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Deuteronomy chapter 5, we're 
in the longest of the exhortations on the plains of Moab. This is 
an exhortation to pursue covenant loyalty. So foundational to that 
is the Ten Commandments or the Decalogue. And so that's what 
we have rehearsed here in chapter 5. It's basically what we see 
in Exodus chapter 20, the original giving of the moral law at Sinai 
or at the base of Sinai. They've wandered through the 
wilderness. They've gotten to the plains of Moab. They're about 
to enter into the promised land, and so Moses is exhorting them 
on faithfulness when they inherit the land on how they are to serve 
the living and the true God. So our focus tonight will be 
on the first commandment, Deuteronomy 5, 7, but I want to read this 
section to set it in its larger context. So beginning in Deuteronomy 
5 at verse 1. And Moses called all Israel and 
said to them, hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which 
I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be 
careful to observe them. The Lord our God made a covenant 
with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant 
with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all 
of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face 
to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood 
between the Lord and you at that time to declare to you the word 
of the Lord, for you were afraid because of the fire and you did 
not go up the mountain. He said, I am the Lord your God 
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. "'You shall not 
make for yourself a carved image, "'any likeness of anything that 
is in heaven above, "'or that is in the earth beneath, "'or 
that is in the water under the earth, "'you shall not bow down 
to them nor serve them. "'For I, the Lord your God, am 
a jealous God, "'visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children "'to the third and fourth generations of those who 
hate me, "'but showing mercy to thousands, "'to those who 
love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of 
the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
who takes his name in vain. Observe the Sabbath day to keep 
it holy. As the Lord your God commanded 
you, six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the 
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you 
shall do no work. "'In it you shall do no work, 
you nor your son, "'nor your daughter, nor your male servant, 
"'nor your female servant, nor your ox, "'nor your donkey, nor 
any of your cattle, "'nor your stranger who is within your gates, 
"'that your male servant and your female servant "'may rest 
as well as you. "'And remember that you were 
a slave in the land of Egypt, "'and the Lord your God brought 
you out from there "'by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. 
"'Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you "'to keep the Sabbath 
day. "'Honor your father and your mother "'as the Lord your 
God has commanded you, "'that your days may be long "'and that 
it may be well with you "'in the land which the Lord your 
God is giving you. "'You shall not murder, you shall not commit 
adultery, "'you shall not steal, "'you shall not bear false witness 
against your neighbor, "'you shall not covet your neighbor's 
wife, "'and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, "'his 
field, his male servant, his female servant, "'his ox, his 
donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. These words the Lord 
spoke to all your assembly in the mountain, from the midst 
of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he 
wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen. Well, when we consider these 
two tablets of stone, it's typical for us to see the first half 
written on the first tablet and then the latter half on the latter 
tablet. But basically the two tablets 
contain all 10 commandments, all 10 words. and one was a copy 
for Israel and one was a copy for Yahweh. They were covenant 
documents. They were placed in the ark. 
And so when it comes to our reference, though, to the first and second 
table of the law, the first table is our duty to God. And that's 
where the commandment starts. We have reverence first and foremost 
for God in terms of His worship, then His name, and then His day. So the first commandment sets 
forth the solitary object of worship, and then the second 
commandment deals with the manner of worship. Some have put these 
two together. I think Roman Catholicism puts 
one and two together. They're different commandments. 
One defines or describes the God we're supposed to worship. 
The second commandment describes how we are to worship that true 
and living God. And as well, this isn't just 
theological orthodoxy, though it is that, but it is an exhortation 
from Moses for the people to pursue practical loyalty. And if you look back in chapter 
four, there's two emphases concerning the uniqueness of God in the 
latter section of that historical review. Notice specifically in 
verse 35 in chapter four, "'To you it was shown that you might 
know "'that the Lord himself is God, "'there is none other 
besides him.'" And then notice again in verse 39, "'Therefore 
know this day and consider it in your heart "'that the Lord 
himself is God in heaven above "'and on the earth beneath. "'There 
is no other.'" Certainly foundational for this first commandment. There 
is no other God, therefore we are to give honor and praise 
and worship to the living and true God. As Christopher Wright 
says, no other God had done or said what Yahweh had done, nor 
had Yahweh done anything similar elsewhere. In other words, it's 
the children of Israel that had received the benefits of this 
God. Therefore, on the plains of Moab, Moses is exhorting them 
to fidelity in light of that true and living God that had 
been so gracious to them. So as we look at verse 7, it's 
a very simple statement, you shall have no other gods before 
me. So we'll look first at the prohibition of the commandment, 
and then secondly, the positive aspects of the commandment. We 
saw that as a method of interpretation. So for instance, when we get 
to the sixth commandment, and it says you shall not murder, 
that's the obvious prohibition. But positively, you promote life, 
you take care of yourself, you try to defend others. And the 
same with reference to this commandment. Not only is the prohibition there, 
but also positive emphases that we find throughout scripture. 
