Lord’s Day 34Questions 92–95

What is the Law of God?

God spake all these words (Ex. 20.—Deut. 5), saying: I am the Lord thy God, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

1. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

3. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

4. COMMANDMENT.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy: six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt do no manner of work, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter, thy man servant nor thy maid servant nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

5. COMMANDMENT.

Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

6. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not kill.

7. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not steal.

9. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

10. COMMANDMENT.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.

(For the history of the giving of the law by God to Moses, see Exodus, chapters 19.—20.—31.—32.—34. Deut. 4.)

How are these ten commandments divided?

Into two tables (Deut. 4;13); the first of which teaches us how we must behave towards God (Matt. 22;37, 38); the second, what duties we owe to our neighbour (Matt. 22;39).

What doth God enjoin in the first command?

That I, as sincerely as I desire the salvation of my own soul, avoid and flee from all idolatry, sorcery, soothsaying, superstition, invocation of saints, or any other creatures (1 Cor. 6;9, 10); and learn rightly to know the only true God, trust in him alone (John 17;3); with humility and patience submit to him, expect all good things from him only (1 Pet. 5;5); love, fear, and glorify him with my whole heart (Deut. 6;5); so that I renounce and forsake all creatures, rather than commit even the least thing contrary to his will (Matt. 10;37).

What is idolatry?

Idolatry is instead of, or besides that one true God, who has manifested himself in his word, to contrive, or have any other object in which men place their trust (Gal. 4;8).