Duties toward Others

Westminster shorter Catechism 3 summarizes the message of Scripture by telling us that it principally teaches what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. This duty, in turn, is the moral law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments. If we want to know what the Lord requires of His people, we look to the Ten Commandments, for they are the essential explication of the great commands to love God and neighbor (Matt. 22:34–40; Rom. 13:8–10).

This month in our study of Exodus, we will continue our walk through the Ten Commandments, completing our study of chapter 20 and looking at what God's Word has to say about our duty to our neighbor. Exodus 20 also features teaching on worship that helps us better understand the Lord, and we will consider those truths as well.

Then we will move on to Exodus 21 and its teaching on slavery in ancient Israel and the basic principles of just restitution. Many of these laws do not apply in our context as written, but in them we can discern principles that govern God's people for all time and in all places. May the Lord bless us as we seek to fulfill our duty to Him.