Now first, the reference to other gods. God's not suggesting in 
this list of laws that there actually are other gods. Now, 
there were, in the minds of men, there were, in terms of the objects 
of worship, with reference to Egypt, where they had been, and 
Canaan, where they are going. But it's not an acknowledgement 
that there is this pantheon, or a plurality of gods, and that 
Yahweh is just one amongst the many of them. No, the commandment 
does not acknowledge the actual existence of other gods. The 
meaning is not, there are other options, but you ought to give 
due attention to me before those others. No, it simply means foreign 
gods are the gods of the heathen, either in Egypt or in Canaan. In other words, false gods, idols, 
the conceptions or imaginations of men's minds. And then note 
the language in terms of the prohibition. You shall have no 
other gods before me. So that underscores the priority. 
You're not supposed to have other gods before me. We could also 
read it as besides me. So it's priority and exclusivity, 
and as you move through the Old Testament, and I think even into 
the New Testament, you'll see that at times the true children 
of God have taken that knowledge of God, but have also taken the 
knowledge of gods in the world, or the deities around them, and 
sort of joined those two things together. And so that is particularly 
prohibited here. You're not supposed to join Yahweh 
with Baal to try to get your crops fertilized. You're not 
supposed to join Yahweh to whatever other god there might be that 
serves a particular function amongst the people that you're 
going to be with. In the Westminster Larger Catechism, 
which I maintain is still a wonderful commentary on the Decalogue, 
it says, these words before me or before my face in the First 
Commandment teach us that God who sees all things takes special 
notice of and is much displeased with the sin of having any other 
God. that so it may be an argument 
to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocation, 
as also to persuade us to do as in his sight whatever we do 
in his service. So we're not supposed to have 
other gods before the true and living God. We're not supposed 
to have gods besides the true and living God. That is technically 
called syncretism, when we marry Yahweh with Baal to try to get 
what we want specifically. So in terms of the sins forbidden, 
I've got just a suggestive list. I'm sure you can think of others. 
The first is the denial of God, atheism, the idea that there 
is no God. In fact, you can turn to Psalm 
10. Psalm 10, we see this atheism 
in the heart of sinful man. In Psalm 10, specifically in 
verse 4, it says the wicked in his proud countenance does not 
seek God. God is in none of his thoughts. And if you remember, well, you 
can actually turn to Romans chapter 1, where the apostle is upbraiding 
the Gentiles for their sin against the living and the true God. 
In Romans chapter 1, he speaks concerning their wickedness. 
Notice specifically in verse 28, and even as they did not 
like to retain God in their knowledge, So the reality, according to 
Paul in Romans 119, is that they know that God is. God exists. They can conclude that, based 
on the effects they see in the created order, it leads them 
to consider a cause. And knowing that that God exists, 
nevertheless, they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. 
Atheism is a horrible thing. Turn over to Ephesians chapter 
2. Ephesians chapter 2. The only place in the New Testament 
where the word atheist is actually used, it's a description negatively 
of Gentiles apart from the grace of God. So notice in Ephesians 
2.11, Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, 
were called uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision 
made in the flesh by hands, that at that time you were without 
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers 
from the covenants of promise having no hope and atheists or 
without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who 
once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." 
So atheism or a denial of God is obviously prohibited by the 
first commandment. The second would be the pursuit 
of many gods, polytheism, again suggesting that there are alternate 
gods in the God universe and that we can add or bring more 
alongside of Yahweh to get what it is that we think we want. 
In fact, in 1 Kings chapter 18, that God contest at Mount Carmel, 
Most probably, the idea is not Yahweh or Baal exclusively, but 
the people were looking to join Baal with Yahweh. That's why 
Elijah offers up this challenge. How long will you falter between 
two opinions if the Lord, this is verse 21, if the Lord is God, 
follow him, but if Baal, follow him. So most likely the children 
of Israel weren't completely given over only to Baal, but 
probably joining Baal alongside of Yahweh. And so Elijah says, 
no, you can't have this. It must be one or the other. 
