No Gods Before Me
Exodus 20:1-3 — And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.
In Exodus 19:6, God told Israel that they were going to be a set apart, holy nation. In order to help them become set apart, God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and laid out some commands and guidelines to share with the Israelites.
God used these commands to reveal His character, to illuminate right from wrong, and to protect His chosen people from becoming (or remaining) like the world. These were not an arbitrary set of rules, but rather a loving, helpful, and comprehensive guide on how to live a life that both satisfied God and blessed the individuals who responded in faithful obedience.
The first command God gave to Israel through Moses was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” It’s no coincidence that God chose to communicate this first, because God wanted them to know that nothing should ever come before Him.
At the time of the Exodus, the world was filled with polytheistic peoples and cultures that worshipped as many gods as they could think up. Ancient people tended to lump nature and the divine in together; they believed the sun, the moon, rain, fertility, and many other things were controlled by different gods. If you were a farmer who was experiencing a drought, you would pray for rain and if rain came, you would praise the “rain god” for blessing you. If the rain never came, you may believe the “rain god” was upset with you and doling out a cosmic punishment. Life in ancient times was marked by a certain vulnerability. Diseases, droughts, famines, and hardships of all sorts were very common and attaching yourself to as many “gods” as you could brought a sense of security, albeit a false security.
In light of this, it’s important to remember that the Israelites had only very recently escaped slavery in Egypt and were inundated with the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the world. God asking to be the one and only god in their life was a big deal. It meant that they had to forsake the comforts and securities that the world had to offer and put ALL of their trust in Him and nothing else.
Thousands of years later, God is still asking the same thing from us. He demands to be the only One we put our trust, faith, and hope in. Anything less simply will not do. We, like the Israelites, have many forces that draw our attention and faith away from God. Many people believe that their salary is what will keep them safe and secure. Others believe it’s their image and reputation that will keep them afloat. We may not have the same “gods” as the ancient world, but we certainly do have many “gods” of our own that beg for our attention and worship. Ultimately, there is only One person who is truly faithful and worthy of our praise and devotion, and He is the same God who told the Israelites at Mount Sinai, “You shall have no other gods before me.”
