Catechism Bible Illustrations – Part 1 – The Ten Commandments

This is a table of Bible illustrations to help parents, teachers, and pastors illuminate truths taught in the Small Catechism.

Links to parts:

• Part 1 – The Ten Commandments
• Part 2a – The First Article of the Creed
• Part 2b – The Second Article of the Creed
• Part 2c – The Third Article of the Creed
• Part 3 – The Lord’s Prayer
• Part 4a – Baptism
• Part 4b – Confession and Keys
• Part 5 – Sacrament of the Altar

Part 1 – The Ten Commandments

The First Commandment

The golden calf (Exodus 20:1-21)
The fiery furnace (Daniel 3)
The rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-31; Matthew 19:16-22)
The people worship Baal (1 Kings 18:18-29)
The Philistines worship Dagon (Judges 16:23-24)
The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17)
The rich man (Luke 16:19-31)
The tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)
David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
Eli and his Sons (1 Samuel 2:12-34)
Peter denies Christ (Matthew 26:59-75)
The sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22)
Abram departs from Haran (Genesis 12:1-9)
Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6)
Pilate heeds the voice of the people (John 19:12-22)
Nebuchadnezzar’s pride (Daniel 4:30; 5:20-21)

The Second Commandment

Herod’s profane oath (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:21-29)
Shimei curses David (2 Samuel 16:5-14)
Mary and Zacharias (Luke 1:46-80)
God reveals his Name to Moses (Exodus 3:12-15)
Goliath curses David (1 Samuel 17:43)
The Jews curse themselves and their children (Matthew 27:25)
The Jews revile Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:39-43)
Peter’s oaths in Caiaphas’ courtyard (Mark 14:66-72)
The oath to kill Paul (Acts 23:12)
Saul and the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28)
Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6-12)
Abraham calls on the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:6-8)
Hannah thanks God (1 Samuel 2)
The disciples call on Jesus (Matthew 8:25)
Ten lepers call on Jesus for help, one thanks him (Luke 17:11-19)
Noah calls on God (Genesis 8:20-22)
Abominations of the nations (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)
The Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-80)
Rabshakeh blasphemes the God of Israel (2 Kings 18:28-25, 19:21-22)
Some Jews accuse Jesus of being demon possessed (John 8:48-59)
Peter curses (Matthew 26:74)
James and John would curse on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:51-55)
Jephthah’s oath (Judges 11:30-40)
The sorcerers of Egypt (Exodus 7-8)
The sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-29)
A false prophet’s lie (1 Kings 13:11-30)
Zachariah’s song (Luke 1:68-79)

The Third Commandment

King Jehoiakim burns Jeremiahs scroll (Jeremiah 36:9-32)
Mary listens to Jesus (Luke 10:38-42)
Longing for the Temple Worship (Psalm 84)
Jesus Preaches on the Sabbath (Luke 4:31-39)
Mary kept the Word in her heart (Luke 2:19, 51)
The Bereans searched the Scriptures (Acts 17:10-13)
Persecuted Christians preach the word (Acts 8:1-4)
Jesus fulfills the Sabbath Day (Matthew 12:1-8)
The blessedness of dwelling in the house of God (Psalm 84)
Saul rejects the Word of the Lord (1 Samuel 15:10-23)
Jesus listens to the teachers, asks them questions, and increases in wisdom (Luke 2:41-52)

The Fourth Commandment

Absalom rebels against his father (2 Samuel 15)
Jesus subject to his parents (Luke 2:51)
Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37:12-36; 39:1-6)
The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)
Joseph loves his father (Genesis 46:29-30)
Samuel obeys Eli (1 Samuel 3:1-8)
Jesus obey his earthly parents (Luke 2:51-52)
Jesus pays the temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27)
Daniel and friends disobey an order to do evil (Daniel 3, 6)
Joseph’s brothers show no love for their father (Genesis 37:31-35)
The sons of Eli grieve their father (1 Samuel 2:12, 23-25)
The youths of Bethel mock Elijah (2 Kings 2:23-24)
Jesus provided for his mother (John 19:26)
Ruth cherished her mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 1:6-18)

