You shall have no other gods before Me
The giving of the Law to the nation of Israel was one of the most important events in the history of mankind’s redemption, and an important step in the chronicles of the covenant nation of Israel. The Lord had rescued the nation of Israel from Egyptian slavery and carried them into the Sinai desert where they were to be given an exalted position among all the nations of the earth and become God’s treasured possession. The complete Law covered a wide range of moral, civil, religious, and ceremonial ordinances. If the nation remained faithful to the Lord, He promised them unimaginable blessings, while disobedience would necessitate punishment. And the first command that God presented to the nation was, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Prior to God even beginning to systematically lay out His conditions before His people, He reminded them of all that He had already done for them with the following words: “I am the Lord Your God Who brought You out of the land of Egypt.” But, heading up all the moral; civil, religion and ceremonial ordinances was the first and greatest commandment: “you shall have no others gods before Me.” All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for us in many ways. But, we must never forget that the Word of God must be read in its historical context…for not all scripture is directed towards us. The commands that God gave to Israel…were for Israel. And although they are instructive for all people and cover many of the principles and instructions of Christian living which are laid out in the New Testament, in this age of grace we must always recognize that these commands were first and foremost given to Israel in a specific, historical context…and for a specific purpose. And although many of the commands that were given to the nation of Israel are repeated in the New Testament by God’s holy apostles and prophets for the Church, not all continue to be in force during this Christian duration. Again , the giving of the Law to the nation of Israel was one of the most important events in the history of man’s redemption, and an important step in the chronicles of the covenant nation of Israel, through Whom God’s anointed Son was born. But the main function of the Law is to point us to Christ, for He is not only the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets, but He is the One Who has already fulfilled the Law on behalf of all who would believe on His name. And the commandment, “there shall be no other gods before Me,” has withstood the test of time and is still as true today as it was then.
Spiritual Steve 