And God spake all these words, saying, 2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me — Exodus 20:1-3
The 10 Commandments have had a profound affect on the world, particularly western civilisation. This is so even though the average Christian has a hard time quoting some of them. In our series of the Commandments, we seek to understand the commandments, especially in the light of Christ and the New Testament. Let’s begin with the very first one. It can be summarised in three words: no other gods.
Exodus 20begins with he simple phrase: And God spake all these words …. This began as an oral law. God spoke the words of the commandments. God would eventually write with His own figure the words of the commandments on tablets of stone. He would do that twice; since the first set of tablets were deliberately broken by Moses at the foot of Mount Sinai due to Israel’s apostasy involving Aaron and the golden calf.
In one sense, see this as a memo. The ‘From’ part is the LORD thy God. Lord means ‘master.’ However, this is no human master, like pharaoh king of Egypt. This is the ‘Master of all masters’ and ‘Lord of all lords.’ To make sure Israel did not confuse their Lord with the many false ones they may have met in Egypt, He uses a qualifier: which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. The LORD God of Israel claims to be the Creator of all (Genesis 1-2) but He is also the liberator and redeemer.
He delivered Israel out of the land of Egypt and the redeemed them from the house of bondage. The only major command He gave Israel before liberation was shedding and daubing the blood of the passover lamb on the doors and window frames of their houses. This act of obedience caused the death angel, who came to slay the first-born of Egypt, to ‘pass over’ their houses and preserve their lives.
Now, at the foot of the holy mount, Israel awaited while their leader Moses received the commandments directly from the mouth of God. He would teach them how to live holy, moral, and ethical lives. Yet, before He gave the commands on how to relate to each other, they would learn how to relate to Him. They were to have ‘no other gods’ before the LORD.
Remember, their father Abraham came from ancient Mesopotamia, a land steeped in polytheism and idolatry. As a family which grew into a nation, they were also surrounded by the many gods of Egypt. The same would apply in the land of Canaan, which they were called to inherit. Some of the more prominent gods included Baal, the god of fertility and prosperity. Another was Ashtoreth, which represented sensuality.
The phrase: no other gods before me is not a license to have other gods in addition to the Lord, as long as He is Number One. The Hebrew word is paniym, literally ‘in the face.’ The other gods should not be equal to God in your life, nor a few steps behind. They should be off the scene altogether.
This is a true and right standard. Yet how easy is it to keep God as the one and only? As we will discover with this and all commandments, wishful thinking alone will not help you fulfil them. It takes the cross of Christ, God’s ever-increasing grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
TO BE CONTINUED