NO OTHER GOD
Exodus 20:3
Newsweek magazine once reported that only 49 percent of all Protestants and 44 percent of all Roman Catholics could name even four of the Ten Commandments!
Moses received these commandments three months after God miraculously delivered the nation of Israel from the land of Egypt. The Lord called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai, gave him the commandments. (Exodus 19:16-19)
When the Bible speaks of the term LAW, it refers to the Mosaic Laws. God gave these laws to Israel through Moses to provide guidelines on how they should relate to God and to one another. As an emerging nation, they need to have rules to follow to preserve their existence. The law was categorized into three:
MORAL LAWS – referring to the Ten Commandments.
CEREMONIAL LAWS – relating to the types and symbols found in the sacrificial system.
CIVIL LAWS - referring to the everyday laws that governed the lives of the people.
What are the functions of the Law?
God established a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. (See Genesis 7:7) A covenant is an agreement between man and God. It is a serious commitment that no one can take for granted. In this agreement, both parties should fulfill their obligations.
Laws were given so that Israel would be able to fulfill their covenant with God by obeying them. (See Exodus 19:4-6) The Israelites however failed to faithfully obey the commands. As results, they were under curse and the rest of their generations including the Gentiles.
God sent his Son to redeem us from the curse of the law. (See Galatians 3:13, 4:4) Christ fulfilled the Law in every respect (See Matt. 5:17). Christ is the end of the Law (See Rom. 10:4).
Therefore the requirement of the covenant was fulfilled by Christ and shared to those who believe in Him. This is the gracious act of the Son of God declared by Apostle John. (See John 1:17)
Those who believe in what Christ did for them through the cross and receive Him as Lord and Savior obtain righteousness before God through Christ and not by obeying the Ten Commandments. (See Romans 3:20-24)
In addition, when we repent and receive Jesus Christ into our hearts as Savior and Lord, He gave us the Holy Spirit who will enable us now to obey God’s commands. (See Galatians 5:18, 23)
Therefore today we obey the Ten Commandments not obtain righteousness or salvation but…
o To bear fruit to God. (See Romans 7:4-6)
o To expose the sinfulness of men. (See 1 Timothy 1:8-11)
ILLUSTRATION Bill Hybels said that when God gave his people the Ten Commandments, He wrote them on stone, to symbolize their durability. He wrote them on both sides of the stone, to signify their thoroughness. And He wrote these laws with His own finger, to attest to their supernatural character.
If we are willing to take these instructions seriously, they can teach us the same lessons today. They still have the power to touch our inner lives today. Please open your bible to Exodus 20:1-17.
COMMANDMENT 1. You shall have no other gods before (besides) me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Why was the 1st commandment given?
A. GOD DEMANDS AN EXCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. (See Deuteronomy 6:14-15)
Some people think that this is selfishness on the side of God but when we realized the basis of this claim, God is simply declaring His justice and holiness. God is unique in his nature and character.
He cannot be related with any creatures because His nature and character contradicts the nature of other gods. When we equate the Judeo-Christian God with any other God, we are lowering his identity and authority. (See Psalms 86:8-10)
B. GOD CLARIFIES MEN’S BELIEF ABOUT HIM (See Deuteronomy 6:4)
• Men’s belief about God passed through three stages.
• The first stage was polytheism, which means the belief in many gods simultaneously. Men believed in a whole host of gods. They believed in:
God of the sun
God of the moon
God of the sea
God of the sky
God of the fire
God of the wind
God of the river
God of the mountain
God of the wood
Illustration: Experience in Mindanao where people still worship trees.
• The second stage was henotheism. It is a belief in or worship of one god without denying the existence of others. At this stage a god was supreme within his own territory, but other territories had other gods.
God of the Amorites
God of the Philistines
God of the Egyptians
Conflict between these nations was a conflict between their gods, because the territory of the nation and the territory of the god were co-extensive.
• The last and final stage is monotheism, and this is the belief that there is not simply one god for each nation, but that there is only one God for all the earth. (See Psalm 139:1-12).
• Therefore the first commandment was given to teach monotheism. Later one the Israelites regarded Baal as their God. The basic idea of Baal worship was this – the most mysterious force in life is growth. People believed then that Baal is the power of growth behind all living and growing things – corns, grapes, and olives.
• Thus the Lord corrected this notion through the prophet Hosea. (Hosea 2:8) It was God not Baal who was behind this wonderful growth, but there were many who worshiped the Baals and forgot the God.
What are the implications of the 1st command?
1. GOD DECLARES HIS AUTHORITY (See Exodus 15:11-18)
The first commandment lays down the authority of the one God. Without establishing the authority of God, the subsequent commandments become suggestions or folkways rather than commandments. Mankind needs an external authority. It needs a final point of reference on which law and custom can be based.
We see his authority in his nature and his creative power. Only he had the power to call forth the creative energies that filled our world with life. His creation displays his wisdom, and purpose of creation. Finally, his authority is also seen in divine providence for his creation. He sustains and preserves his creation.
ILLUSTRATION Judge Roy S. Moore, the Alabama jurist who is locked in a legal battle to keep a handcrafted replica of the Ten Commandments on his courtroom wall, said he is at the center of a debate about American’s acknowledgment of God. “Are we still one nation under God? Do we still acknowledge a higher law?” he challenged (Jewish Times, October 24-30, 1997).
B. GOD DISPLAYS HIS SELF-SUFFICIENCY (See Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
When you look at the different gods that people worship then, you will notice that each god has its specialty. Thus there is a need for their co-existence. The God of Israel however declares that He can perform all the wonders of this world and addressed every issue in man’s life. We only need one God for every need.
ILLUSTRATION Patron Saints
St. Lucy – patron of sight.
St. Francis of Assisi – patron of ecology.
St. Erasmus – patron of sailors.
St. Jude – patron of desperate causes.
St. Agnes – patron saint of girls
St. Christopher – patron saint of travelers
C. GOD DEMANDS PRIORITY FROM HIS PEOPLE
When God gave Israel the Ten Commandments by design, He placed commandment number one exactly where it belongs – first. God was reminding His people, “first thing first.”
ILLUSTRATION In Moses’ day this command would have brought to mind the many specific, named gods worshiped among the nations. The Baal gods and Asherah and Molech were worshiped among the Canaanites.
Today in the Western world people no longer worship such gods. But that doesn’t mean that this command doesn’t apply to us. The “other gods” we worship are the things and persons we place before God. God is saying, “I get the first place. I want the number one in your life.”
Why? Because He is the only true God. He deserves our worship. When we try to worship Him and still give other things priority, we worship two masters. This won’t work. (See Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13)
But when our priorities are set in with God at the top, it’s amazing how everything else falls into place. Don’t be surprised. God has already promised this to us. (See Matthew 6:33) Our priorities really indicate who we are at the core of our being.
CONCLUSION
The first commandment declares that there is God and only one God who is all sufficient God. God demands an exclusive relationship from us because of His nature and character. Because He is God, we must submit to His authority and make Him the top priority of our lives.
