Dakota Community Church
July 6, 2014
No Other Gods
Summer Series at Dakota: The 10 Commandments
Exodus 20:1-20
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's.”
18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
Refresh: An example of the three uses of the law: "You shall not steal".
The first use of this commandment reveals that stealing is a sin condemned by God and that we are inclined to steal. If we steal we need pardon. Since forgiveness is only in Christ, the law leads us to Christ in repentance and faith.
In the civil use of the law, society is directed concerning the responsibility of the state to protect property, etc. Laws and their respective punishments consistent with this commandment should exist to inhibit theft.
In the moral use of the law, we see that this law remains for the Christian as a necessary guide for his path of holiness. By this law we know what God expects and the high goal of holiness to which we should aim. We are reminded to avoid stealing and to cultivate honest relations with one another. Richard Pratt, General Editor. Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, Zondervan, 2003.
Background and Context
Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Joseph - Egypt - 440 years between Gen. 50 & Ex. 1 - New Pharaoh
God’s covenant people, crying out for deliverance from slavery.
God hears and answers their prayers telling Pharaoh to let His people go.
Pharaoh thinks he is god, doesn’t want to obey the real God.
Plagues and punishments ensue culminating in judgement - death to every firstborn in Egypt.
God pours out His wrath but mercifully provides a way to escape that judgement.
God’s people would gather as families, take a spotless lamb without blemish or defect, acknowledge their sins and slaughter the lamb as their substitute.
Then as a public demonstration of their faith they would paint the door posts of their homes with the blood of the lamb.
Death came to carry out the judgement of God to every house in the land but would literally PASS OVER the houses whose sins had already been punished as demonstrated by the shed blood of the lamb.
A supernatural deliverance accomplished by a sacrificial lamb. Who is this book about?
Luke 24:25-27
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
The First Commandment
Exodus 20:1-3
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
1. Slavery is the problem
Slavery is always the problem.
Free from Egypt, but sin is slavery.
As soon as we understand the gospel correctly we ask if we can do anything we want?
Romans 6:15-16
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
A loving Father gives rules in order to protect and save.
The law is like a fence around the yard of a house by a freeway. Can you run into traffic now?
So why does God say, “No other God’s before Me?”
you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death
Slavery is the problem, God is the answer
2. In order of importance
The Ten Commandments are given in order of importance.
Table 1: Numbers 1-4 are about our relationship with God
Table 2: Numbers 5-10 are about our relationship with our neighbours.
Dr. Henry Krabbendam of Covenant College summarizes the central concern of each commandment this way:
1. Love God for who he is.
2. Love God for what he says.
3. Love God for what he does.
4. Love God on the day He has set apart.
5. Love our neighbour by honouring his authority
6. Love our neighbour by honouring his life
7. Love our neighbour by honouring his wife
8. Love our neighbour by honouring his property
9. Love our neighbour by honouring his reputation
10. Love God and the neighbour from the heart
Mark 12:28-34
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.
There is One God and it’s not me or you; this is of first importance.
3. Law and Lawgiver
We must not separate the law from the law-giver.
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the… house of slavery”
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
Who enjoys many rules?
613 laws in the Old Testament, 68.5% of what’s written!
How many think at year end, “Oh boy I hope the tax laws have been expanded.”
Who gets excited when the boss announces a meeting to discuss new policies & procedures?
Law is exhausting and offensive when we separate it from the Father who has already brought us out of slavery.
We risk becoming like the Pharisees who loved the law, but hated Jesus.
John 5:39-40
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Look at David’s perspective on the law of God:
Psalm 19:7-13
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul ; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple ; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever ; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether . 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb .
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!
We want to know the law and to love it as David does in Psalm 19.
One of the things we pray for if you use the prayer book is that God would “grant that I may love those things that You have promised and desire those things that You have commanded”
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
Follow Dan on twitter: @DanCormie
