Prime the Pump: Exodus

Exodus 20:2–3 These verses say, “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.” I listed the “simple version” of this commandment as “Do not worship any other ‘gods.’” The name of God at the beginning of verse 2 is printed as “LORD.” This is the covenant name of God, the I AM. Hebrew people call it “the ineffable tetragrammaton”—the unspeakable four-letter-word. Why? The Third Commandment specifically states not misusing His name, so they began a practice of substituting another name of God in order to make certain they would not mispronounce that name! This covenant name of God automatically should bring to our minds such qualities as His love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, kindness, provision, care, protection, etc. Verse 2 begins with “the LORD your God.” Here “God” [specifically upper case “G” with lower case “o” and “d”] is the Hebrew “Elohim”—which refers to His strength or His power, and it is a plural noun. Why is this important? Throughout the Old Testament, the LORD was testifying through Scripture that the Godhead is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—one God [Elohim] in three divine Persons. As we read Old Testament Scripture, we require the context of the passage in order to know whether we are reading about the divine God or the false “gods” of the pagans. As we begin to dig into the First Commandment, let’s take what is listed above and replace some words: “I am ‘the I AM’ your Elohim . . . . You shall have no other elohim before Me.” The “LORD your God” is the original, the Creator God. He is the One who spoke the universe into existence through His power and authority—He is the only Elohim deserving of worship and glory. Any other elohim is a fraud, a fake, a pretender, a chameleon, a substitute, a deceiver, or an outright liar! Sometimes we have opportunities to purchase the “name brand” or a “generic brand” and make the choice based upon cost and/or quality. We can “get by” with “OK quality” when the generic product is a significant money savings, but the difference between “Elohim” [the true-and-living God] and “elohim” [the false “gods”, the deceiver “gods”] compares running a four-minute-mile is to running a four-hour-mile—it ain’t even a close second! Worship is a spiritual practice of enunciating awesome worth and glory, and, unfortunately, a great many people literally worship what truly has little-to-no worth or glory. Some are truly deceived. Some worship “elohim” [the false pagan “gods”] because it brings a sense of value, a purpose, sense of belonging, and/or “good feelings.” The issue is that everything associated with “elohim” [the false pagan “gods”] not only is temporary in nature, but it doesn’t fill the need. This is where we turn the prohibition into a positive statement. I freely admit that this is something I worked on a while ago, and it took considerable thought and effort. I encourage everyone to work the process for themselves. “So, Pastor Wagner, after all this build-up, what is your positive statement for the First Commandment?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Here it is: The LORD your God removed your bondage by faith in Him. His grace has provided every spiritual blessing in the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to all believers to serve and edify the Body of Christ. You owe everything to Him. Serve the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Be so devoted to the LORD your God that there is no room in your heart or mind for even one thought of any other [false] god. The LORD your God loves you and wants the very best for you. Don’t settle for second best!