Who comes first?  (Exodus 20:2-3)
Theme: Who God is and what He has done determines what we must be and do?
(Exodus 20:2-3)
October 8, 1995
Pastor William Hsueh, Ph.D.

Introduction

The Israelites were in Egypt for 400 years. During the latter part of their stay, they became slaves and suffered greatly. God heard their cry and through the hands of Moses, led them out of Egypt.

This group of men and women, about 1 million in number, began traveling to the land promised to their ancestors. But they had a problem. What to do with their new found freedom? Now they were free to worship God, but how? From now on, they are to live as a nation, but how?

Three months after the Exodus, God began to show his people the boundaries and limits of their freedom. You see, if there is freedom but with no frame, freedom will soon turn into anarchy. God gave them the 10 commandments. The purpose was not to restrict and stifle them, but to protect them, so they can fully enjoy their new found liberty. The 10 commandments showed them how to worship God and live in peace with each other.

Our world is in great confusion. The more freedom we have, the more corrupt we become. Some post communist countries, after a taste of the western democracy, are even thinking about the dictatorial past. At least in those days, life was more predictable and boundaries clearly drawn.

In a society where anything goes, there are chaos, and regrets. We learn the hard way that there are certain universal moral principles. When these principles are violated, we suffer from their painful consequences.

Like the children of Israel, we too need to listen, what are the boundaries within which we are to operate. How do we relate to God and people around us?

I. The God behind the ten commandments

How did God introduce the 10 commandments? By first introducing himself to his people. Its like when we first meet someone, we may exchange business cards. Or we put a name tag to introduce ourselves to others. When God introduced himself to the Israelites, He was also making a clear statement that, "Who God is and what he has done determines what his people must be and do.o/oo Let's see how he introduces himself.

1. The powerful God

V2,"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." God reminded his people that it was he who through great miracles had brought them out of the land of slavery. V11,"For in 6 days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them". He is the creator God, the powerful one who created the heavens and the earth, and everything in it. The Israelites and us, did not just evolve out of nothing. Instead, we were created and sustained by his power.

2. The redemptive God

V2,"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." For 400 years, The Jews lived in a foreign land, they were slaves, possessed by the Egyptians. Now, God recovered them from alien possession. He redeemed them. He is their redeemer.

The same with us. We were once under sin,s dominion, slaves to sins. But God paid a price to buy us back from Sin. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross, he redeems us from Sin,s slavery. Giving us true liberty.

3. The covenant God

Again, look at v2: "I am the Lord your God". The word "Lord", in Hebrew is YHWH. God always uses this word to introduce himself in the context of a covenant. He calls himself YHWH when he makes a commitment, a promise to his people. He has other names to describe his power and majesty. But YHWH is used in a covenant relationship. In the Bible, God's commitment to his people is compared to that of a marriage. Isaiah 54:5,"For your maker is your husband". Here, throughout the first 5 commandments, we see the repeated appearance of the words "Lord your God.", And throughout the Bible, the words "your God, my people.", It points to an intimate relationship between God and his people, including those of us who through faith in Jesus Christ have become his children.

The nicest thing we parents hear at home is: "you're my favorite daddy or mom." "I love you" Nothing can be closer than this relationship. This is how we belong to God. He is our God and we are his people.

4. The Jealous God

This God is the powerful, redemptive and covenant God. But he is also the jealous God. The word jealous is not to be looked upon as a negative quality. Here it implies moral excellence. A loyal husband rightly desires his wife's exclusive affection. When the loyalty is betrayed, there will be judgment.

This is how God introduces himself to his people. He is the powerful God, the redemptive God, the covenant God and the jealous God. He is the one who brought them out of Egypt. And he is also our God. If so, then the first commandment will flow naturally.

II. The competing gods

V3; "you shall have no other gods before me." This verse implies that beside this powerful, redemptive, covenant and jealous God, there are also other kinds of gods. Luther defined God as whatever our hearts cling to.

The Israelites knew too well about other gods. The Egyptians worshipped the sun god. People in Canaan, the land that was given to them, worshipped Baal. Baal symbolized fertility. Their worship of Baal led to sexual immorality, temple prostitutes, gluttony and drunkenness. Then there was also the cult of Molech which practiced human sacrifice, especially children. God,s people were surrounded by these gods. They were competing with the creator, the redeemer and the covenant God.

