THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:1 ESV)
Human beings have worshiped many gods since time began. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity worship only one God. Hinduism has 33. Buddhism has three deities depending on what region of the earth. Throughout recorded history, there are estimated to be between 8,000–12,000 gods, but most narrow down to around nine different theological differences.
The Bible teaches that there is one, and only one, God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Malachi 2:10; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Galatians 4:8; Ephesians 4:6), who is the creator of the entire universe (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2).
The Commandment was explicitly addressed to each person and was not a generalized request for the entire nation. The purpose of this commandment is so that God would alone be pre-eminent among His people and exercise complete authority over them. God wants people to worship Him alone and respond with exclusive love and commitment.
God established that there is only one true God in the Universe, which was the basis of the national covenant with Israel. God wants us to worship Him alone because He is the Creator of all things and deserves our worship, praise, adoration, thanksgiving, obedience, and trust.
God forbids the worship of any graven images of wood, stone, or metal in any likeness of people, animals, fish, birds, creatures, stars, moon, or planets in the heavens above (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 4:15-19; 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3; 2 Chronicles 33:3). People throughout history have worshiped idealizations or personifications of deities that embody human characteristics, thoughts, and feelings. Human beings prove by their actions what is at the center of their heart and what they worship such as possessions, sports, hobbies, politics, other people, etc., rather than God. God demands that nothing should come in the way of our relationship with Him, including our spouse and children.
God asks for love and trust, and what a person does and how they live their lives should express and cultivate them. Anything or anyone that hinders them or gets in the way of having an intimate relationship with Him is considered a false god.
Jesus declared that no person “can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24 ESV).
The ONLY way a person can learn to live completely satisfied with God and experience daily His presence and anointing of power is to place ALL of their trust in Him.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV)
The word "understanding" in Hebrew includes the thought of a person's intellect, knowledge, ability, and experience. To truly and fully trust God, the Christian must not rely on anything or anyone but Jesus. The only way to prove one’s trust in Him is through obedience.
"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:22-23 ESV)
When a person receives Jesus as Lord and Savior and repents of their sin, they are given the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within, and He promises never to leave or forsake them (Hebrews 13:5). They now have the ability to love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6 ESV)
The Second Commandment differs from the First because, in worship, the Christian is not to diminish God into a physical form. It commands how to worship God in spirit and truth. Doing so is unquestionably unacceptable to God. This Second Commandment explicitly forbids the use of inanimate or lifeless imagery in worshiping the living God.
The most important thing a parent can teach their children is how to worship the one, and only God, who alone is worthy of all worship. A person becomes like what they worship. The Creator of the universe is a living God who cannot be represented by manufactured objects like statues, beads, or paintings.
God gave human beings dominion over the fish of the sea, fowl of the air, and everything that creeps on the earth. They are to have dominion and authority over them. He does not want us to bow down, serve, or place anything or anyone above Him. A “carved image,” or idol, is anything that gets in the way of worship and a person's relationship directly with Jesus, such as money, belongings, political concepts, or people. A person who hates God practices idolatry. True worshippers of Jesus worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). Anything in a person's life that is more important than Jesus is an idol.
The Christian is commanded to “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15 ESV). Love for the things of this world makes it impossible to truly worship God because no one “can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24 ESV).
Fathers are to show their children that the essential thing in their life is God and their relationship with Him. Parents are to give their children a proper conception of God. He is love, good, kind, faithful, and jealous. He holds a monopoly on being God. He is spirit and not a material thing. There is nowhere He is not.
Idolatry gives a warped conception of God. Human beings have no right to worship anything but Him. Martin Luther said that whatever your heart clings to is your god. Anyone or anything a person loves more than God is their god. Whatever is first in one’s life is their god. The greatest sin is not loving God with all ones heart, soul, mind, and strength. No one compares to Him, and nothing is like Him.
Parents are to communicate clearly with conviction about God. They are to influence their children with His loving-kindness, patience, and goodness. The greatest gift a parent can give is how to worship, celebrate and rejoice in God in front of them, giving thanks and praise in all things. Instead of asking for things, children should learn to thank God for who He is, what He has done, and is doing in their lives.
