Exodus 20:1-3
~16 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 20, verses 1-3. Allow me to read Exodus 20:1, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The Lord blessed the reading of His holy and sacred word.
This chapter is about the Ten Commandments. Moses first received them on two tablets on Mount Sinai. But, later on, he shattered them upon discovering the Israelites' golden calf worship. You can read about that in Exodus chapters 31 and 32. Subsequently, God wrote them on two fresh tablets prepared by Moses. In Hebrew, The Ten Commandments literally means the 10 words. In Greek, it was translated as the decalog, which also means 10 words. In the Westminster Confession, it was referred to as the moral law. It is called the moral law because it is always applicable to all men. According to Romans 2:14-15, the Ten Commandments, or the moral law, is written in our hearts. That is why even the Gentiles, who do not have the physical Ten Commandments like the Jews, yet by nature or by instinct, they do what the law requires. And since it is the moral law written in our hearts, it is unchangeable and not abrogated or done away.
Some people believe that the Ten Commandments are no longer applicable to us today. That is not the case because they are written in our hearts. Unlike the ceremonial laws, which were types and symbols of Christ and his redemptive work, and they were fulfilled by him. Unlike the Civil laws, which were given specifically to the nation of Israel, and with the end of the theocracy of Israel, the Civil laws had also come to an end. But the moral law still stands.
By the way, the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans have combined Commandments 1 and 2 together, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "Thou shalt not make graven images," and then they divided Commandment number 10 into two to make it a total of 10 commandments. The reason why they have combined Commandments number one and two together is because this would enable them to say that graven images are only applicable to the idol worship of other gods and not the idol worship of the one living and true God. That is how the Roman Catholics will respond when you speak to them about why it is wrong to make graven images. So they will tell you, "Well, that is only a reference to the idol worship, not the graven images made in regards to the one living and true God." Obviously, that is not the right thing to do. We cannot twist and change the word of God to suit our own application.
So there were two tablets, but how many commandments were written on each tablet? Scripture does not give us the answer. Therefore, all theories are only speculations. Some say all the Ten Commandments were written on one tablet and the other tablet was a copy of it. Others say, based on Christ's teaching about the great commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength," and "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," so the first tablet must have contained those commandments related to God, in other words, the first four commandments, while the second tablet would contain commandments related to men, the other six commandments. Others, like the late Reverend Timothy To, he believed that the first tablet would contain commandments 1 to 5 because parents were God's representatives on this Earth, while the second tablet would contain 6 to 10. Well, we will never know, and I do not think it is important for us to speculate. Tonight, we were back on this series of study on the Ten Commandments, beginning with our first message, "Thou shall have no other gods."
I. The Basis of the Command
Our first point is the basis of the command. God began by saying in verse two, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." The Israelites had just come out of Egypt. Egypt was one of the most polytheistic cultures in the ancient world. Polytheism means the worship of many gods. The Egyptians worshipped many gods. They worshipped the gods of the sun, moon, stars, animals, rivers, fields, light, darkness, and so forth. More certainly, having lived in Egypt for almost 400 years, the Israelites were also influenced by this worship of strange gods. So it was very important for God to begin with this first commandment in verse three, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
What gives God the right to make such a demand? Well, He is the one living and true God. All other gods are false gods. Notice how the first commandment was introduced. "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." In other words, this commandment was based on who He was and what He had done. God had saved His people for His glory, and He had demonstrated to them through the plagues how He was the only true God, how He had defeated all the false gods of Egypt. Therefore, He had every right to claim all the worship and praises because of who He was and what He had done.
You and I know how important it is to learn to share, right? That is why we teach our children to share with others. But it is also important for us to realise that some things are never meant to be shared. For example, we would never share a piece of confidential information. We will never share the answers to the examination. Or the love between a husband and wife. We understand that these things are never meant to be shared with someone else. They are to be kept exclusive. How much more there are things God would never share. He would never share His glory with other gods, false gods. In a sense, God was saying, "I am the one and only God, and since I am the only God, I refuse to share my worship with anyone or anything else. It is exclusive. I cannot tolerate any rival. All other gods are false."
Dear friend, like the Israelites, God has saved you and me for His glory through the death and the shedding of Christ's precious blood on the cross of Calvary. He had demonstrated to us through the situations, events, and circumstances of life that He is the only true God. And so, He has every right to claim our worship and praises. Whenever we praise and worship Him, it is because of who He is and what He has done for us. And we must never share our worship of Him with anyone or anything else. God forbids.
II. The Meaning of the Command
Let us move on to our second point, the meaning of the command. It is important to learn from the way this command was phrased. God said, "before me." It does not mean that we can have other gods but we just have to put God first and then followed by other gods. No, it does not mean that. Here, "before me" means in my presence. God is all-present.
