1st Commandment: No Other Gods

Exodus 19:10-20:3

1. THE LORD DESCENDS

The scene at Mount Sinai would have been genuinely frightening.

God descends on the mountain in fire, thunder and lightenings.

God speaks - the people are frightened. Deut 5:22-24

Deuteronomy 5:22–24 ESV

22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24 And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live.

They cannot come up on the mountain.

God gives 10 commandments to the people. These are 10 commandments that summarise the whole law. Jesus further summarised the 10 commandments when he said:

Matthew 22:37–39 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Of these 10 commandments - the first 4 relate to our relationship to God. These are the most important commandments. The second 6 relate to our relationship to one another.

When people recall the 10 commandments they typically remember, “thou shalt not kill”, as though that were the most important and weightiest commandment but actually that’s to get them the wrong way around. Our most important relationship is the one we have with God - and therefore the weightiest commandments deal with our relationship to Him.

2. THE GOD OF COVENANT

YHWH, not Elohim, not El Shaddai, but YHWH.

The God who brought you from the house of slavery. God has a right to his people - He is their saviour.

God is our deliverer - He rescues us from the house of slavery to sin.

God establishing a new covenant with Moses and the people of Israel.

3. A JEALOUS GOD

You shall have no other gods before my face. - ‬עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ

He’s not saying; ‘of all the things you worship i have to be first.’ He is saying - if you worship anyone or anything except me, I will take it personally.

He uses the 2nd person singular - he’s addressing the individual.

God is jealous for the worship of his people and it’s not a sin! Why? Because it belongs to him! It is rightfully his possession!!

4. PURE WORSHIP COMMANDED

No pluralism - a smorgasboard of religion (Daniel 3 - The Golden Image)

No syncretism - the blending of religion - (Judges 17 - Micah the priest)

No false worship - worshipping God in our own way (Exodus 32 - the golden calf)

“God has prescribed to us how He would be worshipped by us, whenever we turn away in the very smallest degree from this rule, we make to ourselves other gods, and degrade Him from His right place.” John Calvin

Pure worship through Christ:

God has spoken to us not from the mountain, nor through a new prophet but through His son.

Hebrews 1:1–3 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

God has spoken to the world through Christ, who has fulfilled the law and become our offering for sin. Through Him God has established a new and better covenant for those who believe.

Pure worship is worship in and through the Son of God:

John 14:5–9 ESV

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?