How about us? We've heard about the idol worship in other countries. We are surprised at the number of temples in Taiwan streets. It has the highest concentration of temples in the world. And we pray over their superstitions. But how about us in this country? We don't worship Buddha. But if whatever our hearts cling to is God, then its a different story, isn't it?

Take a look at the TV commercials, it tells us what kind of gods we have here. We worship pleasure, possession and position. To some sports is all we care. Then there is sex. Look at the magazines displayed in the supermarket check out, sex is on all the front covers. Sex, a gift from God has turned into a god many worship. Some parents and children alike, sacrifice personal, relational and spiritual growth on the altar of Grades. We also worship youthful bodies. We should be healthy. There's nothing wrong to be attractive, but sometimes we become obsessed by the desire to have those shapely and perfect bodies. To some, families have become their gods.

Even among the educated Chinese, many turn to "FengSui". House must face a certain direction. One pregnant lady changed several hospitals because the direction was not right. Street numbers, telephone numbers, license numbers must have as many "8",as possible.

In the midst of all these gods, God,s word like a lightening, reminds us that there must be no other gods before him.

III. The one true God demands our complete loyalty

But what does it mean not to have any other gods before him? John Calvin, the great reformer said, "not to have other gods before him means not to transfer what belongs to the creator God to other gods." He listed four things not to be transferred.

First, adoration. We are to only worship the creator, giving him our praise and loyalty.

Second, Trust. The creator God is the only God that we trust. Not Buddha, financial security, or our position at work.

Thirdly, Invocation. That is, when we are under pressure, we are to turn to this creator and redeemer,s faithfulness for help and support.

Fourthly, Thanksgiving. We are to be grateful to God for all the good things we received.

Our adoration, trust, petition and thanksgiving do not go to beauty, wealth and self-resource. They belong to this powerful, redeeming, and loving God. We worship him, trust in his faithfulness and goodness, we depend on his daily provisions and empowerment, and are grateful for all the blessings we receive from him.

Besides not transferring what belongs to the creator God to other gods, there must also be what Packer called the concentrated living. That is, God centered living.

When we look at life, we have our own ways of compartmentalize them. One portion of life is for God, another segment for church, one for the family and one for the company. So we do our godly duty, such as going to church, or reading the Bible. Then we carry out our other responsibilities, such as working and spending time with family. They are all neatly separated from each other. They don't run into each other.

However, if there is only one God that I worship, then I must give him my total loyalty. Not God plus work and family. In response to his love, I must give him that exclusive love. I am to love him with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind. In other words, I am to love him with my total being. To put it simply, in everything I do, In my ministry and responsibility in this church, in my study, in my profession, in my family life, I do as a service to God. In everything I do, I give 100% of my strength and ability, because I am doing it for God.

Who God is and what he has done, determines what we must be and do. Because he is my creator, my redeemer, the God who has committed himself to me, therefore I must give him my total loyalty and love.

Conclusion

The first of the ten commands is that we shall have no other gods before him. This sets the pace for the rest of the commandments. It is the foundation of our living. When we worship this creator God, Redeemer, God of the covenant, it helps us to focus on what is really important.

Many of us have been to the circus. If you have never been to one, you probably have seen it in movies or on TV. When that animal tamer enters the cage with four or five tigers and lions, what does he have in his hands? In one hand is a whip, but how about the other hand? A stool. But what is pointing at those mean animals? The four legs of the stool. Why not turn the stool the other way with just the seat facing them? Or even better, why not just use a big stick? Experts tells us that when the tigers/lions see the four legs of the stool, they don,t know which one to focus on. But if they focus on one single object, such as the stick or the seat, they can easily jump on you. But with four legs before them, they get confused.

It is the same with us. When we are attracted to money, youthful bodies, positions and pleasures, we easily lose our direction and meaning in life.

This is the reason we are to focus on one thing, that is, the creator and the redeemer God. Since he has first loved and committed himself to us, we must also give our total and undivided loyalty to him and him alone.