There is never a moment whereby we are not in His presence. So you and I are forbidden to worship false gods. Any time we serve other gods, we are doing it in the presence of God. We can never hide from Him. Since God is all-knowing, do you think He does not know if we have other gods? Surely, He does. And notice in this command, God speaks to us in the singular, "thou" or "you shall not have any other gods before me." Personal. In other words, it has to do with our personal relationship with Him. It has to do with what we feel, what we think, what we speak, and do concerning our God.
When it comes to worshiping God, we have to make a radical choice. It is all or nothing. You either choose God or you don't. Remember Joshua said to the people, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods whom your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15). It is a radical choice that you and I must make. Elijah made a similar statement on Mount Carmel. He said, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him." (1 Kings 18:21). Ultimately, our Lord Jesus also said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." So it is all or nothing.
When God commands us to reject false gods, He is also commanding us to worship the one and true God. So this command not only tells us whom we ought not to worship but also whom we ought to worship. We must worship the one living and true God. When it comes to this first commandment, most people would say, "Who would ever worship other gods? Who would ever bow down to a piece of wood or stone? That is so primitive." But the truth is that we do worship other gods. What do we mean?
It may not be a physical god like the animist who worship animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and objects. Or like the ancestor worshippers who bow down to their forefathers for the fear of retribution or bad luck or for the fear of becoming a hungry ghost. We may fall into the sin of worshipping other gods in the sense we put anything or anyone in place of God in our lives. Or we let anyone take the precedence of God in our lives. For example, when we love something or someone more than God. Remember Jesus said to Peter, "Peter, do you love me more than this?" referring to his fishing profession. "Do you love me more than what you are doing at this present moment? If anyone loves his mother or father more than me, or his son or daughter more than me, he or she is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). So if you and I love, obey, and listen to someone more than God, we have violated this commandment. If we put something or someone as the centre of our lives instead of God, or if we take something or someone to be the ultimate happiness or the most desirable thing in our lives, or we fear someone more than we fear God, we have violated this commandment.
One of the most common other gods is ourselves. Self is the most common idol in the world today. All of us know that pride is the very first sin that brought down Lucifer. When we are proud of our social position, our race, or our families; when we are proud of our physical attributes, intellectual abilities, knowledge, understanding, achievements, or even spirituality, that can also be our other gods.
Perhaps you have started off well obeying this first commandment, but somewhere along the way, you are being drawn away by the temptation to follow other gods. One classic example in the Bible was Solomon. Allow me to quote him as an illustration. Solomon was the most powerful king the world had ever seen. He had horses and chariots by the thousands. He was the wealthiest king in the ancient world. His palace was filled with gold. Not silver, because in those days, silver was not considered the most expensive thing for the kings to use in the palace, but gold was. And his palace was filled with gold. Remember, God appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Imagine, he could have asked for anything he wanted. If God were to ask you, "Tell me what you want, and I will give it to you," what would you ask? Whatever be your answer, that would reveal what God you are serving. If Solomon served power, he would have asked for the death of his enemies. If Solomon served riches, he would have asked for gold. If Solomon served pleasures, he would have asked for beautiful women. But Solomon wanted to serve the one living and true God. So he asked for wisdom to rule the people in righteousness. He started off well. God granted his request, and he was recognised as the wisest man in the ancient world. He was generous, and people came from all over the world to seek his advice and counsel. He was godly. He built a temple for God. He was a man of prayer. He offered a magnificent prayer at the dedication of the temple, so much so that God's power and glory descended on the temple. There was never a man more greatly blessed than King Solomon.
But if only Solomon had obeyed the first commandment, because God said to him, "As for you, if you walk before me as thy father David walks in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to that I've commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of the kingdom upon Israel forever. But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you," and God specifically said, "But go and serve other gods, and worship them, then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them, and this house which I have hallowed in my name" (1 Kings 9:4-7). So it was very simple. All Solomon had to do was to give God the glory, in particular, he had to obey this first commandment by refusing to serve other gods. Sadly, Solomon failed in keeping this commandment. He served other gods. So when you read through the Old Testament, the Bible tells us that he served the gods of the Sidonians, the gods of the Amorites. God was very gracious. He appeared to Solomon twice, but still, he did not keep this command. And so God said to him, "Since this is your attitude, and you have not kept my law which I have commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom from you." And all of us know how the kingdom of Israel was divided into the northern and southern kingdoms, and subsequently, the temple was destroyed.
Although Solomon never intended to break the first commandment, but his heart was drawn away by the temptation to follow other gods. Remember, he did not ask God for gold, yet in time to come, he worshipped the god of wealth. This was best illustrated by the fact that he spent seven years building the house of God, but when he came to his own palace, he spent double the amount of time, 13 years, to build it. He did not ask God for power, yet in time to come, he started to accumulate horses and chariots, although God had already said that the Israelites must not build a cavalry. He did not ask God for women, yet in time to come, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, even though God had said kings must not take many wives, or else their hearts will be turned away. Later on, of course, he repented. He repented so much so that he wrote Ecclesiastes, beginning with these words, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. There is nothing new under the sun."