And then you can turn to 2 Kings 17. 2 Kings 17, where you see 
an attempt made by the people in this land of Samaria to get 
what it is they want. And they do so by multiplying 
gods. So I'll just pick up reading 
about verse 26. So they spoke to the king. Basically 
what happened is that the Assyrians came in, they conquered the northern 
tribes of Israel, and Assyrian policy was to repopulate areas 
with captives from other areas. So if you were a mountain folk, 
they'd put you in the plains. If you lived in the plains, they'd 
put you in the mountains. If you lived by the sea, they'd 
put you in the desert. Samaritans had a pretty excellent 
policy of conquering and vanquishing their enemies. You'll oftentimes 
read in the Old Testament about fishhooks in the nose. That's 
usually a reference to Samaria, because that's how they transported 
their prisoners. probably not like, you know, 
the little tiny ones that we're used to seeing going for trout 
in the slough, but fish hooks along a line, and that's how 
they would transport their prisoners. So, what's happening is that 
Assyria is resettling Samaria. So, probably some leftover Israelites 
were there, but for the most part, they're taken elsewhere, 
and then other peoples are placed in the land. So, notice in verse 
26, So they spoke to the king of Assyria saying, the nations 
whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not 
know the rituals of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent 
lions among them, and indeed they are killing them because 
they do not know the rituals of the god of the land. then 
the king of Assyria commanded, saying, that would be a problem, 
right? You're resettling a particular area, and the god of the land 
is unhappy, so he's sending lions to kill all your captives. You 
don't want your captives killed, so we've got to deal with this 
lion problem. So that's the context. They got a lion problem. They're 
not looking to worship the true and living God. They got a lion 
problem. I think that happens to the professing 
people of God at times. We're not looking to worship 
God. We're looking to get our lions removed. We're looking 
for helps with our practical problems. It's not God that we 
want. It's God's power or God's gifts 
or God's graces. And that's kind of what's happening 
here. "'Send there one of the priests whom you brought from 
there. "'Let him go and dwell there 
and let him teach them "'the rituals of the God of the land.' 
"'Then one of the priests whom they had carried away "'from 
Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel "'and taught them how they should 
fear the Lord.'" Now, the reference to Bethel is foreboding because 
that was a seat of calf worship in 1 Kings 12 at the time of 
Jeroboam I. Then notice, however, verse 29, 
every nation continued to make gods of its own and put them 
in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, 
every nation in the cities where they dwelt, the men of Babylon. 
Note the verb made over and over and over and over again. Made, 
made, made, made, made. Bad. When you're making gods, 
you're in a bad place. And this passage drips with irony, 
and I'll point that out as we move along. So, every nation 
in the cities where they dwelt, verse 30, the men of Babylon 
made Sukkoth, Benoth, the men of Kuth made Nergal, the men 
of Hamath made Ashemah, and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, 
and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adremalek 
and Anemalek, the gods of Sepharvane. So they feared the Lord, and 
from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the 
high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high 
places. They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods, according 
to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried 
away. That's irony, dripping, powerful 
irony. They did not fear Yahweh. That's 
not even a little bit true. The author has probably got a 
big smile on his face as he's writing this. They did not fear 
God. You're not a God-fearer while 
you're multiplying gods. You're not a God-fearer while 
you're making other gods. Notice in verse 34, to this day 
they continue practicing the former rituals. They do not fear 
the Lord. That's the actual commentary. nor do they follow their statutes 
or their ordinances of the law and commandment which the Lord 
had commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel, 
with whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, You 
shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, 
nor sacrifice to them, but the Lord, who brought you up from 
the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. 
Him you shall fear, him you shall worship, and to him you shall 
offer sacrifice. You can turn to the prophet Zephaniah 
for another example of what we call syncretism, or the multiplication 
of other gods, just to try and get what it is that you want. 
