The implication is that when one sets his heart on things of the world to the point that allegiance to God and His principles no longer matters, then material things become as a god to that person; he follows after them or worships them, and this practice is the same as idolatry.
Exodus 20:13 NIV
“You shall not murder. Can I Really Walk With God?
Exodus 20:1-17 says as much about the God who is speaking as it does about the people who are to take part in this way of life. First, God works on behalf of God's people. Once more we return to those opening words, “I am the LORD your God,” the one who saved you, the one who has led you into freedom.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal.
Would he restrict self-defense day or night in the face of a criminal coming to steal or kill or destroy? You certainly can't make such a case from Exodus 22:3. Given what Jesus says in Luke 22:36, given the fact that a sword is a lethal weapon, Jesus affirms lethal force in self-defense.
EXODUS 20:13 “You shall not murder.”
Simple Terms: You should not take someone else's life away from them. Murder is a term that most younger kids are not familiar with, but they will be familiar with the concept.
The overall theme of Exodus is redemption—how God delivered the Israelites and made them His special people. After He rescued them from slavery, God provided the Law, which gave instructions on how the people could be consecrated or made holy.
a. And God spoke: It is proper to believe that God spoke these words to Israel as a whole, as they assembled together at the foot of Mount Sinai. There, God answered him [Moses] by voice (Exodus 19:19), as Moses stood among the people at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Exodus 20:13 In-Context
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery.
13:13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem by [substituting for it] a lamb, or if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn among your sons shall you redeem.
In Judaism
In the Bible, the Exodus is frequently mentioned as the event that created the Israelite people and forged their bond with God, being described as such by the prophets Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.
The word exodus means “exit” or “departure.” The book of Exodus provides an account of Israel's departure from bondage in Egypt and their preparation to inherit the promised land as the Lord's covenant people.
Exodus 20:20 Reminds Us that God Soothes our Fears of Sin
God, help us to fear you like this. Help us to fear you such that we might not sin. Help us to turn from sin in the fear of you and love for you, in awe of you, in reverence of you. God, may we not in any way treat sin lightly or casually in our lives.
The story of Exodus teaches us about our people's yearning to be free, an edict that's relevant today. In the past months, we've seen leaders and regimes overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt and now most recently in Libya.
He saves, but God does things in his own way, in his own time, and for his own glory. Exodus teaches us what we should expect from God. Exodus gives us reason to trust God in difficult times. Exodus shows how God is at work to save the world from sin, death, and the devil.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. I will use my great power to make him let my people go. With my strong power I will cause him to make them leave his land.
Yahweh, name for the God of the Israelites, representing the biblical pronunciation of “YHWH,” the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus. The name YHWH, consisting of the sequence of consonants Yod, Heh, Waw, and Heh, is known as the tetragrammaton.
The LORD tells Moses to consecrate to God all the Israelites' firstborn, among both humans and animals. Moses instructs the people to remember this day, in the month of Abib, that God brought them out of slavery in Egypt.
Here, the command is to honor one's parents. The word for honor (Heb. “kabed”) literally means “to be heavy.” In that time, something that was heavy (like gold) was considered valuable and was to be treasured. This verse states that parents were to be treasured and honored.