THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

And God spoke all these words:

² ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ ‘You shall have no other gods beforeme.’ (Exodus 20: 1-3)

GOD LIES AT THE HEART OF THE COMMANDMENTS

Man has tried to take God out of the commandments – making it a set of “rules” that will support a stable society – which frowns on lying, outlaws stealing, forbids adultery.

But, when you realise that God is at the heart of the commandments it all makes sense. They ARE guidelines for life – but they are NOT life itself. Life is about being in a relationship with God. Once we are in a relationship with Him (and only Him – you shall have no other gods) then the guidelines help us in living a life of relationship with Him and with one another.

They are the words of a contract that Father God has made with us – His people, the ones He loves and cares for. The opening lines of this passage read like a contract (such as a will) – “I, John Smith of sound mind……make these promises and these provisions to….”. They are based on RELATIONSHIP – “I AM yours and you are mine – I have cared for you, will continue to care for you, and if you take care of these things then our relationship shall always be strong and you, my beloved, shall always be safe”. In this first commandment we see what God says about Himself:

HE IS THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER

“And God spoke” reminds us of the very first chapter of the Bible where we are told “and God said” (eg Genesis 1: 3). When God spoke, creation came into being. And He sustains the universe today by His Word. And His Son, Jesus, is the “Word made flesh” (John 1: 1) who is the One who is putting all things to right – “re-creating” as it were (such as raising the dead and healing the sick).

Let us remember – this is why there IS no other god before, or besides, Him.

HE IS THE ONE WHO HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO US

“I am the LORD”: YHWH is the Name He gave Himself to Moses when He revealed Himself. He makes Himself known to us in an intimate and personal way. And this no more so than through the person of Jesus Himself. When we see Him, we see the Father. And now we have the ever-present Holy Spirit with us always – so God reveals Himself to us continually and personally.

Let us remember – this is why there IS no other god before, or besides, Him.

HE IS OUR KING

“….your God”: Not only has He revealed Himself to me but He is my King – and the King and God of the whole universe – fact! And I have chosen to make Him my God, my King, my ruler. I serve Him and Him alone. And the Bible teaches me that Jesus shall one day return as King of kings and Lord of lords – and then all the world will know the One whom they have rejected.

Let us remember – this is why there IS no other god before, or besides, Him.

HE IS OUR REDEEMER – OUR SAVIOUR

“who brought you out of Egypt”: redeemer, rescuer, deliverer. He, and only He, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, is our hope and certainty of eternity.

Let us remember – this is why there IS no other god before, or besides, Him.

WHAT ARE THE OTHER GODS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE?

Father God does not want us to NOT be in relationship with Him. He knows that if we make our spiritual relationship with others then we shall foolishly separate ourselves from Him, walk away from Him, and lose our eternal life with Him. AND HE DOES NOT WANT THIS! And why? Because HE LOVES US! So, He warns us – “don’t do this! Don’t have any other god but me!”

So, ANY other god that we hold dear to is one that will harm us – both now and for eternity. Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, Siva, Confucius, Satan (and a myriad other around the world and throughout time) – following these will lead to our choosing separation from Father God – not just for now but for eternity. They are either lies, or manifestations of, our enemy, the devil. Following them WILL ultimately destroy you.

The lie that there are many ways to God is just that – a lie. Following these does not lead you TO God but AWAY from Him.

And so God says “you shall have no other gods before me”. He says this out of love for us.

These other gods might not just be other religions, but might be philosophies – communism, humanism – that deny the TRUTH of YAHWEH. Follow them – the god of this world – and they shall eternally destroy you.

And so God says “you shall have no other gods before me”. He says this out of love for us.

These other gods might be lifestyles – materialism, egotism – that deny the NEED for YAHWEH. Follow them – the god of this world – and they shall eternally destroy you.

And so God says “you shall have no other gods before me”. He says this out of love for us.

EXPLORE THIS THEME FURTHER – ON YOUR OWN OR IN YOUR HOUSEGROUP

Maybe you can begin by watching this simple film clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=357tj1_Nkd4

• Can you have “10 commandments” without focusing on God?
• What do you think about the idea that other religions do point people towards the One true God and are equally valid with Christianity? Is it REALLY true that following Jesus is the ONLY way to God? What does the Bible say? If you are unsure about this one you might like to talk to one of the elders.
• In what way do you think that following philosophies might be going after other “gods”? Can you think of what philosophies this might apply to?
• What lifestyles might become other gods to us?
• It is said (in “Freedom in Christ” for example that a person has an innate need for identity, security and acceptance. Can we find these in what we do? Or can they be only found in who we are in Christ? Which begs the question – who ARE we in Christ?