Zephaniah chapter one, specifically at verse two, I will utterly 
consume everything from the face of the land, says the Lord. "'I 
will consume man and beast. "'I will consume the birds of 
the heavens, "'the fish of the sea, "'and the stumbling blocks 
along with the wicked. "'I will cut off man from the 
face of the land,' "'says the Lord. "'I will stretch out my 
hand against Judah "'and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 
"'I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, "'the 
names of the idolatrous priests "'with the pagan priests. those 
who worship the host of heaven on the housetops, those who worship 
and swear oaths by the Lord, but who also swear by Milcom, 
those who have turned back from following the Lord and have not 
sought the Lord nor inquired of Him." So again, it's probably 
not the case that they utterly abandoned Yahweh at every step 
of the way, but they were adding other gods to Yahweh to try to 
get what it is that they wanted. So this pursuit of many gods, 
or this polytheism. Remember the Apostle Paul, when 
he comes to the city of Athens in Acts chapter 17, it says his 
spirit was provoked within him when he looked and he saw the 
city given over to idols. So definitely atheism, definitely 
polytheism, and of course, idolatry, the worship of a false god. the 
worship of Baal, the worship of Asherah, the worship of Mammon, 
the worship of something that otherwise might be okay. But 
when we devote our time and energy and talents to that particular 
pursuit, it may end up being an idol in our lives. But as 
well, the worship of the true God falsely. The second commandment 
is specific. If God is who God says He is, 
and then God demands how it is we're supposed to worship, then 
he takes that very seriously, and so we regulate our practice 
according to the revealed will of God. I would suggest, fourthly, 
the practice of sorcery and witchcraft. This is a contrary to the first 
commandment. It's invoking forces that are 
not God to try to get what one wants. Magic. Magic is not, you 
know, card tricks at a Mexican restaurant on a Friday night. 
You know, pick a card, any card. Magic is the attempt to manipulate 
either natural or supernatural forces to get what one wants. And so magic and sorcery and 
witchcraft and soothsaying and all those things condemned by 
scripture are condemned for a reason. You remember that scene in 1 
Samuel chapter 28 when Saul goes after that witch at Endor. It's 
a very grievous sad and pathetic picture of a man who doesn't 
have the ear of God anymore, he cannot get divine assistance, 
he knows he's got to go to battle against the Philistines, and 
he doesn't want to run into battle without some sort of divine aid, 
well, he's messed up things so badly that he has to seek out 
this witch at Endor. And then, of course, the witch 
at Endor brings something up. Some suggest it really is Samuel. I don't believe it really is 
Samuel, because that means he was brought up. And I don't think 
Samuel was down there. But whatever happened, she brought 
something up. And that's the point. Davis makes 
the observation, the Bible doesn't forbid necromancy and soothsaying 
and witchcraft because it doesn't work. It forbids it because it's 
an abomination. And oftentimes people play with 
the occult and they find out, yeah, there is actually something 
to that. Yeah, demonism and dark forces 
and principalities and powers. We gotta be very careful when 
it comes to these particular things. I would suggest fifthly, 
the sin of heresy. The sin of heresy, having a false 
conception of who God is. That doesn't mean, you know, 
you don't know as much as Augustine knows, or you don't know as much 
as Calvin knows. That's not the point. But to 
entertain false views of God at this stage in the game, in 
the 21st century, when we've got creeds, we've got confessions, 
we've got AI, that if we ask it to write a good sermon on 
John 1-1, it can. I've tried that, brethren. I 
think that's a scary thing. I hope pastors are men of faithfulness 
and fidelity and men of integrity that aren't going to let AI write 
their sermons. I mean, if you put in the right 
parameters, it can cough up a very sound, solid, orthodox sermon. My point, however, is that to 
not know good theology at this stage in the game is bad. Listen to James Durham. He's 
got a great exposition of the Ten Commandments. For Durham, 
he says, one, all gross idolaters of any sort who usually are mentioned 
under the name of heathens. Jews who worship not the true 
God in His Son Jesus Christ. And then he says, three, all 
heretics that deny the Godhead of any of the persons, as Sibelians 
who make but one person, Arians who make Christ a made God, Photinians 
who make Him a pure man, and all that make a plurality of 
gods or that lessen the divine attributes and give to saints 
God's due in adoration or invocation. or in a word, whoever contradict 
any truth or maintain any error. For thereby they fasten it upon 
God and His word, and wrong him who owns no such thing. And to 
these may be added all ignorant persons who know not God." So 
heresy, this idea that we can just fashion God into whatever 
it is that we want him to be. We don't like this particular 
perfection and we don't like this particular attribute. So 
we'll just smooth that out and capitalize on the love of God. 
It's not wrong to capitalize on the love of God. God is love 
after all. But when we do that to the neglect 
of his other perfections, we can be imbalanced and we can 
be wrong. And then I would suggest sixly 
in terms of the sins forbidden by this commandment, the devotion 
to the creature. Devotion to the creature or worship 
of the creature. Turn to Romans chapter 1. Romans 
chapter 1. We'll pick up at verse 19. Well, might as well get to verse 
18. For the wrath of God is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who 
suppress the truth in unrighteousness. I think the order is specific 
ungodliness and then unrighteousness. What man believes about God or 
doesn't believe about God affects the way man lives before God. So ungodliness precedes unrighteousness. Rejection of the living and the 
true God results in the sorts of sins that are indicated by 
the apostle in this particular section. So before he gets to 
that vice list or the types of sins that are involved, he first 
deals with the God issue, their ungodliness. So he makes that 
statement in verse 18, and then he gives the proof in verse 19. Because what may be known of 
God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For 
since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even as eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. 
