Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

It was just another time with God, beside the stinking lake near my house.The evening wasn't so special, just as much the same as the other eventides that had gone by.I lay the newspaper down on the dirty turf and sat on it.It was indeed another evening of heart rending and crying out to God...which had become some sort of a routine lately.I opened my BIBLE and turned to Deuteronomy 5 and began to meditate on it prayerfully.I was supposed to finish the entire chapter for the evening.
The first few verses went by with hardly any new revelations.Then i came to verse 7.Well, it was just another repetition of the Ten Commandments which i have quite often read in Exodus 22.Then i read verse 8,9 and 10.All these verses obviously sum up to make the first of the Ten Commandments.Then i went back to verse 7 and 8.Ans as i was meditating on these verse i began to understand the first commandment as never before.I don't dogmatically claim that my way of understanding these verses was a sure revelation from God or that it is infallibly correct.But this is what i heard God speak to me that evening of evenings.
Verse 7:This verse tells us that we are not to have any gods BEFORE God.Does this mean we can have other gods AFTER Him? Does this mean we can worship Allah or Ram or some graven idols or even Satan so long as we give the first priority to God?Well, the next verse gives us the answer.
Verse 8:In this verse we learn that God forbids the making or the worshipping of graven images.So the answer to the question above is a big 'NO'.We are not to worship anything/anyone that we make god by our hands or perhaps by our imaginations or experiences.
What then does God mean by not having any other gods BEFORE Him?I believe God was addressing the heart as much as He was addressing outward religion when He gave these commandments.So,God was addressing the idols in the heart of man.He was talking about the things and people that take up the space in the heart of man.He was talking about our aims and ambitions which often take priority over Him and His will in our hearts.He was talking about anything we crave for or anyone we long for more than God Himself.Yes, that's the idol that God talks about in the first of the ten commandments.And hence, it is not highly improbable that we Christians who claim to have had mountain-top spiritual experiences are actually failing to keep even the most basic and fundamental commandment on which our relationship with God stands.I'm not trying to so much focus on or underscore the Ten Commandments as to make us check our hearts with truthful honesty.Have we truly denied ourselves of all the idols in our hearts?This laying down of our name, fame, riches, aim , will .....is the difficult part, isn't it folks?The next step of taking up God's commandments isn't so difficult, 'cause His Word says His commandments are not burdensome.

I don't dogmatically claim that my way of understanding these verses was a sure revelation from God or that it is infallibly correct.But this is what i heard God speak to me that evening of evenings.

I am very impressed with the way you presented this article. This is a way God is leading me to present things as well. There is no use in posting opinions in such public forum with an 'I am right and you are wrong' attitude. I am not saying we need to accept everyone as right but as long as I am confident about my revelation that is good enough.

Regarding your revelation on this commandment I very much believe that it is 100% from God. This is the purpose of new Covenant life where we do not keep the exact word of Law but the spirit behind the word.

The spirit behind the word has much higher standard than the word itself. For example the word just means that I should not worship any other images of God. But the spirit raises the standard and checks the motives of inner heart to show the truth.

Lalchhan,

I can echo your sentiments.

The commandment "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" is fundamental to all of scripture. You violate it and you will open the door to the devil. If the Jehovah God is not the God that rules your heart, mind and soul, you are vulnerable to entertain all manner of sin.

One thing I find a tad bit troubling is the vulnerability of God's people. One thinks that if the first commandment is operational, your lifestyle, the rest would not pose a threat to the life of a Believer. Yet, the NT still warns Christians of these sins. "Flee youthful lusts" or "lay aside the besetting sin.." are all NT commands.

Yes, it all begins by reverencing God in our hearts. Unless that sense of the Holy resides there one will find holiness impossible. ("..be ye Holy for I am Holy." 1Peter 1:15,16.)

Have you read the articles posted by Paul West here on SI about mortification? Here is the link - it is a worthwhile read, I promise.

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12137&forum=34

Blessings.

I can attest that I have had problems with this commandment. I have allowed things to sit on the throne that rightly belong to Christ. Whether it be money, wife, kids, or whatever has my affection. To be blessed though, is to have the Spirit convict and prompt you to repentance.

I learned a short while back that people can also break this commandment by forming their own version of God in their minds, as opposed to what he has revealed about himself in the Bible. Such as, a God who is permissive, winks at sin, condones things he has already spoken against in his Word, and a God who would never send anyone to Hell.