David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Exodus 20-22; Psalm 50.

Exodus 20:1-17

And God spoke all these words, saying,

² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Recently I was reflecting on the fallout from yet another public scandal involving powerful people and shattered lives. The details are heartbreaking – vulnerable people harmed, institutions shaken, trust eroded. Some stories don’t just grab the headlines; they unsettle the heart.

The moral confusion of our age is stunning. Integrity seems fragile. Accountability seems optional. And we can easily shake our heads at the failures of others. But the commandments of God are not merely commentary on the sins of the powerful. They expose the hearts of us all.

Before God speaks a single command in Exodus 20, he reminds them of their identity: They are his redeemed and rescued people.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

The commandments are rooted in redemption. God does not say, “Obey me so that I will deliver you.” He says, “I have delivered you. Now this is what life looks like for those whom I have set free.”

Our God has redeemed us from something far worse than slavery in Egypt. In Christ, we have been rescued from sin, death, and the devil’s power. We do not obey in order to gain heaven, but because heaven has been promised to us. These commandments are not ladders by which we climb into God’s favor. They are the shape of life for those who already live in his mercy.

They are not merely boundaries marking the limits of behavior. They describe the character of redeemed people. No other gods. Reverence for his name. Honoring authority. Protecting life. Faithfulness in marriage. Integrity in possessions. Truth in speech. Contentment in heart.

This is not about managing reputation. It is about reflecting redemption. The God who calls himself jealous for our hearts is also the God who shows mercy to thousands. The Son who embodied grace and truth has borne our disobedience and given us his righteousness.

Our sins have been forgiven. And as God’s forgiven people, we seek to live not as slaves returning to old chains, but as those who have been brought out, brought through, and brought home.

Now that we are His own, we live under Jesus’ gracious reign and rule – no longer slaves to sin – and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.