#14. April 6, 2015
2015 Devotional. These passages are taken from: “100 Verses Every Christian Needs to Know” by Freeman-Smith. All passages are from the NIV
3 “You shall have no other gods before [a] me.”
This verse is the first commandment of the “Decalogue” the Ten Words. The Ten Commandments are covenantal standards for Israel in their relationship with God (also see Dt. 5: 1-21). God reminds them of His loving care and gives them 10 commands: four commands regulating their relationship with God and six commands to regulate their relationship with each other.
The Ten Commandments still apply to Christians today. Today, in our covenantal relationship in Christ Jesus the Ten Commandments are a rule for living, teaching us how we may please God. The Ten Commandments were not a way to salvation in Moses’ day but salvation was by faith in the promises of God (Rom 4:18-25). The sacrifices of the Old Testament were a foreshadowing of the ultimate and once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Today the Ten Commandments are not a way to salvation. We obey God’s commands because we are saved, not to work for our own salvation. Salvation is in Christ Jesus alone: by faith in the works of God are we righteous before God as it was at the beginning of God’s covenantal relationship with mankind. (Rom. 4:1-6; 16-17)
Getting back to verse 3 and the introduction to the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”. Today God says to us: “I am the Lord your God who loves you and brought you out of the slavery of sin, the slavery Satan imposes on you but I gave Myself for you. My Son died for you so that you may live forever! Therefore, “ you shall have no other god’s besides me.” The concept of “no other God besides me” is clarified by commands two through four. (v. 4-11).
What does it mean to have other gods? It means to hold something in this world more important to you than God. It often is a subtle allegiance to something. Sometimes we do not realize that we hold something more important to us than God. It could be our family, as important as that is, our spouse, our children, and the success of our children. It could be our work, success in our careers, economic security. It could be sports, a favorite team, or our participation in a sport. None of these things are wrong in and of themselves and God wants us to give our efforts and talents to them but they must not be more important to us than our relationship with God. The bottom line is that in all we do, we glorify and thank God for all we are able to do in this life. Everything we do in Jesus’/ God’s name and do for His glory is work that will last forever and are the building blocks for the New Heaven and the New Earth. Praise be to God!
Heavenhigh 