Got to understand, man apart from redemptive grace, man in 
creation, based on light of nature, knows three things, at least, 
about the true and living God. So notice again, verse 19, what 
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it 
to them. Again, through general revelation of the light of nature. 
For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes 
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even His eternal power and Godhead." So you can learn something of 
God's eternal power and Godhead. But as well, notice in verse 
32, the wicked know the righteous judgment of God, that those who 
practice such things are deserving of death. They not only do the 
same, but also approve of those who practice that. They don't 
know triunity. They don't know blood atonement. 
They don't get that from the created order. But what they 
do get from the created order is that there is a God, and that 
this God is eternal, and that this God is powerful, and that 
it is righteous with this God to judge sinners. So they do 
know something, and as a result, they are without excuse. But 
back to verse 21. Because although they knew God, 
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became 
futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory 
of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible 
man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. 
Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, and the lusts 
of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 
Notice, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped 
and served the creature, rather than the Creator, who is blessed 
forever. Amen. Fisher, in his wonderful 
book, The Marrow of Modern Theology, which I highly recommend, and 
modern meant 1658, I think, so it's a bit of an older book, 
but it's been reprinted many, many times. Good book on covenant 
theology, and in the back, he deals with the Ten Commandments. 
And he says this, in a word, whatsoever the mind of man is 
carried after, or his heart and affection set upon, either more 
or as much as upon God, that he makes his God. I think there's a connection 
between the first commandment and say the seventh commandment. There's a connection between 
the first commandment and the eighth commandment. There's a 
connection between this prohibition against other gods and those 
creaturely things that men seek out as gods, whether it be sex 
or drugs or things that we might steal Whenever we have something 
that we pursue more than God, we're having other gods before 
God. And I think that when it comes 
to the other commandments in the Ten Commandments, I doubt 
that somebody who's a murderer is worshiping the act of murder. 
But somebody that is an adulterer, and of course the Seventh Commandment 
also, the prohibition is not only adultery and sins of the 
flesh, but excess use of alcohol, excess use of drugs, and different 
things. Again, Westminster Larger Catechism 
is very good. could be a first commandment 
issue with some of the addictions that we are seeing. And so know 
this, that when we put creatures in that place that is to be had 
by God alone, that could be an idolatry problem. When we see 
comfort and stability in the creature versus the creator, 
and probably to a degree we all do that, we like a nice cup of 
coffee, we like to put our feet up, We like to seek some degree 
of comfort and stability. Well, we cannot do so to the 
neglect of God or bypass God when it comes to our stability 
and our comfort. God alone is the one to whom 
we are to flee in those times. So, several ways that we can 
break the commandment, and of course the ways in which the 
command is broken, we can do so by our thoughts. The fool 
says in his heart, there is no God, Psalm 14, 1. He's not verbalizing 
that. He's not preaching that. He's 
just in his own heart, no God. As well in our words, in fact, 
you can turn to the prophet Malachi for a couple of expressions or 
a couple of illustrations of this. You see that the people 
of Israel didn't take heed to that language given to them on 
the plains of Moab. And of course, the rest of the 
Old Testament demonstrates that in spades and how they did violate 
the commandments of God. Notice in Malachi 2.17, you have 
wearied the Lord with your words, yet you say, if you ever read 
Malachi, that's the pattern. The prophet indicts and then 
they go, who us? Yet you say, he condemns them. If you look, that's kind of the, 
look at one, two. I have loved you, says the Lord, 
yet you say, in what way have you loved us? Look at verse six. A son honors his father and a 
servant his mother. If then I am the father, where 
is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my reverence? Says the 
Lord of hosts to you who despise my name. Yet you say, in what 
way have we despised your name? You offer defiled food on my 
altar, but say, in what way have we defiled you? So it's this 
constant refrain, the prophet upbraids, and the people say, 
who, us? We haven't done any of this. Well, in 2.17, you have 
wearied the Lord with your words, yet you say, in what way have 
we wearied him? In that you say, everyone who 
does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights 
in them. Or, where is the God of justice? 
