Chapter Two – No Other Gods before Me

Virtually every Bible student is familiar with the term, “The Ten Commandments.” The famous half-century-year-old movie of the same name is rerun every spring in connection with the celebration of the ancient supposed Christian tradition of Easter. Many millions have come to know the Hollywood version of the Bible account of the receiving of the Ten Commandments.

America has been embroiled in a legal battle over whether the constitution—requiring the separation of church and state—allows for the Ten Commandments to be displayed publicly in courts and government buildings. But Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia put it best when he said, “I think 90 percent of Americans believe in the Ten Commandments, but 85 percent probably couldn’t tell you what they are.” And how many could even paraphrase half of them is another question.

Therefore, largely lost in this astounding account in the book of Exodus is the all-important First Commandment, establishing Who it was that gave these laws to ancient Israel in the wilderness. This commandment must be firmly established in your mind from the outset of the book. I repeat: It lies at the heart of all religion. Moses recorded God’s words: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3).

Surely, if the Bible is the inspired instruction book of an all-wise and all-powerful Creator God, who was also the only true God in the universe, His first commandment could not have been otherwise. Under no circumstances would that God want other gods worshipped in His place. In fact, in the very next commandment, the Author of these laws describes Himself as “a jealous God.”

Notice this second, longer command: “You shall not make unto you any graven 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 yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exo 20:4-5). This commandment is a very broad, sweeping, explicit prohibition intended to cover every form of false worship involving every other kind of supposed “god,” and representation of such, that human beings with creative human reasoning could devise. Like any parent whose children chose to come home to a different house and to different parents after school, the Parent who made all human beings—His children—would certainly be jealous if they went off after idols and false gods.

Even the Third Commandment is tied directly to the first two. It describes the careful reverence with which God wants His name to be used at all times. Here is that command: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain” (Exo 20:7). The meaning of this commandment is that when people even reference the true God, they should be very careful how they do it (Psa. 111:9). They should think about the purpose—the reason—for which they mention His most holy name.

The fourth and final commandment that we will examine for our purposes here is also tied directly to the identity of the God of the Bible. Let’s first read this considerably longer command before examining it more closely: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labour, and do all your work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Psa 111:8-11).

Although the world has generally discarded observance of the seventh-day Sabbath in place of Sunday, the first day of the week, this is nevertheless an extraordinary command, given for a vital purpose. It also creates a special problem for the evolutionist—even the one who professes to believe in God, including the God of the Bible.

Here is how: God expects all of His servants to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. Why? So that they would never forget which God it was Who “in six days” created “heaven and earth,” and who sealed this by resting on “the seventh day.” In this way, the God who authored the Bible directly ties all of the Ten Commandments to the Creation account, which, in turn, leaves no room for His servants to drift into following and worshipping other gods. While one may not otherwise be correctly worshipping God, at least by observing the Sabbath every seven days, the adherent is forced to be cognizant of the sole God of Creation.

The God of the Bible leaves no room for doubt in the first four commandments. He expects to be worshipped as He is, including on the day that He, not man, has selected for this worship. He allows no room for confusion and does not want human opinion added—He accepts no substitution of the false for the true.

The evolutionist has a big problem trying to explain belief in a God who created all life on earth in six days. Having rejected the Creation account of this God, it becomes much easier to go on to the next step—the very rejection of that God, and possibly the idea that there even is a God! Of course, faithful Sabbath observance every seven days would eliminate this problem.

(Though this is a separate element of the subject, you should also take time to prove that, in fact, there IS a God. Consider reading our informative booklet Does God Exist?, as well as our thorough, illustrated brochure Evolution – Facts, Fallacies and Implications. Unlike anything you have read, these help establish a foundation on which to confidently build a right relationship with God. Also take note that a page recommending additional literature is included at the back for the purpose of making the reader aware of material that greatly expands related subjects that cannot be as thoroughly discussed in the book. At other times, helpful literature will be referenced within the text.)