Social and Religious Studies

Key unit competence: A learner will be able to differentiate the commandments of God

                                                  Learning objectives

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• Recall the Ten Commandments.
• Identify the greatest commandment.
• Outline the consequences of breaking God’s commandments

Skills

• Explain the God’s commandment.
• Classify the God’s commandment.
• Discuss the consequences of breaking Commandments as well as the importance of Commandments in daily life

Attitudes and values

• Appreciate the importance of the greatest commandment in the daily life.
• Positive attitude of participating in humanitarian actions and voluntary services
• Perform works of charity.

Introductory activity

Look at the picture below and answer the following questions.

1. Where are these people?

2. What are they doing?

3. On what day of the week is this usually done?

4. What book is read in this place?

3.1 The Ten Commandments

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt on God’s instructions. 

They travelled through the desert and eventually camped in front of Mount Sinai. 

God spoke to Moses and told him that He had chosen the Israelites to be made into a holy nation led by priests. 

One day God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai. He gave Moses a new system of laws for His people to live by. 

God wrote these commandments into stone using His finger. They are known as the Ten Commandments.

God gave Moses the Ten 

Commandments at the top of Mount Sinai.

God’s commandments

1. Do not worship any other god than Me.

2. Do not make idols or images in the form of God.

3. Do not misuse the name of God.

4. Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.

5. Treat your mother and father with respect and obedience.

6. Do not murder.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Do not steal.

9. Do not lie.

10. Do not desire things that do not belong to you.

Activity

Read Exodus 20:1–17 and write down the Ten Commandments of God in the correct order.

3.2 Why did God give Israelites the commandments?

God gave the Ten Commandments to tell the people of Israel how to live their lives. 

He wrote them on stone so that no one could argue about them. God

made a simple list of very important commands that could be obeyed.

God gave His laws for our own good and they are still important laws for all people today. 

They are based on love and help us know how to show love to God and our fellow man.

Activity

1. Read 1 John 5:3.

2. Discuss why God gave commandments to His people.

3. Make a list of ways in which you can show love to God.

3.3 Categories of commandments

God’s Ten Commandments can be divided into two categories: moral or religious laws, and civil laws.

Moral laws

The first four commandments are religious or moral laws. They tell us how God expects us to treat Him.

Do not worship any other God than me

If we spend our time thinking about money, television, gossip, our work or our clothes, 

then these things can become gods to us. Some people worship other beings or hurians.

Do not make idols or images in the form of God

If we start worshipping statues or thinking more about the church buildings than God, then we are worshipping idols.

Do not misuse the name of God

This means that we do not use the name of God in a rude or casual way or as a swear word.

Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy

This means that on Sabbath we do worthwhile things, such as attending

church, visiting the sick or lonely, walking in nature, writing letters to people

in need and reading.

Activity

Work out the following:

1. Draw a picture of all the things you want to have.

2. Work out how much time you spend thinking about them.

3. Now work out how much time you spend thinking about God.

Civil laws

The last six of the commandments are civil laws. They tell us how God expects us to treat each other.

Treat your mother and father with respect and obedience

We must respect and obey our parents because they gave us life, and they care for and look after us.

Do not murder

Do not kill anyone. This also means not destroying other people’s feelings,

confidence and sense of self-worth or dreams.

Do not commit adultery

We should only have sex within marriage and should stay chaste until we are married.

Do not steal

This means all forms of taking something that does not belong to us. If we waste time at work, 

we are stealing from our employer.

Do not lie

This includes not only lying about someone, but any form of gossip.

Do not desire anything or anyone that does not belong to you 

We must not envy our friends when they have something that we do not have

3.1 Exercise 

1. Explain the difference between a moral and a civil law.

2. How does it hurt other people when we gossip?

3. List three things you could do on a Sabbath.

Homework

Practise saying the Ten Commandments and learn them off by heart.

3.4 The greatest commandment

                  Some of the important words in the greatest Commandments

One day, when the disciples were gathered together, Matthew asked Jesus:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your

soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And

the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.”

If we obey the great commandments everything else will fall into place.

Activity

1. Read Matthew 22:36–40.

2. Draw a picture showing one of the ways that you can show your love for God.

Homework

Write a short story in which you talk about something good that you have shared with your neighbour or friend. 

It can be a birthday party or a book that you have read.

3.5 The consequences of breaking the Commandments

When we break the Ten Commandments, we are disobeying God’s laws and there are consequences. 

The results of not following the commandments are spiritual, moral and social death. 

We are no longer close to God and we do not receive His blessings. 

Our hearts become hardened and we no longer have peace and happiness in the communities we live in.

Activity 

1. Read these scriptures to understand more about the consequences of sin: Job 11:20, 

     Isaiah 44:17–18, Romans 8:13 and Psalms 31:10.

2. Make a group presentation about the effects of breaking the commandments.

Lessons we learn from the results of breaking God’s commandments

•  We try to do the right things so as to escape the wages of sin.
• We get to know that God can be angry with us if we refuse to follow His commandments.

Activity 

Carry out roleplays about a mother punishing her son for not doing his jobs at home.

 Make sure you explain why the son should respect his mother and do his chores.

Lessons we learn from the Ten Commandments

•  We learn to care for and respect others’ property. 
•  We learn to do the right things that our parents, pastors and teachers tell us to do.
•  We learn about proper behaviour in a community. 
•  We learn to love and believe in God.

End unit assessment

Make sure you are able to answer the following questions on your own.

1. Write the Ten Commandments in their correct order.

2. Jesus Christ summarised the Ten Commandments into two. Name them.

3. Give two examples of false idols.

4. Why should you respect your parents?

Revision Exercise on unit 3

1. Look at the picture above. How can money be a false idol? 

2. Why did God make commandments?

3. Identify any three benefits from following God’s commandments. 

4. What does God expect from us on the Sabbath?

 5. Why is Mount Sinai important to Christianity? 

6. List the commandments that teach us how to obey and love God in the way that He expects us to do. 

7. List the commandments that teach us how to treat each other the way that God expects us to do. 

8. Write down the greatest commandment, as told by Jesus.