From the "Gracevine" newsletter article for Grace Lutheran Church in Thornville, Ohio, March 2024
The Ten Commandments: The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:3 ESV
What exactly is a “god”? In the history of our Western civilization, people used to worship all kinds of different gods, deities who were said to have control over aspects of creation. In ancient Greece, for example, people worshipped Zeus, the king of the gods, who they believed reigned from Mount Olympus. They also worshipped gods such as Ares (the god of war), Aphrodite (the goddess of love), Poseidon (the god of the ocean), or Hermes (the messenger of the gods). The equivalent of these gods in ancient Rome were Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Neptune, and Mercury, respectively. Many planets in our solar system are named after these Roman gods. For many of us, who are of German and Scandinavian descent, our ancestors worshipped a different pantheon (group of gods). Ancient Norse people prayed to the likes of Thor, Odin, Freya, Njord, and Tyr. Even today, many people adhere to religions like Hinduism, which encourage people to worship many different gods.
In our time and in our part of the world, the temptation to worship these many different gods described above is minimal. We look at ancient Greek, Norse, and Roman gods as an interesting part of human history, but something that has long since been thrown in the wastebasket. Not many of us are pressured to enter temples dedicated to Zeus, Jupiter, or Odin and worship. So, we might be tempted to think that this first of the Ten Commandments is easy for us to obey.
But not so fast! In his Large Catechism from the year 1529, Martin Luther had this to say about this First Commandment:
A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need. To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him with our whole heart. As I have often said, the trust and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust are right, then your God is the true God. On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you have not the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God.
We might not worship ancient Greek, Norse, and Roman gods, but we are always tempted to trust in other things with our whole heart, and in that sense Luther expands the definition of “god.” Martin Luther made a list of things that we as humans tend to lift up as gods: wealth, great learning, wisdom, power, prestige, family, and honor. I am sure we could easily add to that list.
All these things mentioned above are not necessarily bad. They are a part of our lives as we continue our pilgrimage on earth. But we need to remember that those things that we desire are, just like we are, a part of creation, not the creator. God calls upon us in this First Commandment to recognize Him as the creator of all things, who alone is worthy of worship and praise. All the other things that we are tempted to put our faith in can fail at any moment. But God’s love for us is the only sure thing on which we can rely.
Our failure to obey this commandment is the root of all sin. From the beginning, the Bible is filled with stories of people who neglect the will of God and seek their security in other things. All of us fall short of this commandment, as we fail to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and might.” For that reason, God has sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to be our Savior. The Holy Spirit calls us through that message of gospel (good news) to trust in God as the source of all things and even of our salvation. As we are tempted to be unfaithful to God, we need always to hear God’s Word for us, calling upon us to be faithful. As we do, our perspective toward everything around us changes. The manner in which we handle the things of this world changes. We recognize the things of creation as having their source in God, and so we are filled with thanksgiving for those gifts around us.
In some ways, this first commandment sets the tone for all commandments that follow. At the conclusion of his words about the First Commandment in the Large Catechism, Martin Luther said this:
We had to explain it at length since it is the most important. For, as I said before, where the heart is right with God and this commandment is kept, fulfillment of all the others will follow of its own accord.
Pr. Tom Jacobson
The Ten Commandments: The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:3 ESV
What exactly is a “god”? In the history of our Western civilization, people used to worship all kinds of different gods, deities who were said to have control over aspects of creation. In ancient Greece, for example, people worshipped Zeus, the king of the gods, who they believed reigned from Mount Olympus. They also worshipped gods such as Ares (the god of war), Aphrodite (the goddess of love), Poseidon (the god of the ocean), or Hermes (the messenger of the gods). The equivalent of these gods in ancient Rome were Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Neptune, and Mercury, respectively. Many planets in our solar system are named after these Roman gods. For many of us, who are of German and Scandinavian descent, our ancestors worshipped a different pantheon (group of gods). Ancient Norse people prayed to the likes of Thor, Odin, Freya, Njord, and Tyr. Even today, many people adhere to religions like Hinduism, which encourage people to worship many different gods.
In our time and in our part of the world, the temptation to worship these many different gods described above is minimal. We look at ancient Greek, Norse, and Roman gods as an interesting part of human history, but something that has long since been thrown in the wastebasket. Not many of us are pressured to enter temples dedicated to Zeus, Jupiter, or Odin and worship. So, we might be tempted to think that this first of the Ten Commandments is easy for us to obey.
But not so fast! In his Large Catechism from the year 1529, Martin Luther had this to say about this First Commandment:
A god is that to which we look for all good and in which we find refuge in every time of need. To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe him with our whole heart. As I have often said, the trust and faith of the heart alone make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust are right, then your God is the true God. On the other hand, if your trust is false and wrong, then you have not the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. That to which your heart clings and entrusts itself is, I say, really your God.
We might not worship ancient Greek, Norse, and Roman gods, but we are always tempted to trust in other things with our whole heart, and in that sense Luther expands the definition of “god.” Martin Luther made a list of things that we as humans tend to lift up as gods: wealth, great learning, wisdom, power, prestige, family, and honor. I am sure we could easily add to that list.
All these things mentioned above are not necessarily bad. They are a part of our lives as we continue our pilgrimage on earth. But we need to remember that those things that we desire are, just like we are, a part of creation, not the creator. God calls upon us in this First Commandment to recognize Him as the creator of all things, who alone is worthy of worship and praise. All the other things that we are tempted to put our faith in can fail at any moment. But God’s love for us is the only sure thing on which we can rely.
Our failure to obey this commandment is the root of all sin. From the beginning, the Bible is filled with stories of people who neglect the will of God and seek their security in other things. All of us fall short of this commandment, as we fail to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and might.” For that reason, God has sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to be our Savior. The Holy Spirit calls us through that message of gospel (good news) to trust in God as the source of all things and even of our salvation. As we are tempted to be unfaithful to God, we need always to hear God’s Word for us, calling upon us to be faithful. As we do, our perspective toward everything around us changes. The manner in which we handle the things of this world changes. We recognize the things of creation as having their source in God, and so we are filled with thanksgiving for those gifts around us.
In some ways, this first commandment sets the tone for all commandments that follow. At the conclusion of his words about the First Commandment in the Large Catechism, Martin Luther said this:
We had to explain it at length since it is the most important. For, as I said before, where the heart is right with God and this commandment is kept, fulfillment of all the others will follow of its own accord.
Pr. Tom Jacobson