Exodus 20 records the Ten Commandments, the core moral law God gave Israel at Mount Sinai, followed by the people’s fear and God’s instructions about worship. These questions are written for a small group, a Sunday school class, or personal study. Each set moves from what the text says, to what it means, to how a believer might live it out.
Exodus 20 at a Glance
The chapter opens with God introducing himself as the one who rescued Israel from Egypt, and only then giving the commandments. The first four commands concern the people’s relationship with God: worship no other gods, make no idols, do not misuse his name, and keep the Sabbath. The last six concern life among people: honoring parents, and refraining from murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and coveting.
The second half of the chapter shifts to the people’s response. Overwhelmed by the thunder and smoke, they ask Moses to speak for God so they will not die. God then gives directions about building altars, which closes the chapter and prepares the way for the longer law code that follows.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to slow everyone down and get the facts of the text on the table before anyone offers an opinion. Let people answer from the page first, and ask them to point to verse numbers.
Exodus 20:1-3
1 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 bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
(WEB)
Reading the opening words together establishes who God is and the basis of the commands. It gives the group a shared starting point before any of the specific instructions are discussed.
Exodus 20:8-11
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 You shall labor six days, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; 11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
(WEB)
This passage explains the Sabbath command and grounds it in God’s own rest after creation. Reading it aloud helps the group hear both the instruction and the reason behind it.
Exodus 20:12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
(WEB)
A single verse like this is easy to remember and lends itself to a short conversation. It invites the group to consider family relationships in light of God’s care.
Exodus 20:18-21
18 All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. 19 They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.” 21 The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
(WEB)
This section shows the people’s fear and Moses’s reply, which together capture the tension between awe and approach. Reading it aloud gives the discussion an emotional and dramatic anchor.
Exodus 20:24-26
24 You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you. 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it. 26 You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’
(WEB)
The closing instructions about altars end the chapter with a promise that God will meet and bless his people. Reading this passage last leaves the group with the assurance that God wants to be near.
Memory Verse for Exodus 20
Exodus 20:3
“You shall have no other gods before me.
(WEB)
This verse states the first command in a short, clear form that is easy to carry through the week. Encourage the group to repeat it together and to notice where it applies in their daily decisions.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as people who have heard your commands and felt our need for them. You are the LORD who brought your people out of bondage, and we thank you for rescuing us as well. Help us to set aside other loyalties and to honor your name in our words and actions. Teach us to rest in your goodness and to honor the people you have placed in our lives. Where we have been afraid to draw near, give us courage to come to you through Christ. Amen.
