Teaching the Ten Commandments by Barry Huff

Categories: Moses, Obedience, Ten Commandments (1-5)

This exercise goes nicely with Independence Day and discussions of freedom.

When my 3rd grade Sunday School class was studying the Ten Commandments, I brought a big wooden box to class (a sturdy suitcase or trunk also works). I invited each student to climb into the box and describe how they felt (trapped). Then, I turned the box over, the students climbed on top of it, and they described how they felt while standing on top of the box (elevated). I explained that, while some people think the Ten Commandments box you in and restrict you, they actually are meant to be foundations for freedom that give you a higher perspective.

God introduces the Ten Commandments by declaring, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt…" (Exod 20:1). In the verses that follow, God gives this newly-liberated community the top ten ways to remain free.

As the box analogy illustrates, the purpose of the commandments is not to limit, but to liberate!