And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out
of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other
gods before me. (Exodus 20:1-3)
Around 18 months ago a very popular American preacher
told his congregation that the 10 Commandment don’t apply to Christians, going
as far to say that Christians needed to ‘unhitch’ themselves from the Old
Testament. Now it’s quite startling to
hear it stated so bluntly and many of us would rightly identify that as
erroneous teaching but unfortunately too many Christians live lives that
support this on a practical level. That
is, we give little consideration to the ‘law’ saying we are now ‘under grace’ but
this makes as much sense and the person who goes to withdraw money from the
‘cash-point’ without checking the balance first, with the attitude “Well if I
don’t look I don’t need to feel guilty about going a little over.”
The
First Commandment
Before God gave the 10 Commandments the people of
Israel had been in Egypt for over 400 years.
They would have been witnesses to the idolatry around them and it is not
inconceivable that they had incorporated some of that into their worship of the
one true God. Therefore, it is not
surprising that the first Commandment reminds the people what God had done for
them in rescuing them from slavery and that He alone is God.
Getting
the foundation right
Sceptics will often claim that all the world’s
religions are basically the same and even well-meaning unbelievers think that
all religions lead to the same God. However,
as any builder will tell you, unless you get the foundation of a building right
nothing else you do with that structure will be right. It is the same with religion. If you get the wrong God no matter what else
a religion may say or how high its moral code may be, it simply is not right. I
have found myself having to explain this to my daughter in regards to cults and
‘isims’. As far as her 8-year-old mind
understands they talk about Jesus and say they believe the Bible and I have to
explain that at a foundational level if the God they believe in is not the God
who has actually revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible it is not God at
all.
I understand how this statement jars on the ears of
modern man but this is the message of the first Commandment. God is God and there are no others and you
are to be a people who are dedicated to the one true God who is.
Not
laying a foundation at all.
Of course, we don’t have to have a false god to
violate the first Commandment the Westminster Larger Catechism rightly
identifies the denial of God in the same category. That is, atheism is equally grievous to God. In Roman 1 Paul identifies this as foolishness
“21 Because
that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to
be wise, they became fools,” Now this is not a slur
against their intellect rather it is a moral indictment - an indication of
their wilful rebellion and unwillingness to see what is obvious from the
created world. Like the naughty child
who puts his fingers into his ears so as not to hear the instructions from his
patents thinking that will allow him to do as he pleases, so many (not all)
atheist choose to block out the evidence for God so that they can continue to
do as they please. For they realise that
if the acknowledge the existence of God then that brings with it certain moral
obligations. C.S. Lewis wrote, “An atheist can't find God for the same reason a thief can't find
a policeman.”
A poorly maintained foundation
We are all aware of the verse in Rev 3:15-16 ““ I know your deeds, that you are neither hot
nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are
lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
These
verses are often misinterpreted and a little background helps. Laodicea was a large and prosperous city, but
it it lacked its own natural water supply. Citizens relied on a
network of aqueducts to deliver its water from miles away. Unlike Laodicea, the
nearby cities of Hierapolis and Colossae both had prolific natural water
sources. Hierapolis enjoyed luxurious natural hot springs, and was renowned for
its soothing warm baths and natural spas. Colossae had a magnificent natural
cold spring. Meanwhile, the water piped to Laodicea would have been tepid, discoloured
and unpalatable by the time it arrived.
So
this analogy to the Laodicean believers does not correlate with our modern
culture’s, “hot=good and cold=bad,” formula. Instead, it illustrates that both hot
and cold extremes are desirable! God wants His followers to be helpful, healing
Christians like the therapeutic hot water of Hierapolis. And God desires
lively, spirited followers, like the refreshing cold water of Colossae. Both
are far better than being spiritually uninspiring, or even distasteful, like
the lukewarm water at Laodicea.
Why do I mention this as a violation of the 1st Commandment? It is because we have put another love ahead of our love for God. After all, why would anyone be lukewarm about the things of God if he didn't love something or someone else as much as or more than he loved God? If we are lukewarm towards God, it is because something is competing with God in our hearts.
Summing it up
I will keep this short. To believers it should be obvious that God alone is God and the object of our service. Let us not be like the ancient Israelites who could so easily be drawn away to serve gods who were not God.
Song for the day
The tune for this
classic and well-known hymn can be found here
Holy, holy, holy!
Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning
Our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy!
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons
Blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy!
Though the darkness hide thee
Though the eye of sinful man
Thy glory may not see
Only Thou art holy
There is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love and purity
Holy, holy, holy!
Lord God Almighty
Oh thy works shall praise Thy name
In earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy!
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons
Blessed Trinity
Oh God in three persons
Blessed Trinity!
Prayer for the day
Our Holy and Majestic God.
We confess that we do not always live as if there are
no gods beside you. Help us to recognise
you in all that we say or do. Let us be
a beacon to others who are following after other ‘gods’ those of their own
making. May they see in us the light of
the one true God and the only way of salvation.
Lord protect our hearts and affections from becoming lukewarm and of
little use in your kingdom. May we not
leave our first love and if we drift bring us back to you.
We ask all this through the powerful name and mighty
intercession of Jesus
Amen
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