I Am the LORD Your God,
Who Brought You Out of the Land of Slavery
20: 1-2
As the people stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, God spoke to them and provided the Torah for them. And God spoke all these words to angels (Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2), who gave it to Moses (Exodus 20:1).
When compared with Suzerainty Treaties, the Torah would have a preamble and a historical introduction. The preamble of I am ADONAI your God (20:2a) is brief and to the point. And it is also recorded in Deuteronomy 1:1-4, and Joshua 24:1-2a. It was His Torah and it originated with Him. And since God is truth, His word is truth. The main thing about your Word is that it’s true; and all your just rulings last forever (Psalm 119:160 CJB). By employing the preamble in this way, God demonstrates His sovereignty and kingship over His people.
The phrase: Who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery (Exodus 20:2b), which is almost as brief as the preamble, is a condensed summary of God’s mighty acts in the past and serves as the historical introduction that follows. It is also detailed in Deuteronomy 1:5 and 4:43, and Joshua 24:2b-13. Thus, the Ten Commandments flow easily from both the preamble and the historical introduction. It was like God was saying to the Israelites, “On the basis of who I am, and what I have done for you, here is what you are to do for Me.”
Therefore, the Ten Commandments begin with the character of God. Before He tells us one commandment, He tells us: I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. For us today, when the LORD establishes His place in our lives that means He has the right to demand that we will worship and love Him alone because what He has done for us on the cross.
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