The Fifth Commandment

Cain murders Abel (Genesis 4:1-15)
The good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
David has Uriah killed (2 Samuel 11:14-17)
People killed through carelessness (Exodus 21:22-23, 29; Deuteronomy 22:8)
Saul kills himself (1 Samuel 31:4)
Judas hangs himself (Matthew 27:3-10)
Abraham fights to rescue Lot (Genesis 14:12-16)
The Son of Man judges of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46)
Jesus cures the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8)
Jesus feeds five thousand (Mark 6:33-44)
Jesus heals Malchus (Luke 22:50-51)
Jesus teaches the Fifth Commandment (Matthew 5:21-26; Luke 12:57-59)
The Egyptians made the lives of the Hebrews bitter (Exodus 1)
David protects the life of Saul (1 Samuel 26:1-12)
Joseph forgives his brothers (Genesis 45:1-16)
The judicial murder of Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16)

The Sixth Commandment

Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:4-8)
Joseph’s chastity (Genesis 39)
Adam and Eve’s marriage (Genesis 2:18-24)
The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)
The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24:34-67)
Herod lives with his brother’s wife (Matthew 14:1-4)
David commits adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2-5)
Jesus deals with the Samaritan woman (John 4:17-18)
Lot’s daughters commit incest (Genesis 19:30-38)
Love, light, wisdom, Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5)

The Seventh Commandment

Achan’s theft (Joshua 7)
Abraham recovers Lot’s property without reward (Genesis 14:1-16)
Jacob cheating Esau (Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-40)
The unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13)
Parents give good gifts to their children (Matthew 7:11)
The prodigal son requests his inheritance (Luke 15:11-12)
The dishonest steward (Luke 16:1-12)
The generous Macedonians (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)
Gehazi’s greed and lies (2 Kings 5:20-24)
Cheerful giving to the saints (2 Corinthians 9:1-15)
Jacob’s agreement with Laban (Genesis 30:25-43)
The judicial theft of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16)
Judas steals from the money box (John 12:4-6)

The Eighth Commandment

False witness against Stephen (Acts 6:8-15)
Jonathan defends David (1 Samuel 19:1-7)
The Devil deceives Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-15)
The tongue (James 3:1-18)
Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65)
Pilate’s judgment contradicts his verdict (Luke 23:4-24)
Potiphar’s wife lies about Joseph (Genesis 39:13-17)
Judas betrays Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16)
Absalom slanders David (2 Samuel 15:1-6)
Jesus exposes hypocrisy (Matthew 23)
Jewish elders speak well of a Roman centurion (Luke 7:1-10)
Satan lies to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-15)
Jesus’ words the truth, Satan the father of lies (John 8:42-47)
Perjury against Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16)
Doeg betrays Ahimelech (1 Samuel 22:6-19)

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

Ahab covets Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16)
Abraham gives Lot his choice of the land (Genesis 13)
David coveted Uriah’s wife (2 Samuel 11_2-4)
Paul sends Onesimus back to his master (Philemon)
Zaccheus makes restitution (Luke 19:1-10)
Worldly lawsuits between Christians (1 Corinthians 6:1-8)
The Shunamite couple makes a room for Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-13)
Absalom estranged the hearts of the people from David (2 Samuel 15:1-6)
Picture of a wife of valor (Proverbs 31:10-31)
The covetous fool (Luke 12:13-21)
Generosity to servants (Deuteronomy 15:12-18)
Paul overcomes covetousness (Acts 20:32-35)

The Conclusion of the Commandments

God destroys the world in a flood (Genesis 7)
God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire (Genesis 19:15-28)
God destroys the Egyptians in the Red See (Exodus 4:23-31)
God destroys the family of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kings 9:4-10, 10:11)
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5)
The Lord answers a false proverb (Ezekiel 18)
The Good Shepherd (John 10)