They were having bad thoughts of God. bad thoughts of God, 
expressing it through their words. Notice in 3, 13 to 15. Your words 
have been harsh against me, says the Lord, yet you say, what have 
we spoken against you? You have said, it is useless 
to serve God. What profit is it that we have 
kept his ordinance and that we have walked as mourners before 
the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blast 
for those who do wickedness are raised up. They even tempt God 
and go free. They were saying it was useless, 
unprofitable, and unfair to serve the living and the true God. 
So definitely in our thoughts, definitely in our words, and 
as well in our deeds, Jesus condemns serving God and mammon. You cannot 
serve God and mammon. It's pretty obvious when a man 
is hunched over his piles of money and has no thought of God 
whatsoever, it's obvious what he's worshipping, it's obvious 
what he's given himself onto. So that's the prohibition, the 
way that we can do it and the manner in which we can do it. 
Now in terms of the positive aspects of the commandment, If 
the positive aspect of you shall not murder is you should promote 
life, then the positive aspect with reference to you shall have 
no other gods before me, in the first place it's the knowledge 
of God. We need to know God. We need to know God. We need 
to know His perfections. We need to know His triunity. 
We need to know His graciousness. We need to know His works. We need to know His mercy. We 
need to know His gospel. To know God is the most blessed 
of all things. This is eternal life, that they 
may know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom you have 
sent. Secondly, the love of God. Turn over a page to Deuteronomy 
chapter 6. Deuteronomy chapter 6. It shouldn't 
be any sort of a surprise that the central confession of Israel's 
faith was the uniqueness and the solitariness of God Almighty. Notice in Deuteronomy 6, 4, Here, 
O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Now in light of 
that proposition, what's the response? You shall love the 
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all 
your strength. And these words which I command 
you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently 
to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your 
house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you 
rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they 
shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them 
on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. One wonders 
how many people actually did this. How many of them actually 
took their children and their grandchildren and catechized 
them and instructed them and taught them the way God told 
them through Moses on the plains of Moab. It's kind of like in 
Deuteronomy chapter 17. One of the things that happens 
when the king is given his throne is that he takes his own pen 
out, he takes his own pad of paper out, and he writes for 
himself a copy of the law of God. How many kings in Israel 
did that? We don't have an answer in scripture, 
but based on conduct, I would bet probably very few. This isn't just fodder or filler 
for parents of children. This is mandate. This is absolute 
necessity. Paul expresses this so clearly 
in Ephesians 6. Fathers, do not provoke your 
children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition 
of the Lord. So based on this central confession 
of faith, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, the response is 
you ought to love God. As Gil says concerning this theological 
confession, he says the doctrine of which is that the Lord, who 
was the covenant God and Father of His people Israel, is but 
one. He is Jehovah, the being of beings, a self-existent being, 
eternal and immutable, and He is but one in nature and essence. 
This appears from the perfection of His nature, His eternity, 
omnipotence, omnipresence, infinity, goodness, self-sufficiency and 
perfection. For there can be but one eternal, 
one omnipotent, one omnipresent, one infinite, and one that is 
originally and of himself good, oneself and all-sufficient and 
perfect being, and which also may be concluded from his being 
the first cause of all things, which can be but one, and from 
his relations to his creatures as their king, ruler, governor, 
and lawgiver. In other words, this central 
confession that God is one demands a response. So it's a theological 
confession, Deuteronomy 6, 4, but it's also a personal confession. Notice the Lord, our God. The Lord is one. The Lord, our 
God, like Paul in Galatians 2, who loved me and gave himself 
for me. It is a practical confession. Notice, after this, you shall 
love the Lord your God. That's the response you to God. but then the response outwardly 
in terms of individually. You need to respond to God, you 
need to teach your family to respond to God, and the very 
society that you live in. Notice in verse 9, you shall 
write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 
In other words, the entirety of the body politic should be 
steeped in the knowledge of the living and true God. It is a 
logical confession as well, based on what God has done as He's 
rehearsed for them in the historical review in chapters 1 to 4. This 
is inevitable. This is what you should be doing. 
