No Other God
In 2015, Lex Bayer and John Figfor, wrote a book entitled, “Humanist heart, Atheist Mind.” To help get information for the book, they offered $10,000 to a would-be atheist Moses who could produce the best answers in a “Ten Non-Commandments Contest.” Interesting that they wanted to find some rules to follow…just not the ones God gave us. Here’s a sampling of what they thought the best non-commandment commandments are, with my commentary in italics: 1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence. 2. Every person has the right to control of their body. (How about the body growing inside you?) 3. “God” is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life. (You should ask Him about this.) 4. Treat others as you would want them to treat you. (Hmm, this sounds a lot like one of God’s.) 5. There is no one right way to live. (Doesn’t this eliminate rules 1-4?)
Thank you, God, that you have not left your people without instructions so that we have to come up with our own. Thank you, Father, that you have revealed yourself to us, and given us your Word.
I want you to notice that the very first word God spoke to the people at Mt. Sinai was not law but grace. God reminded them of who He is and what He has done. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” In other words, I have chosen you for myself and I have loved you and I have carried you on eagles wings and saved you. I have set my affection on you and that will never change. This is God’s covenant promise for His people, built on His love for us.
Marriage is also a covenant and it is not based first and foremost on laws and rules. If it is, that house of cards will fall in upon itself. No, marriage is a holy commitment to one another based on love, which is not a feeling but certainly should come with feelings. A happy and blessed marriage is built on love and grace, not duties and responsibilities. Are their duties and responsibilities? Of course, and the Bible makes those clear. But marriage God’s way is where a husband and a wife know they are unconditionally and absolutely loved by the other. We love each other imperfectly, but God’s grace teaches us how to grow up in that.
The first commandment is this: “You shall have no other gods before me.” This is the most fundamental of the ten. If we get this one wrong, we get everything wrong. God will not share His glory with any other. Isn’t this also the foundational truth about marriage? Marriage is a creation of God that calls for one man and one woman to leave their father and mother and be joined to one another in marriage for life. Till death us do part. What would your wife say, men, if you came home with someone from work? And you said, “Hey sweetheart, I want to introduce you to someone I met today at the office that I really, really like. I mean, I still love you most of all, but I am going to be spending some time with her, too. Don’t get me wrong, sweetie! You are still number one but I found a second one to love!” What would your wife say? I mean, after you woke up from the blow to the head? She would say something like, “Me or her, buddy. Choose you this day whom you will love.”
In the same way, God has cut a covenant with us through the precious blood of His Son. He has adopted us and purchased us and redeemed us to be sons and daughters. He is our God and will not share that position, and that glory. Later in Exodus when the covenant is renewed because the people had worshiped a golden calf, God says, “You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous god.” We think of jealousy as a character flaw and it usually is for you and me. Our jealousy is selfish and sinful most of the time. But God’s jealousy is rooted in covenantal love for His people. His jealousy is righteous and holy and all consuming. Simply put, God does not tolerate dating around when it comes to our relationship with Him. Our complete surrender to God is for His glory and for our good! God’s jealousy, to use John Piper’s explanation, “is the measure of his zeal for our happiness in him. His anger at our spiritual adultery, at our having other lovers besides him, is a reflex both of his zeal for his own worth, but also of his zeal for our joy. If we turn away from him as the greatest treasure, we turn away from our own greatest pleasure.”
Why would we want to do that? There is no other God.