One of the last verses of the Bible, Revelation 22:14, says, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life.” The Bible calls the Ten Commandments God’s “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25; 2:12). People have the greatest freedoms—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—when they obey God.
We find in Exodus 20:1 a profound statement: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”. This verse immediately precedes the Ten Commandments and serves a distinct purpose. This introduction to the Ten Commandments establishes the identity of God, in this instance YHWH (in Hebrew that name means: Self Existent One, He Exists or Causes To Be) and His historical act of delivering Israel from Egypt. As an aside, when we look at the third commandment we will preview more of His names and titles.
Even today as His called and chosen people we must understand the spiritual significance this statement reveals to us. He alone has the power and ability to deliver us from our place of bondage and ultimately provide the entrance into His eternal family. He identifies Himself here as the only one true God. He has always existed and never sinned. He is perfect, He is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1, 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26) and more: In the beginning He created the heavens and the earth. He simply spoke what should be created, and it was so (Psalm 33:6-9; 148:3-5; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:1-3).
By establishing His identity in this manner as the “Self Existent One…”, He distinguished Himself from all the various gods of Egypt (that they had become familiar with as a part of Egypt’s society). By reminding them He alone brought them out of Egypt with the miracles He preformed. He demonstrated He had previously judged all the gods worshiped in Egypt, in the killing of the firstborn, and from the gods of Canaan, the gods of the gentile nations, and the gods that are worshipped as idols, starry hosts, or things found in nature, and the gods known by other names. He demonstrated His power and distinguished Himself as the “Self Existent God” the only true God.
So distinguished as the true God, He establishes with power the authority behind the commandments that follow.
The First Commandment Exodus 20:3 (repeated by Moses 40 years later in Deuteronomy 5:7): "You shall have no other gods before me" is the beginning point from which everything else in our life flows. It establishes that there is a self existent God in heaven who created all the universe, seen and unseen. One who sustains all, and rules over all, and judges all. It is to Him and Him alone that we must recognize with reverence and bow in worship of. It is to Him alone that we can come and seek answers to life’s difficult questions and challenges.
This First Commandment is the most important commandment because it demonstrates that only a self existent God has the sovereign authority to establish commandments for every human being plus the right and power to judge them by those commandments. Only the true God can define right versus wrong, good versus evil, virtue versus vice, and moral versus immoral. True disciples of Christ are therefore obligated to follow His model of obedience to the commandments (1 John 2:6).
The Holy Scripture demonstrates that His grace does not abolish, cancel, or repudiate His law! King Solomon the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Moreover, Christ said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10). When a young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to obtain eternal life, He told him, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). He then listed several of the Ten Commandments to make it clear what He was referencing (see verses 18-19).
The First Commandment and the way God introduces the commandments is a vivid reminder to focus on the awesome power and majesty of our Creator God. God’s power was on display when He thundered these commandments from Mount Sinai. “Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off” (Exodus 20:18). God then added, His “name is Jealous” (Exodus 34:5)! Godly jealousy simply means our Creator requires an exclusive relationship. He does not permit unfaithfulness. He will not share us with any another god. He details that the worship of a false god is spiritual “adultery” (see Jeremiah 3:8-9; 5:7; Ezekiel 23:37).
The word of God amplifies this first commandment in a number of passages: “But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)” (Exodus 34:13-14). God loves us more than we as humans can fully grasp; He is jealous of anyone or anything that will fool us or cheat us of a real relationship with Him.
Satan the devil, the great deceiver and “ruler of this world” until Christ returns (John 12:31) craves worship. He even tried to tempt Jesus to worship him (Matthew 4:8-10). However, Satan is almost as satisfied if he can influence people to worship anything or anyone other than God! Therefore, the worship of idols is indirectly worshipping demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-22). We readily recognize some spiritual practices are clearly demonic and evil, including spiritism, mysticism, sorcery, astrology, counterfeit healings, and consulting mediums (see Leviticus 19:26-31). However God regards all religious practices, no matter how nice-sounding, as evil when they “add to” or “take away from” His Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:29-32).