In fact, you can see a New Testament counterpart to this logical expression 
in Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, you'll know 
the spot because Paul has been expounding the gospel and explaining 
it in chapters 1 to 11. And he concludes the doctrinal 
section and then he begins the practical section in Romans 12 
verse 1. And here is that logical implication. I beseech you therefore, brethren, 
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living 
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable 
service. In other words, based on justification 
by faith, based on God's sovereignty and predestination and election, 
based on the fact that you have been cleansed in the blood of 
the Lord Jesus Christ and that you're heaven-bound and that 
you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, this is 
your reasonable service to give yourself wholly to God. And then, 
guard against the competitors. Verse 2, do not be conformed 
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect 
will of God. So with reference to this knowledge 
of God, then comes this love of God. It is the proper response 
to that central confession of faith. Wright says, to love God 
then with all your heart and with all your soul means with 
your whole self, including your rationality, mental capacity, 
moral choices and will, inner feelings and desires, and the 
deepest roots of your life. And remember, this is the greatest 
commandment. When Jesus is pressed, which 
is the greatest commandment? You shall love the Lord your 
God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second 
is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. upon these two hang 
the entirety of the law and the prophets. We know that the moral 
law is still perpetual because the summary is only as good as 
what it summarizes. And if Jesus summarizes the 10 
commandments with love to God and love to man, those commandments 
are binding upon us in this new covenant situation. So know God, 
love God, and then a third thing is the fear of God. The fear 
of God, as we see it oftentimes in scripture, involves two things. The one type of fear is what 
we call a slavish fear. That means when we run and hide 
because God's gonna get us. That's usually called a slavish 
fear. The other is a filial fear, the 
fear of a son to his father. We just saw that in Malachi. 
If I'm a father or if I'm a master, where is my honor? If I am a 
father, where is my honor? That sort of a motif. We are 
to fear God. I would say In the heart of the 
genuine believer, there is that filial fear, but that slavish 
fear isn't altogether lacking as well, because the eyes of 
the Lord are in every place, beholding the good and the evil. 
A good dose of that slavish fear might serve us well when it comes 
crunch time and we're about to sin. Remember that God is nigh, 
and He is a consuming fire. But the fear of God is a good 
thing. The fear of God flows from a 
recognition of His being and perfections. Brockle says, if 
the soul may perceive God in His majesty, glory, and holiness, 
it cannot but be that the soul will tremble out of respect for 
God. It's great. Cannot but be that 
soul will tremble out of respect for God. As well, the fear of 
God is, as I said, primarily filial, a little dose of servile 
once in a while. John Murray described the fear 
of God as the soul of godliness. It's a good descriptor, the soul 
of godliness. He also wrote the fear of God 
in us is that frame of heart and mind which reflects our apprehension 
of who and what God is. And who and what God is will 
tolerate nothing less than totality commitment to him. In other words, 
when we get who he is, then it's obvious, not only logically, 
but in terms of the entirety of our heart, soul, mind, and 
strength, that He is worthy of our love, adoration, and fear. 
And then the fear of God is ultimately a consequence of the grace of 
God. Newton wrote, "'Twas grace that 
taught my heart to fear." But more importantly, Jeremiah wrote 
in Jeremiah 32, 40, and I will make an everlasting covenant 
with them that I will not turn away from doing them good, but 
I will put my fear in their hearts so that they will not depart 
from me. John Flavel, I think rightly 
describes this fear. This fear of God is a gracious 
habit or principle planted by God in the soul, whereby the 
soul is kept under an holy awe of the eye of God, and from thence 
is inclined to perform and do what pleases him, and to shun 
and avoid whatsoever he forbids and hates. It is planted in the 
soul as a permanent and fixed habit. To fear man is natural, 
but to fear God is wholly supernatural. He's right on. And then I would 
suggest, fourthly, the necessity of obedience to God. We know 
God. We love God. We fear God. Then it follows 
that we should serve God and follow Him and do what God commands 
and not try to multiply other gods to get certain things that 
we wish or certain things that we want, but to show reverence 
and obedience to the living and true God. And then the next would 
be trust. And I'm sure there's, you could, 
you know, move positions around or whatever, but trusting God. Look at Proverbs chapter 3. Proverbs 
chapter 3. So, wonderful statement in terms 
of trusting God that we find in the Old Testament. This is 
obviously an emphasis in the Pentateuch. You need to trust 
God. He gives you, you know, you're not sustained only by, 
you know, the bread, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth 
of God. Certainly the emphasis in the New Testament. Notice 
in Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, trust in the Lord with all your heart 
and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge 
him and he shall direct your paths. So basically you've got 
an entire commitment there, trust in the Lord with all your heart. 
