(This blog continues our summer series over the ten commandments.)
“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.” Exodus 20:2-3 ESV
The worship of other “gods” perhaps seems a bit odd for us to ponder. The Israelites were enslaved within the land of Egypt for 400 years, which was a land that worshiped up to 2,000 different gods or goddesses. Egypt has a god for everything! Need prayer and protection for childbirth? Just ask Bastet! Need protection from scorpions out in the desert? You can count on Hedetet to protect you from their venom! Countless temples and regions in Egypt were dedicated to these different gods, and the Israelites were surrounded and tempted by this worship.
It is clear in a reading of Exodus that God intended to establish Himself as the one True God over Israel. The Great I Am heard the cries of His people in slavery and intended for His great name to be remembered throughout all generations (Exodus 2:23-25; 3:13-15). Even after the people witnessed God’s mighty works in the land of Egypt, their grumblings, discontent, and untrusting hearts revealed their lacking faith and reverence to God. He offered grumbling, discontent, and untrusting Israel the opportunity to become a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” in His name, if His covenant is kept (Exodus 19:5-6). Unfortunately, we do not see Israel become this holy nation or kingdom of priests in the book of Exodus. They were wholly unable to keep their side of the Lord’s covenant, which begins with our first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
In our modern 21st century, Western-world framework, the idol worship of other gods is not really on our radars any longer. Knowing that the Bible was written for us, but not to us, we can still derive application from this passage. So, how can we apply this command to our hearts and minds today?
I believe there are certainly little “gods” in our lives, and perhaps we don’t even recognize them. I consider a “god” as something (or someone) we see as worthy of worshiping, exalting, praising, or fearing. It has control over our lives in one way or another (whether through fear or exaltation), and it becomes the center of our universe. We have many good things in our own lives: spouses, families, children, careers, stable finances, friend groups, vehicles, degrees, or even a job in (or desire for) ministry. In Journey to the Cross, Paul David Tripp writes: “Often good things have control over us that they should not have. As I have written elsewhere, good things become bad things when they become ruling things.”
Jesus also asks us to look inward to our hearts to determine what truly rules us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) How many of us are honest enough to admit that one or more of these “good things” have become our “god”? Or our overwhelming desire for marriage and children? The food we run to for comfort? Our pursuits in ministry? Our desire to be validated and accepted by other people? What, in our hearts and minds, has dethroned the one True God in our lives in place of these “little gods?”
Here are some questions that could help reveal where our hearts have wandered and perhaps slipped into idolatrous worship of another “god”:
Ask yourself, “If I lost this (job, car, person, desire, etc.) tomorrow, would I be okay spiritually?”
How much time do I spend interacting with this compared to investing time pursuing God through a relationship with Christ?
Have the “good” things in my life controlled my thoughts, actions, behaviors, feelings, etc. more so than the Truth found in God’s Word?
Our hearts were made to worship our Creator for eternity. On this side of heaven, my hope is that our soul thirsts for the Living God as a deer pants for the water (Psalm 42:1-2). If our hearts aren’t worshiping the one True God, they are set to worship and seek after “gods” elsewhere.
Meet the Author!
Kaitlin loves Jesus and the Word with all her heart and soul. She is wife to Landon Niles and enjoys being part of the Niles Family Crew with Troy, Nolene, and Tate! She is currently attending Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for a Master of Theological Studies degree, with an emphasis in Biblical Counseling. She also serves in our CRBC Student Ministry and leads 6-9th grade girls. Apart from Jesus, she loves dogs, cooking, reading, and The Chosen!