is to put God first. This means that nothing should be more important than God, not a hobby you like, television or video games, even your friends and family should not be more important than God.
The Second Commandment is to worship only God. This is like the first commandment in that God wants our love, and He doesn’t want us to revere or worship a statue just because we can’t see it. In other words, God is the only one we should pray to.
The Third Commandment is one that few people really obey. God commands us to use his name with respect. Many people use God’s name as a curse word, or say it when they are angry. God wants us to use his name when we are talking to him, or talking to others about him in a nice way. Using his name in these other ways is highly disrespectful; it hurts God to hear it.
The Fourth Commandment should be easy; we must remember God’s Day of Rest. God wants us to take a day out of the week and rest. When God made the world in six days, he rested on the seventh day. This gets harder when you get older, there always seems to be something to do, but remember that God commands us to take a day off.
The Fifth Commandment might be a bit complicated for some of you, but it is very important (just like the other commandments) that you follow it.
He tells us to respect our parents. Sometimes you might think you know what’s best, or you might get frustrated that your parents won’t let you do something. Remember that your parents were children once just like you are now, and they are trying to keep you safe from making the same mistakes they have already made.
The Sixth Commandment. This commandment says not to hurt others. Now imagine for a minute if everyone in the entire world obeyed this rule the way God wants us to. We probably wouldn’t have jails and we’d get along with each other.
The Seventh Commandment is for those who are married. God tells us to be faithful in marriage. He wants us to love our wife or husband one day (even if they get angry from time to time) and treat them with respect.
The Eighth Commandment is don’t steal. This means that we should not take something that does not belong to us.
We’re almost done, the Ninth Commandment is don’t lie. It’s always best to tell the truth, and while you’re at it, don’t do anything that might make you want to lie. Parents usually know when you’re lying anyway, and if you don’t get caught, God sees and hears it all and He knows.
The Tenth Commandment is don’t envy anyone. This means that we should not want to have the things that someone else has. I know there is always a new toy or game – there is always something we want to have. It is important to remember that these things are not really important. God is the most important (if you remember the first commandment).
Now I know that this list can seem impossible to follow all the time. I know that I don’t follow these commandments all the time, and I’m going to pray to God and ask for his forgiveness, and try my best not to do it again. When we disobey Him, it makes Him sad, so when we make a mistake we need to say sorry to God and to the person we have hurt, and try to be a better person next time.
Another thing we must remember is that if you disobey a commandment, God sees even the slightest lie in the same way as if someone hurts another very badly. I know sometimes we think that if we just tell a little lie, it doesn’t matter, or that God won’t notice, but it does matter and God does notice.
Ten Commandments Commentaries
Where Are the Ten Commandments Listed in the Bible
Let us now see how to find each of the 10 commandments of God’s Law in the Bible.
You will have no other gods besides me. (Exodus 20:3). This commandment can be especially hard to understand if we have taught our children to believe in God. But the other gods include anything that might rob us of our reverence for deity and for life in general. The obsession with making money, television, celebrity gossip, being married to work, drug abuse, and pornography – all of these can become gods for us in the sense that the world focuses on them.
You will not make recorded images. (Exodus 20:4). This has much to do with the first commandment in that it deals with the things we worship. While we may not have the actual stone idols, anything we build more important than our God puts us at risk for the same kind of idolatry. This can be a collection of something that becomes our focus or spending a lot of time worshiping other idols, like athletes or movie stars.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. (Exodus 20:7). This does not just mean using the name of the Lord in a profane way. It also includes using it casually, as in the popular OMG in English.
Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8). This is one of the commandments that is interpreted in many different ways, but ultimately it comes down to teaching your children to ask themselves, Is what I am doing taking me away from the holiness of the Lord’s Day? Necessary? Does continuing to do this keep my mind focused on what God has done for me? If these answers are negative, then it’s probably not a good rest day activity. Worthwhile activities would include attending church, visiting the sick and lonely, walking in nature, writing letters, remembering family history, and reading. While working on the day off is generally discouraged, there are certain professionals who need to work on the day off such as doctors and police officers.
What book and verse contain the Ten Commandments?
Honor your father and your mother. (Exodus 20:12). This means showing respect for the people who gave you life – be they good or bad – simply because they were the ones who gave you the opportunity to come to earth and have a life. However, you can go further than that. We also need to honor those who nurture us and teach us as parents would. We can teach our children that God is our father and part of honoring him is being obedient to the commandments, learning as much as we can, being kind to others, and living the best lives we can, considering him in every decision we make. We can also honor God through regular prayer.
You will not kill. (Exodus 20:13). While we know that we should not kill, we should consider r the other types of things that can take away the main thing. We need to teach our children not to hurt others’ feelings, confidence, sense of self-worth, or dreams. Don’t engage in any conduct that will tarnish someone else’s spirit.
You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14). We must teach our children that this does not only mean sexual acts outside of your own marriage, but also other sexual sins. We need to impress upon them the importance of remaining chaste and waiting for the right time and place before entering into intimate physical relationships.
You will not steal. (Exodus 20:15). This means all forms of taking something that does not belong to us. This includes wasting time at work, giving our friends free stuff they should be paying for, stealing supplies, and drinking without permission. All of these types of theft should be made clear to our children before we release them into the world. We should also teach our children not to steal someone’s good name by slandering them.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16). We must teach our children that this includes not just lying about someone, but any type of gossip. We must keep confidences and not spread rumours-whether true or false-.
You shall not covet (Exodus 20:17). This is one of the most difficult commandments in this day and age electronic. Our kids see their friends in the latest and greatest and they feel like they should have it too. We must let them know that spending time and energy wishing for what others have, including boyfriends and girlfriends, is contrary to what we should do. We need to work on achieving good, and not on concentrating so much on wanting what everyone else has.