2/25 Exodus 20:3
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
The first of the Ten Commandments helps us obey all the rest. If the holy God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth, is our God, then we will serve and obey Him alone. Disobedience to most of the other nine commandments comes from making light of this first one. That is one reason Jesus taught that the Great Command was to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The second commandment is to not bow to other gods. The third is to not take God's name in vain. The fourth is to remember the Sabbath, a day of worship and rest. If the Living God is first in our heart, then of course we will keep all of these commands.
The fifth commandment is to honor your father and mother. The sixth is to not commit murder. The seventh is to not commit adultery. The eighth is to not steal. The ninth is to not lie about your neighbor. The tenth is to not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. These are about our relationship with others. How do they relate to the first commandment?
If you put God first, you will recognize that He is the One that put you in a home with that particular father and mother. Honoring them honors God, even when they are less than perfect. You will not murder because man is made in the image of God. You will not commit adultery because it dishonors God's design for human relationships and causes people to break their covenant with God. You will not steal because you see that God gave stewardship of that thing to a different person. You will not lie because God is truth. You will not covet because you will be content with God and what He provides for you. Jesus was giving us a profound insight when He told us that all the Law was fulfilled in the Great Command of loving God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40).
Consider: Am I being tempted today in one of these areas? If so, how am I disregarding the first commandment? How should this insight change my attitude (Genesis 39:9b)?
