The First Commandment

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

How can mankind understand the God of eternity? How can we comprehend the magnitude of His glory?

When all of Creation reveals His wisdom, when the stars display the vastness of His reach, we finite humans can only stand in awe and wonder, knowing there is far more we could never comprehend.

The power of God is imperceptible. We can observe the Sun in it’s radiance, feel it’s warmth, and observe it’s life giving power, but we cannot look long, nor can we stand under it’s rays without getting burned. Life is formed but for a moment, like the grass it soon fades away.

The Lord God almighty has far exceeded our imagination, He has proven His character, and revealed His will to those who can hear. The Bible is a compilation of the written Word, but Jesus became the revelation of the Word through His incarnate appearance.

The command is clear….you shall have no other God’s before Me. Why? Because He is the only One who has proven His power.

Deuteronomy 5:6 “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

As Israel was released from 400 years of bondage in Egypt, so has mankind been released from the scourge of sin…for all who believe that is.

The Slave is Set Free

Slavery is a condition that has a victim and a master. The victim is held against their will, subjected to the will of the overlord.

Sin has held mankind captive since the fall of Adam. It has darkened the hearts of all who have fallen into its snare, there are none who can escape its dreadful demise. All have fallen, none have the ability to escape.

Sin is what holds mankind captive, and it is the breaking of God’s commandments that has brought God’s wrath.

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.”

We cannot talk of all the god’s of this world with any sense of comparison. All other forms are but hay, wood, and stubble. Every false representation of The God of Creation is only a twisted imitation contrived from the pits of Hell.

When satan approached the Lord while He fasted in the wilderness, Jesus reminded him of his place.

Matthew 4:10 “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus told him. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

Many have followed false representations of God, many have been led to Hell because of their indiscretions and lack of wisdom.

From Baal to Molech, from Allah to Asherah, from the greek pantheon of false god’s to the myriad of Hindu deities, each one poorly characterizing the Lord Jehovah. Others will use God’s name in their vocabulary but mischaracterizing Him by their descriptions. The mormon church has reduced God to an elevated mormon and Jesus the product of an incestuous relationship, Jehovah’s witnesses use God’s name in their title, but their understanding of God has been twisted by the late Charles Russell into a grotesque image of false deity.

Shame is upon all who have taken the glory of God and attributed it to themselves. Mankind has exalted himself as God through humanism, and the product of a twisted culture has led many to their death.

Exodus 34:14 “For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

 In the context of the Bible, jealousy is often used to describe God’s passionate commitment to His covenant relationship with His people. This divine jealousy is not petty or envious but is a protective and righteous zeal for the holiness and exclusivity of the relationship between God and His people.

A Divine Covenant

The divine covenant is a contract written in blood. It is decreed by God to all who would enter into to a binding agreement. Break the agreement, forfeit your life. It is exclusive, it is holy, it is sealed and cannot be broken or else death is the judgement.

When mankind sinned, the covenant was broken. When people worshipped other god’s, they broke the covenant between man and God.

You might say, I have never worshipped a false god, yet when you placed your desire to please yourself over God’s law, you exalted yourself and your desires over Him.

Jeremiah 10:10 “But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.”

When any element of the 10 commandments are broken, all of them are broken. Steal and you place the object of your covetous desire over the commandments of the Lord. Lust or show hatred, and the offense against mankind is an offense against God’s throne. Dishonor the Sabbath, dishonor your parents, take God’s name in vain, and each carries an offense against God’s sovereignty and holiness.

There is no sin that is too small to overlook, no white lie, no thought that escapes God’s sight. All is weighed on the scales of God’s justice and His recompense will be swift and His judgment sound.

Who can stand up to such scrutiny? Is there a person on earth that can bear the weight of the shame?

There is…..

John 17:1-4 “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.”

The Redeemer has Come

The Cross stands empty because Jesus is no longer upon it. He has risen and justified those who trust in His name. He was no mere man, He was not an angel in disguise nor was He another prophet called to represent God…He was and is God in the flesh.

John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Jesus was there at Creation, matter of fact you were His idea. He formed you by the inspiration of His divine plan. He walked with Adam in the garden and gave him opportunity to take part in His Creation. He let Adam steward His garden, name the animals, and bear His image. Honor was given to man and man turned his back and chose rather to seek his own. The fall was great, the repercussions have been felt for thousands of years, and yet Jesus knew He would need to redeem mankind back to Himself.

The plan was told to prophets and they prophesied of all that was to happen. Many prophecies were given, all came to fruition in Jesus Christ.

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

Jesus was not just a man, He was God in the flesh.

Deny Jesus, and you deny the God of Israel.

John 5:22-23 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,  that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

It was Jesus who met Moses on Mt. Horeb. It was Jesus who talked with Abraham, Gideon, and Jacob. Jesus has been here all along, and He will judge the nations at the end of the age.

I don’t need to ask if you have broken the first commandment, I already know that all have broken it. The question isn’t regarding the guilt, it is whether you have been redeemed from slavery to sin?

The offer is now, receive new life, be reconciled to God, and follow Him. His commandments are good, and by following them you will know the fellowship of God.

There are no other gods. There is one God and He is Holy.

Repent and believe then you will be made white as snow and your sins will be forgotten.