First things First

Recently I was looking at the commandments, the first two in particular. They're found in Exodus 20:3-6

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

These first two commandments that God gave, command that we put Him first, and above all other gods, and secondly, we must not make any idols, or graven images for ourselves to worship.

Putting God first and foremost in our lives demonstrates our personal belief, faith, love, and loyalty to God alone. But by simply doing the works that are prescribed by the law alone, without our hearts, souls, and minds properly aligned with God isn’t enough, we need to do both.

Consider King David, he was guilty of some of the most horrific crimes out there concerning his affair with Bathsheba, and the murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite. In the depths of this sordid affair, David showed no regard for the other laws, which in their own standing deserved death. Yet his belief that God was the Lord God Almighty, God above all other gods, never wavered and this resulted in God being merciful to him by sparing him from death. Even though he was a scoundrel of a sinner, David remained steadfast in his belief in who God was, and he didn’t turn to worshiping other gods or idols.

But David's sin wasn’t forgotten, he had to bear the consequences of his actions for the remainder of his life, and that was the shame he had to bear throughout the rest of his life. Mistakes can be hard to bear!

But by placing God first, and staying clear of apostasy, i.e. not formally abandoning the faith, God did not abandon David, as he did the other Kings of Israel and Judah who turned away and to worshipping other gods.

All of us make mistakes, we fail, and fall way short of the glory of God, but even the most heinous of these failures do not exclude us from God’s mercy. However, choosing to worship other gods after you've personally come to know God does!

Remember when Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment, he answered, in Matt 22:37-40,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

When you truly know and Love God, you can’t bow to worship a lesser god.

Have a great day,

Trev.