10 Commandments / The First Commandment
This is what the Lord says - Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come - yes, let them foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame.”
(Is.44:6-11… worth reading 6-23)
We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
(I Cor.8:4-6)
The Exodus is the deep theological foundation that maps out the shape of the Christian faith for all generations. We never get past the dynamics captured and played out for us on the stage of human history. Christ redeems His people from slavery to sin, from under the tyranny of the devil, from the deep shadow of the fear of death. He leads them through the waters of baptism (I Cor.10:2), and to the Father (Dt.4:12). Here they enter into Covenant, the terms of which are introduced at Sinai. They are liberated to be the people of God, to live a New Creation life before the world. The nations will see and be amazed. Their relationship to the nations is primarily evangelistic. Their life together before God recaptures and exhibits God’s vision for human society and culture. Such a life is rooted in their Gospel-centred worship that brings them back again and again to all that the Father does through the mediation of Christ. Only here is the Spirit’s empowering released in such a way that will allow the Church to bear such a mandate before the world.
Everything stands or falls on this foundation. We are saved for a way of living. And that way of living depends for its very sustenance on the power that flows out of our relationship with the one, true, living God. This is precisely what the first commandment seeks to safeguard. The glory of God is deeply interconnected with the faithfulness of the Church. At this intersection comes the prohibition against bringing any other god before the face of YHWH. He is a jealous Divine Husband who will brook no rival for the affections of His bride. It’s critical to note the link between idolatry and adultery that runs especially through the Old Testament. To violate this command is to violate the covenant (Dt.9:17). No other commands can be obeyed if this first command isn’t. It’s a similar dynamic to a cheating spouse bringing home a gift. There is no value attached to it… As the old Puritan Thomas Watson put it: ‘it is the foundation of all true religion to give Him precedence’. All else of legitimate and authentic Christianity flows out of our exclusive faithfulness to our God. To the extent that we embrace any other ‘god’ (or indeed anything hat functions as a god) we forsake, and prove faithless to, our Redeemer (Jdgs 2:12). And to that extent all we do is stamped with sin. And to that extent we will find ourselves deceived, disappointed and damaged.
As all righteousness is rooted in and sustained through true worship, so all sin (read: ‘covenant disloyalty’) is rooted in idolatry. Hence the battle for faith, and for faithfulness, is first and foremost a battle for the heart. Who, or what, will we love? … will we give first allegiance to? …will we trust to give us greatest joy? Who or what will we desire above all else? These are the questions that we must settle as we stand before this first commandment. He is the God who has redeemed us, who has liberated us, called us to Himself. If our Creator needed any further justification before laying down His Law for us to follow, this is it! But as we know, mere externalised obedience is profoundly inadequate. As we’ve seen in a previous study, it is love for Him that must drive our obedience. We are to guard our hearts, and ensure that they remain captivated by the LORD. ‘Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them’ (Dt.11:16).
Questions
What do you think Jesus means when He says that He will fulfil the Law (Matt.5:17)? How does that change our relationship to the Law?
Do you think some sins are more serious than others? What do you think this will mean at judgement?
Can people who are not Christians keep the Law?
Read Deut.5:6-7 & Jer.10:1-16
How do you think this first commandment relates to our secular cultural context? What are our ‘modern’ gods? How modern are they?
How do contemporary gods rival Christ for our affections? How can we keep our hearts captivated by the LORD?
Where is the line between worshipping a false god, and worshipping a false view of the true God?
What difference does it make that the LORD begins the Decalogue by identifying Himself in the way He does? What does this add… or perhaps easier to answer: what would we love if it wasn’t there?
Is it true that false gods can do us no harm, or any good (Jer.10:5)?
What does it mean to fear the Lord (Jer.10:7)? How does recognising that this is His ‘due’ change the way we think about people who aren’t Christians? Is it appropriate to call those who worship others gods ‘foolish and senseless’ (10:8)?
How could you help someone identify their idols? How could you present the Gospel to someone in terms of the shift between their idols and the True God?
Catechism:
268. What is the first commandment?
The first commandment is “I am the Lord your God … You shall have no other gods before me.”
(Ex.20:2–3; Deut.5:6–7; see also Psalm 97; Luke 4:5–8; 1 Cor.8:1–6)
269. What does it mean that the Lord is your God?
It means that I have faith that the God of the Bible is the only true God and that I entrust myself to him wholly.
(Ex.3:1–15; Deut.6:4–5; Psalm 86:8–13; Mark 12:29–34; Rev.15:3–4)
270. What does it mean to have no other gods?
It means that there should be nothing in my life more important than God and obeying his will. I should worship him only and love, revere, and trust him above all else.
(Psalm 95; Jer.10:6–10; Luke 16:10–15; 1 John 2:15–17)
271. Why are you tempted to worship other things instead of God?
I am tempted because my sinful heart seeks my own desires above all else and pursues those things which falsely promise to fulfil them.
(Deut.29:16–19; Psalm 10:2–7; Acts 19:23–27; James 4:1–10)
272. How are you tempted to worship other gods?
I am tempted to trust in myself, my pleasures, my possessions, my relationships, and my success, wrongly believing that they will bring me happiness, security, and meaning. I am also tempted to believe superstitions and false religious claims, and to reject God’s call to worship him alone.
(1 Kings 11:1–8; Psalm 73:1–17; Matt.26:14–16; 27:1–5; Rom.1:18–32)
273. Can you worship and serve God perfectly?
No. Only our Lord Jesus Christ worshiped and served God perfectly; but I can seek to imitate Christ, knowing that my worship and service are acceptable to God through him.
(1 Kings 15:9–14; Psalm 53:1–3; Luke 4:1–13; Eph.5:1–2; Heb.7:23–28)