You've got an exclusive commitment there, lean not on your own understanding. And then you've got an exhaustive 
commitment, in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall 
direct your paths. So it's not just a little bit 
here and a little bit there, only when you need him in a crunch 
time or when things aren't well. No, that's not the way we're 
supposed to serve God, or the way that we're supposed to relate 
to God. The first commandment defines for us who this God is, 
and who this God is demands that we know Him, that we love Him, 
that we fear Him, that we obey Him, that we trust Him, and then 
finally that we worship Him properly. We understand that he's not Baal, 
he's not Asherah, he's not Molech, he's not worshipped the way that 
the Egyptian or the Canaanite deities were worshipped. He's 
worshipped the way that he prescribes, he's worshipped the way that 
he demands, he's worshipped in the manner that he specifies 
because as we see in Deuteronomy 4 and in Hebrews chapter 12, 
Our God is a consuming fire, and that means that if we go 
into his presence and we offer up things that he has not commanded 
or that he has prohibited, then we are going to be in big trouble 
with the living and true God. So positive aspects of the negative 
prohibition, you shall have no other gods before me. Just a 
quote I wanted to read. I always read this when I teach 
this commandment because I think it's bang on. But in terms of 
the universal condemnation of idolatry in the Bible, that's 
not a tough proposition to prove. Where does the Bible condemn 
idolatry? Well, just open from Genesis 
to Revelation. It's all over. It's all over. It is replete. It is through 
and through. In fact, if there's a sin of 
sins, and I don't like to do this, there is kind of a gradation. Sometimes that comes up in discussions. Christians say, well, is all 
sin equally the same? Yeah. All sin deserves God's wrath 
and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. But 
in Proverbs 6, Solomon tells us nobody despises a thief if 
he steals to satisfy his hunger. He's not saying it's okay for 
the thief to steal to satisfy his hunger, but nobody despises 
him. Guy's starving to death and he, 
you know, steals a ham. Yeah, he needs to be punished 
for stealing that ham, but we're not shocked. But in the context, 
everybody despises an adulterer. Everybody hates an adulterer. 
So does there seem to be a doctrine of, you know, some sense, yeah, 
I mean, mass murder has to exceed probably what most of us did 
today in terms, again, most of, all that we did today is enough 
to land us into an eternity of eternal hells. But if you go 
through scripture and you ask, what is that sin that seems to 
be targeted a lot? It's idolatry. And that's why 
I think we can maintain David, in spite of his huge flaws, not 
even flaws, brethren, horrible sins, was nevertheless a man 
after God's own heart. You know what David never did? 
He never engaged in idolatry. He never got led astray in that 
way. In fact, there was a point in 
time when he was being counseled to leave Israel, and he said, 
I'm not going to leave the face of God. I am not going to leave 
where God's glory is manifested. You know, do with that what you 
will, but idolatry is oftentimes targeted by God in a special 
way as a sin that is most offensive. John Stott made this observation, 
all idolatry Whether ancient or modern, primitive or sophisticated 
is inexcusable, whether the images are metal or mental, material 
objects of worship or unworthy concepts in the mind. For idolatry 
is the attempt either to localize God, confining him within the 
limits which we impose, whereas he is the creator of the universe. 
Or to domesticate God, making him dependent on us, taming him, 
whereas he is the sustainer of human life. Or to alienate God, 
blaming him for his distance and silence, whereas he is the 
ruler of nations and not far from any of us. Or to dethrone 
God, demoting him to some image of our own contrivance or craft, 
whereas he is our father from whom we derive our being. In 
brief, all idolatry tries to minimize the gulf between the 
Creator and His creatures in order to bring Him under our 
control. More than that, it actually reverses 
the respective positions of God and us so that, instead of our 
humbly acknowledging that God has created and rules us, we 
presume to imagine that we can create and rule God. There is 
no logic in idolatry. It is a perverse, topsy-turvy 
expression of our human rebellion against God. I think that really 
does summarize well a good expression of biblical teaching on the sin 
of idolatry. So let us, by God's grace, seek 
to maintain fidelity with reference to the first commandment. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you that you have revealed yourself to us in creation, and we praise 
you that you've revealed yourself to us in redemption through our 
Lord Jesus Christ, through the prophets, the apostles. We thank 
you for the written word of God that we have by the Spirit. We 
pray that you would give us ears to hear and hearts to receive 
these things and to keep us from this sin. of idolatry. Help us 
to have no other gods before or besides you. Help us to respond 
to you in love and fear and with obedience and adoration and worship 
and service. We ask that you would go with 
us now. We pray for the entirety of our church that you'd look 
with favor upon all the brothers and the sisters here, and we 
pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, any questions or 
comments on Nobody's going to ask, who are 
the Photinians? In the Durham quote, Photinius, 
I guess, denied the incarnation of Jesus.