1st Commandment
You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3 NASB
In Genesis 1:1, God lays the foundation for who He is. God.
The only one from the beginning of the created earth- from eternity.
There are no other gods. There is only one. “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB
While other cultures and people worshiped other gods, God is the only true God. There is none like Him. “God claims an exclusive right to be acknowledged as the only one to be worshipped. We are to have no other gods in addition to Him.” (West, 2010)
He is not the true God among many but the only one. The only God.
“The most important aspect of our faith is not how hard we believe, but in whom we believe….. God demanded to be worshiped alone, as the only God, to the exclusion of all others.” (DeYoung, 2018)
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:2-3 NASB
God reminded the Israelites that He brought them out of Egypt, where He challenged the Egyptian gods with the ten plagues and handily showed the Egyptians and Israel the one true God.
God saved them out of Egypt. Like Israel, God has saved us from our sins.
If we believe God is the only true God, He should have a prominent place in our lives. This should be reflected in our lives.
“We choose God because he first chose us. And now, forsaking all others, we commit ourselves to him unreservedly. ……We love and worship him above all others because he alone is God.” (DeYoung, 2018)
Idolatry can take on many forms today. It could be worshiping other people, being self-absorbed, or having an obsession with collecting material possessions. It can be anything that draws you away from worshiping God.
Jesus stated, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:24 NASB
We can’t worship God and something else if we say God is our Lord and Savior. We can’t have divided allegiances. It does not work.
So ask yourself, “What is my God? To what is my life devoted?”
Who am I trusting besides God? Who do I praise instead of God? Do I look to God for my answers?
Bibliography
DeYoung, K. (2018). THE 10 COMMANDMENTS What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them
West, R.M. (2010) “The 10 Commandments—Then and Now”
We can’t have divided allegiances!!