July 9, 2024
Ten Commandments -- Part 2
Exodus 20:1-5a
07/09/2024
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 ``I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 You shall have no other gods before me.''
4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them.''
(ESV)
When the children of Israel escaped from slavery in Egypt,
they were led through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day
and a pillar of fire by night. Shortly after leaving Egypt, they
came to Mount Sinai where God spoke directly to Moses.
And God spoke all these words, saying, ``I am the LORD
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods
before me.''
The sin of Adam and Eve was the desire to be like God, to
replace Him. We see how that worked out for everyone. By
looking to ourselves as our own god, we cause great dissension,
wars, and violence. In love God calls us to look outside
ourselves, to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things.
Not only do we become our own false god, but we place
objects before Him. God warned each of us of the danger of
trusting in things rather than Him.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that
is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve
them.
God taught us that the things we create cannot support us in
times of strife and trouble.
May our Lord grant us faith to trust in the Creator rather
than in things created. Amen.