No Other Gods
By Dean Collins
In my current reading plan, I am almost through with Leviticus. I chose a reading plan that always has a psalm or a gospel reading each day because I often don’t find much inspiration in certain books. Yes, I know they are a part of the Bible, but there are passages that while true, do not seem to be relevant to my current situation.
For two weeks now, I have found myself holding on to Exodus 20:3, which is the first line of the first of the Ten Commandments. I keep coming back to this verse because it occurs to me that if we obeyed just this one verse, then we would likely live with closer communion with God.
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
Sometimes I think we read the Ten Commandments like a checklist, making sure we are in compliance, and move on. Other times we focus on the New Testament scriptures and lean on God’s forgiveness through Jesus and take comfort in his grace and mercy. And we should. But I think we often forget the words of Jesus when he was asked about the greatest commandment. His answer? These same eight words from Exodus 20.
Jesus then added: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” These additional words only intensify the command. God is to be first and only in everything we do.
There are thousands of gods that man has worshipped over the centuries. We learn of some of these in scripture and in history books and from social psychologists. But for most of us, we don’t blink an eye at those gods. Our primary issue tends to be in the things we assign as “most important” in our lives. And there are many of those.
For some, our jobs are what get our total allegiance. For others, it is our spouse or our children. For many, it is the accumulation of power or wealth. And we are far too comfortable dismissing these as problems because we rationalize that God has given us those things to enjoy. God has indeed given us many things to enjoy, but we often fail to see that with our busyness and lack of spiritual focus on God, these other things move up the ladder while our allegiance to God falls below.
Romans 1 helps us get this problem in better focus. Verses 21-25 are particularly helpful:
“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
Don’t be too quick to read this passage and think that Paul is simply talking about Adam and Eve. The better approach to this passage and to this first commandment is to spend some time alone with God, asking him to reveal if there are areas of your life that are in the center while God is simply a side dish you enjoy on Sundays.
Father, quiet our minds and search our hearts that we might see where we have put other things and other people ahead of you. Forgive us. Transform our hearts and minds, that we would truly love you with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Exodus 20:3-6; Matthew 22:36-38; Romans 1:21-25 ESV
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