There are many pitfalls and temptations that can lead us to disobey the First Commandment. This commandment is not just about pagan gods and false religions. Anything that we put as a higher priority than the true God causes us to sin. Pride, that insidious and common human failing, breaks this command by putting self above God. As James wrote: “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:6-10). We need a humble heart!
We need to seek God’s help to see things from God’s perspective—to get outside our own selfish worldview. We are living in a dangerous time when even those in our society can see that self-worship is becoming the world’s fastest-growing religion The Bible also warns of the common human failings of forgetfulness and neglect (Deuteronomy 8:11-19) which is common when other things including self take so much precedence. Both good times and bad times can test our commitment to put God first, however good times and physical comforts are often more problematic. God warns us: “Beware, lest you forget the LORD” (see Deuteronomy 6:5-25; 8:1-20). None of us are likely to forget God completely or deliberately replace God with a false god. But most of us at times if we are honest may temporarily “forget” God by failing to include Him in our thoughts when we are thinking, worrying, talking, and carrying on our daily activities. In our busy lives, conscious awareness of God easily gets crowded out, and His word warns us about this danger. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus compared His followers to young fruit-bearing plants that can easily be “choked out” by the weeds of life’s distractions (Mark 4:18-19). We must make a constant effort to not forget about God and His will for our lives. This is all wrapped into this foundational commandment.
Most people don’t worship statues, but they adore their stuff and idolize media, music, and sports celebrities. Since we are surrounded by a very materialistic, secular, and sexualized society, we must constantly resist its influences. Colossians 3:5 says: “Covetousness which is idolatry.” That makes it clear that there is a close relationship between the First and Tenth Commandments. What you covet or lust for becomes your god. It seems the Ten Commandments form a circle, with the Tenth Commandment returning us back to the First Commandment! (see 1 John 2:15-17)
What is the most common false god? I, me, myself! And that includes all the extensions of oneself—my family, my accomplishments, my position, my belongings, my popularity, etc. Our natural human nature is self-centered and conceited. One thing that we all over time learn to love about the first commandment is that it keeps our hearts in check. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” When we read, “You shall have no other gods before me,” we must ask ourselves the question, “Am I putting anyone or anything above God today?” We must examine our hearts with His guidance to truly determine how well we are obeying this First Commandment.
God wants you to use this life with all of it’s experiences to prepare for eternal life with Him. That is our ultimate destiny. To do that, God must take first place in your heart, mind, and daily actions (Matthew 6:33-34). Jesus set the example of putting God first. Even after fasting for 40 days, He responded to Satan’s temptation by saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3). Living by every word of God involves a commitment to always listen to what God teaches us in the Bible and not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). As humans we are at times inconsistent in our faithfulness to Him, we need reminders, and we need fresh starts (1 John 1:9). Be assured that God is very patient and merciful, and He will forgive you (Hebrews 4:14-16) upon repentance. Never forget the Great God, the Self Existent one, loves you as a precious son or daughter. God loves us so much; He is jealous of anyone or anything that will fool us or cheat us of a real relationship with Him.
Psalm 100:3 reminds us that we belong to God. The Common English Bible states: “Know that the LORD is God—he made us; we belong to him.” The original Hebrew of the last phrase can be literally translated, “we are his.” The next part of this verse reinforces this truth by adding, “We are his people, the sheep of his own pasture.” Thus, we belong to God because he made us not only in His image, but also to be his very own people. God will not share what is His. He will not share His glory or praise with another: "I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols" (Isaiah 42:8). God carefully maintains and protects what is rightly His. This is divine jealousy.
As I conclude this pastor’s message, in summary, the first commandment prohibits belief in or worship of any additional deities. Even those we unidentical may create with our personal pursuits. The Second Commandment about not using images in religious worship expands upon this and we will review that command in the next pastor’s message. Let us always remember Revelation 1:8 says of the Lord God, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” He alone is the only one worthy of our praise, glory, and worship. Before “I Am – the Self existent One” gives any further instructions to His people on how to live a holy life, He starts with the only sure foundation: “You shall have no other gods before me.”