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7 ESV)
This commandment refers primarily to making false oaths and not just using God’s name as a swear word. We are not to invoke God’s name for some purely selfish purpose.
“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12 ESV)
The word of a Christian should always be good and trustworthy, and God’s name should never be needed to make or confirm an oath of promise. In the Bible, a person’s name describes their character. The names of God explain who He is and speak of His character. They are not to dishonor Him foolishly or misleadingly by actions that do not reflect His true character.
The Three Primary Names of God
In the Bible, a person’s name describes their character. The names of God explain who He is and speak of His character.
1. Elohim - It is the supreme name of God and means God of Creation. It speaks of His power, authority, and majesty (See Genesis 1:1, 17:7; Psalm 19:1; Jerimiah 32:33). The name is plural and used 200 times in the Bible.
2. Adonai – It means Master. It signifies ownership or Lordship and indicates the truth that God is the owner of each of us and that He requires absolute obedience to Him. The body of a Born-Again Christian is not their own because they were bought with a price. They belong to God and are to glorify Him in their bodies.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)
3. Jehovah – It means God of redemption and revelation. It is an English word formed from four Hebrew consonants, YHWH (YaHoWaH), and is often pronounced as ‘Yahweh.’ It emphasizes His relationship with human beings and special care for them. It speaks of His “faithful presence” (Exodus 3:14 ESV).
Compounds of Jehovah
1. Jehovah Jireh – “the LORD will provide” (Genesis 22:14)
2. Jehovah Rapha – “the LORD that heals you” (Exodus 15:26)
3. Jehovah Nissi – “the LORD our banner” (Exodus 17:8-15)
4. Jehovah Maccaddeshcem – “the LORD your sanctifier” (Exodus 31:13)
5. Jehovah Elohim Israel – “the LORD God of Israel” (Judges 5:3)
6. Jehovah Shalom – “the LORD our peace” (Judges 6:23-24)
7. Jehovah Sabbaoth – “the LORD of hosts” (1 Samuel 1:3)
8. Jehovah Shammah – “I am with you and will keep you” “I will not leave you.” (Gen 28:15)
9. Jehovah Roi – “the LORD is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1)
10. Jehovah Tsidkenu – “the LORD our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6)
11. Jehovah Shamma – “the LORD is there” (Ezekiel 48:35)
God is also spoken of as:
1. El Elyon - “the most high God” (Genesis 14:18)
2. El Roi - “God of Seeing” (Genesis16:13)
3. El Shaddai - “the Almighty God” (Genesis 17:1)
4. El Olam - “the Everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33)
5. El Gibhor - “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6)
6. El-Chuwl - “Formed my inner parts” (Psalm 139:13-18)
7. El-Deah - “God of Knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3)
8. Attiyq Youm - “the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9)
God's names are simply designations that He has allowed us to use, but they are not His true identity, which is beyond the reach of human knowledge to fully understand. It is said by Rabbi’s that through these names, God created the heavens and earth out of nothing, and by these names, He continues to direct every minute aspect of existence. The Rabbi’s believed that these names had great power.
All these names of God are contained in the name of Jesus. We must meditate on His names daily.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11 ESV)
Christians are to teach them to their children.
“Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.” (Malachi 3:16 ESV)
Christians should meditate on His name, esteem His name, and never be ashamed of His name. They should never use His name carelessly or thoughtlessly in foolish jesting or as profanity. Christians are to live in honor of His name.
When a person uses the name of God to make an oath or a promise, they are attempting to use His power without submission to living in a trusting-faith relation with Him. Christians are to keep His name holy and show His character and power by the quality of their lives (Leviticus 22:31-33). Through trusting-faith alone in Jesus, they receive power to lives of integrity, purity, and love.
Using His name in vain or living a life contrary to God’s Word is disobedience to His commands and dishonors Him because it is just vanity – the emptiness of speech, worthless or meaningless behavior. A person’s actions and lifestyle testify to others they are either for or against God.
Every Christian is to “work out” their “own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 ESV). That does not mean they are to work for their salvation. Instead, they are to “present” their “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is their “reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2 ESV).
The Christian is to do everything in the name of Jesus because it is the name above all names. Demons have to flee, and mountains have to move, at His name.
“... Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24 ESV)
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17 ESV)