Dear friend, if it can happen to Solomon, it can also happen to any one of us if we are not careful. Let us search our hearts and ask ourselves, do we have any other gods before Him? Perhaps we have started off well obeying this first commandment, like Solomon, but somewhere along the way, things start to creep into our lives, and those things have drawn our hearts away to other gods. It could be our careers, it could be our families, our children, our houses, our worldly pursuits, and so forth. May the Lord forgive us. We do not want to experience what King Solomon had experienced. After going through all these vanities, and then he concludes, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." There is only one true and living God, and we must always put Him first in our lives. It is all or nothing.
III. The Test of the Command
Now we come to our third and final point, the test of the command. The first test is love. Notice all the Ten Commandments are written in the negative, "Thou shalt not do this," "Thou shalt not do that." Only commandments four and five, most theologians believe that it reflects the already sinful state that man is in. In other words, "Thou shalt not kill," men already have the tendency to kill. "Thou shalt not commit adultery," man is already an adulterer in his heart. Do you know why Jesus summarised the Ten Commandments with the word love? If you and I were to obey the Ten Commandments because of the fear of the consequences, then we will come under the condemnation of the law. If you and I were to obey the Ten Commandments because of guilt, then it would be our attempt to make atonement for our sins. If you and I were to obey the Ten Commandments because of self-glory, then we will be proud that we are morally better than others, that we are better than others, that we are more righteous than others. The only right way we can obey the Ten Commandments is through love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Without which, we cannot obey the ten commands.
Dear friend, what do we really love? How do we spend our money and time? What do we get excited about? A false god can be any good thing that we focus on at the exclusion of God. It could be a sport, a hobby, a personal interest, an appetite for the finer things in life. It could also be personal health and fitness, or even a ministry in the church. More certainly, we are allowed to enjoy all these good things that we have received from God's good hand, but we must never let them replace our God as the object of our affections. Whatever God has blessed us with, we give thanks to Him, but we must never let the blessing replace our affections for Him.
The second test is our trust. What do we trust? Who do we turn to in times of trouble? Some people trust their jobs, their insurance policies, their pension plans for security. Others place their trust in the government or in the economy. Yet others trust their families, their children, and their friends. God can use all these things to care and provide for us, but our ultimate confidence must be in Him alone.
What we love and what we trust will reveal to us if we have any other gods. This evening, God says to us personally, as in the usage of the word singular, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." I'd like to end with this saying: The reason why we have trouble recognising our own idolatries is not because we don't have false gods, but it is because we have too many. May the Lord forgive us. May our hearts always be drawn to Him, the only true God. All other gods are false. Let us not put our trust and our love on the things God has blessed us with, whether it be our houses, our finances, our families, our children, our careers, our good health and strength. Praise God for all these blessings, but we have received them from God's good hand. We only look to Him, love Him, trust Him, put our ultimate confidence in Him alone, and we say to Him, "I will have no other gods before you." Can you say that?
Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank thee for enabling us to consider the Ten Commandments. Though some of us may wonder, it is so basic, but it is so fundamental as well. Indeed, oftentimes we take for granted that we have obeyed the Ten Commandments, including the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Oh Lord, indeed we profess that we love thee, we worship thee, and we have placed thee as the only one that we ought to focus on in our lives. But many a time, we have allowed other things in our lives to creep in, and those things have taken the place of thee. Forgive us. Thou hast reminded us once again that we must not have other gods before thee. It may not be a physical idol, but there are so many other things that we ought to consider. Thou hast reminded us, and we ought to obey, and we want to learn also from King Solomon how he started off well, but somewhere along the way, his heart was drawn away by the temptation to follow other gods. And in the end, though he did not ask for gold initially, he started to serve the god of wealth. Though he did not ask for power, yet in time to come, he accumulated strength and power, putting his trust in horses and chariots, building a cavalry which thou hast commanded the Israelites not to. Though he did not ask for women, yet in time to come, he fell, and he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. If it can happen to Solomon, it can also happen to us. Oh Lord, be merciful. We love thee because thou first loved us, and we want to put thee first always, ultimately in our lives. So remind us, for as humans, we always forget. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
The Veil That SeparatesThe Veil That SeparatesExodus 26:1-37
A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandA Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandExodus 27:1-19
Who Can Represent Us Before God?Who Can Represent Us Before God?Exodus 27:20-28:14
How Can We Know God’s Will?How Can We Know God’s Will?Exodus 28:15-30
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
