Lesson: The Ten Commandments (No. CB17

Open with prayer.

Lesson on the Ten Commandments

Activity associated with the lesson.

Close with prayer.

Lesson:

1. Read through the paper The Ten Commandments (No. CB17) unless it is read as a sermonette with the children present.

2. Children’s questions are in bold. This is a general review of the material covered in the lesson.

Q1. Who alone always existed?

A. God the Father (Eloah) alone always existed.

Q2. What five characteristics do God and His law share? We refer to these as the five centralities.

A. Holy, righteous, goodness, perfect and truth.

Q3. Was God’s law in place in the Garden of Eden?

A. Yes it was. God and His law always existed. Adam and Eve were instructed in the law yet they choose to sin and disobey God’s directions.

Q4. How did Moses receive the Ten Commandments from God?

A. The Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God on two stone tablets. This happened twice (Ex 31:18, 34:1) since Moses broke the first set of tablets when he came down and saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf.

Q5. How many commandments are there and which books of the Bible list the commandments?

A. There are 10 commandments and they are listed in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 and expanded upon throughout the Bible.

Q6. In the book of Matthew, Jesus introduces the first great and second great commandments and on these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets. What are the first and second great commandments?

A. The First great commandment is “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The Second great commandment is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Q7. How many of the Commandments refer to how to worship God the Father and how many commandments refer to how we love our neighbor?

A. The first 4 commandments help us to know who, when and how to worship the One True God; the last 6 commandments teach us how to love our neighbor and help govern the way society functions.

Q8. Is the One True God a trinity?

A. No, God is not a trinity. He alone always existed. He alone created the spiritual beings and physical world as He is the only one able to create something out of nothing. It is Him alone we worship; we do not worship more than the One True God.

Q9. Can things be gods to us?

A. Yes they can; anything we put before our love and worship of God the Father becomes a god to us and breaks the first commandment.

Q10. Is it ok for us to pray to statues or use rosary beads?

A. No it is not. As already stated, we pray to the One True God who can not be seen or heard and we worship Him alone and we pray directly to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. We do not worship pictures of crosses or pictures meant to look like Jesus Christ because this breaks the second commandment.

Q11. Is it ok to use the term OMG when talking with our friends?

A. No. In the third commandment God instructs us not to use his name in vain. It is always ok to use God’s name when we are talking about Him, praying to Him, etc., but we don’t want to use His name carelessly.

Q12. What day of the week is set apart as holy to God?

A. The seventh day of the week, the Sabbath, is Holy to God. He made the Sabbath for mankind as a day to rest and draw close to God. It is a time for us to be with people of likemind and our families learning more about God’s ways.

Q13. What are a few ways we can honor our father and mother?

A. (Let each child give an answer as there will be many examples.) Respecting them, obeying them, being courteous, being polite, helping them, etc.

Q14. What is the first and only commandment with a promise?

A. The Fifth commandment states “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” It is through our relationship with our parents that we first start to learn about love and following rules; therefore, this commandment sets the stage for our relationship with God too.

Q15. Is it ok for us to be mean and hateful to others? If not, what commandment does this relate to?

A. No, of course it is not ok to be mean to others. When we are mean to others we are breaking the 6th commandment which states “you shall not murder”. All of the commandments not only relate to physical things, but also have spiritual meaning for us. That is why we are instructed to control our thoughts so that Satan can not tempt us to act on negative thoughts and we do actually follow through and hurt someone.

Q16. What does the eighth commandment say? Can this relate to us if we are not married?

A. The eighth commandment says “You shall not commit adultery”. Even though we might not be married, we can remember that God always wants us to keep our promises.

Q17. What does the Bible say about stealing from God?

A. We steal from God when we withhold our tithes and offerings. God is ultimately the owner of everything. He gave us our life and has blessed us with all we have. That is why it is so important we keep God’s law and give Him a tithe of what we have when we start working.

Q18. Does stealing involve just taking things from someone?

A. No, stealing can mean a lot of things. Some examples it might be not giving an honest day's work, returning something that you borrowed broken, or not paying the proper amount for something.

Q19. What is the 9th Commandment?

A. The 9th commandment tells us not to lie. God hates lying in any form. There is no such thing as a white lie, or stretching the truth. When we don’t tell the truth, it is a lie. God always keeps His promises and we should attempt to always keep our word.

Q20. What does the word ‘covet’ mean? Why does God tell us not to covet?

A. Covet means to crave or desire something with envy or resentment that someone has something that we don’t. God wants us to be thankful for the things that we do have and to be content and to focus on our ultimate treasure which is eternal life.

