What is the lesson for us in the first commandment, “do not have other gods before me”?
When God made a covenant with the Israelites, these are the words that he uttered to them (Exodus 20:3). Since there are no other gods before Him, worshiping any other god is forbidden by God.
God had a special relationship with Israel
God possessed a unique bond with the Israelites. He repeatedly showed them His omnipotent power: according to Deuteronomy 4:34, He brought them out of Egypt with signs and wonders, a “mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” The people of Israel give Him the honor and glory that He deserves by worshiping Him. “To you it was shown, that you might know that LORD is God; there is none other beside Him,” God Himself declared to them (Deuteronomy 4:35). Since God made Himself known as the one true God, He was unable to stand in the face of other people’s worship of artificial gods.
Still relevant to us today
We are still subject to the first commandment today. God has abundantly demonstrated to us that He is the only God and that there is no other. According to Genesis 1-2 and Isaiah 40:12, He created the earth and everything on it. According to Psalm 139:13–16, He created our lives. It simply makes natural that we worship Him as a result. He sent Jesus to earth so that we can know God through him (John 14:8–9). According to Hebrews 2:17 and Colossians 1:20, Jesus died on the cross in order to atone for our horrible guilt and make us right with Him. Has there ever been a god who was prepared to step down and accept responsibility?
The big difference
The primary distinction between God and other so-called gods is that, while we make our own gods, God created us. We make them by hand or in our minds. They are only as strong as the authority we bestow upon them (Isaiah 44:14–20; Psalm 115:4–8). We fail to give God, our Creator, the credit He deserves when we make our own gods. What is His, we take from Him.
God is sovereign
God is an all-powerful, omnipotent, and active God. According to Deuteronomy 4:34, He “goes and takes a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by signs and wonders”; in John 3:16, He sent His only Son so that everyone who trusts in Him would not perish but have eternal life; in John 14:3, Jesus makes preparations for us in heaven. He takes action on a constant basis to protect and provide for us. How different our gods are from one other. They are unable to act or bring us redemption, and they never offer peace (Isaiah 43:10–12; 44:9–10).
Giving room to Satan
You allow Satan to have control over you when you worship deities other than God. These deities can be anything from sculptures to placing your automobile above all else. According to Genesis 3:1–5, Satan is a cruel master who always demands and never gives in. He is also an expert at deceit. Give your all to God, honor Him alone, and let Him to “let his glory be over all the earth” (Psalm 108:5)—the planet He made!
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