Activity Options:

1. Bins and Mast Coloring Page (See Appendix)

Supplies: Coloring Page, crayons or colored pencils

This is a great activity to help the children learn the Ten Commandments with a picture/word association activity.

B - No other gods Before me

I - No Idols

N - Don’t use God’s Name in vain

S - Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Captain of the Boat - Honor your Father and Mother

M - Don’t Murder

A - Don’t commit Adultery

S - Don’t Steal

T - Don’t Tell lies

Cove - Don’t Covet

2. Copper engraving of the Ten Commandments (See Photo in Appendix)

Supplies: Copper roll (36 Gauge Copper, 12” wide)

(Ex: https://www.amazon.com/St-Louis-Crafts-Copper-Inches/dp/B00S3TYN1M)

Duct tape, scissors, Liver of Sulfur, Steel wool, Paper towels, Gator board / Newspapers, Engraving tool (wooden stylus), Template to copy, Plastic gloves, sealer,

Before the Lesson Prep:

Cut 8”x12” sheets of copper from the copper roll (1 for each project).

Duct tape the edges of the copper so there won’t be anything sharp once the children begin.

Prepare the ten commandment template on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper. Type the commandments in a simple fashion and a large font.

Note: You might want to do a sample on your own to get a feel for how the engraving and oxidation of the copper works.

Activity Portion:

Secure the typed paper on top of the copper sheet and with the wooden stylus the children begin to engrave//trace the letters on the paper pushing very hard so that the image will go through into the copper. This should be done on a soft surface such as a folded newspaper or gator board to allow for the engraving into the copper. This part can be difficult for younger children and they might need some help from an older child, parent, etc. The next part is messy and smelly! Remind the kids of the scripture that talks about the stench in God’s nostrils when we sin. (Isa. 65:5) Pick an outdoor or well ventilated area to work in. Once all ten commandments have been completed, remove the secured paper and give the children their plastic gloves. With gloved hands, have the children clean the entire surface with steel wool. Be careful not to leave any oils from the hands on the copper as it will prevent the liver of sulfur from working. Apply a diluted solution of liver of sulfur with the sponge brush onto the entire sheet of copper. Allow it to dry. Once dry, lightly use the steel wool to clean the words of the ten commandments while leaving the background darker. Wipe the entire piece of copper with paper towels and spray with a sealer.

3. Race for the Commandments:

Supplies: 1-2 poster boards, printed ten commandments, printed 2 great commandments, tape, scissors.

Print the 10 commandments and the 2 great commandments (can use the Concentration Game template included in the Appendix). Cut out the individual commandments so you have 10 “strips” of paper. Label one poster board “Love God” and the second poster board “Love Our Neighbor”. For younger children you might want to number the poster boards with 1-4 on the Love God and 6-10 on the Love our Neighbor.

Put all 10 strips together and divide the children into two teams (or have all the children in one team if the group is smaller). Have the children run to the pile and pick up a strip of paper. They will then run to the poster board and place the commandment next to the correct number on the correct board. At the end each child could give an example of ways we keep or break the commandments.

LOVE GOD

1. You shall have no other gods before me.

2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, on earth, or in the waters beneath to worship and serve.

3. You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

LOVE OUR NEIGHBOUR

5. Honour your father and mother that your days may be long in the land which the Lord God gives you.

6. You shall not kill.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house, wife, manservant, maidservant, beast of burden, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Concentration game:

● Supplies: Concentration cards of the scripture and numerical cards for the commandments, table or floor to do the activity on.

● Directions: Print all cards on the same colour of card stock, preferably a colour that the ink does not show through; cut out all the cards.

● To play: Children may play individually or in teams of two or more. Shuffle all cards and place them face down on the table. The object of the game is to get a match. Once the child has a match he or she may have a second turn – up to three matches per turn. It will be easier for young children if the cards are turned over and returned face down to their original position if a match was not achieved.

Other Activity Options:

For other Activity options associated with the 10 Commandments, please refer to Lesson: Ways People Attempt to do away with or Limit the Sacrifice of Messiah (No. CB122_2)

Close with Prayer

"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of bondage, or slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me."

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth."

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you."

"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 your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

I. Commandment

II. Commandment

III. Commandment

IV. Commandment

V. Commandment

VI. Commandment

VII. Commandment

IX. Commandment

X. Commandment

PO Box 369, WODEN ACT 2606, AUSTRALIA

LOVE GOD

LOVE OUR NEIGHBOUR