Exodus 20:1-17 - The TEN: Put God First
Doug Partin - The Christian Church – Sept 8, 2013
It may seem odd to us, but the Israelites did not want God to speak to
them, at least not directly. They had already discovered that when God
spoke, all they were able to perceive was the sound of thunder, flashes
of lightening, and the blare of trumpets; not to mention that the
mountain from which He spoke was also smoldering. They were simply
terrified to approach God under these circumstances, and
consequently, were quite content to send Moses up the mountain to
“talk” with God.
In verse 20, we find that Moses really wanted the Israelites to go
along with him, and so he tried to alleviate their trepidation by telling
them that the God who had led them out of Egypt was not angry with
them; quite the contrary, He had come to test them, to instill a fear of
Him in them, and to keep them from missing the path of doing what is
right. Moses could have used a course on Rhetoric, for these were not
necessarily comforting thoughts for the Israelites; and, consequently,
they did not persuade them to join Moses on his trek into the thick
clouds on the mountain where God waited for them.
Had they only understood that the testing was to determine
whether they really wanted to follow God, they might have been more
inclined to go. It was pretty obvious that they had wanted to escape
slavery, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to escape slavery. But
they might have been willing to follow just about anyone if it had led to
their freedom. And now that they were free, it was yet to be seen
whether they really wanted to follow God. And to be honest, they
might have been just a little afraid of what God would do if they told
Him that they didn’t want to follow Him.
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but the fear God
sought to instill in them was not the cowering kind, but that of respect.
But let’s be honest, we are easily controlled by those who can scare the
wits out of us. We’ll empty our pockets if someone is pointing a gun at
us. People bully others because they get what they want from those
who are afraid of them. Fear works.
Remember the time when Jesus, speaking about how the Israelites
were doing what the Pharisees directed them to do instead of listening
to God and obeying Him, said, “I say to you, My friends, do not be
afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they
can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He
has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Lk
12:4-5). The people were afraid of the Pharisees. The Pharisees could
tax them, bring them up on charges, take away their livelihood, and
throw them into prison.
But just in case His disciples got the wrong idea, Jesus immediate
reminded them that God knew when every sparrow fell, He knew the
number of the hairs on their head; but they were not to cower before
God as they did the Pharisees, because they were more valuable than
many sparrows to God.”
While we can base our relationship with God on cowering before
Him, we must remember that God has not bullied us, quite the
opposite, He has loved us. When we consider the things that He has
done, like freeing His people from slavery in Egypt and us from slavery
to sin, our response should be that of love and respect.
Had the Israelites only known that God’s demand for them to “be
without sin” was not a demand for perfection, but a concern that they
stay on the path that He would lay before them, then they might not
have been so scared. They might have been more willing to go along
with Moses. And just in case any of you are wondering, the word
translated “sin” in verse 20 literally means to “stray” as from a path.
But they had not experienced a God of love, and didn’t know how to
respond.
The thunder was loud, the lightening terrifying, the cloud thick,
and they had seen His power unleashed upon the Egyptians. They were
afraid that they just might be next. So Moses went up alone and came
down with the Ten Commandments, commands that these people
would have known for certain had come to Moses from Heaven. These
were not man made. When Moses delivered them, he truly was
speaking for God.
The 10 Commandments are often viewed as ancient words given
to an ancient people. They have been revered by many throughout the
years, and are now enshrined in public places, but few people today can
name more than two or three of them without being given a little help.
Just as they are “out of mind,” some people would like for them
to be out of sight. In arguing against the public display of the 10
Commandments, it was noted that only three of the ten are part of our
law today: lying, killing and stealing. There are no laws commanding
people to worship God or honor their parents. There are no laws
prohibiting people from worshiping idols, taking God's name in vain,
working on Saturday, lusting after your neighbors’ things, or being
unfaithful to your spouse. Even though our society has pushed the 10
Commandments aside, we who follow Christ should ask ourselves,
“Should I follow them?”
Let’s answer that question by taking a look at the first command.
Before giving it, God first identified Himself as the Israelites’ God. He
was the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt. He was the
one who freed them from slavery. Only after identifying Himself and
what he had already done for the Israelites did God command them to
have no others gods before Him.
Notice that God was not asking for their gratitude for the things
that He had done, but for their undivided allegiance. They had just
come from a land filled with “other” gods, and they were about to be
lead into a new land where the inhabitants served “other” gods. So
before the Israelites took another step, God wanted them to commit
to following Him and Him alone. It is not an unreasonable request.
A couple of years ago, I preached a series on Counterfeit gods.
Looking at how sex, competition, and money consume so many people
who say that they follow Jesus. They are believers, they show up at
church, but they also willingly forgo God’s ways of meeting their needs
when it comes to one of those areas in their lives.
What are you willing to do, to tolerate, in order to win?
What are you willing to do, to tolerate, in order to get rich?
What are you willing to do, to tolerate, in order to satisfy
yourself?
We deceive ourselves, thinking that we are getting away with it,
simply because most of the people around us don’t know or point it
out, but Jesus was quite clear when He told His disciples, “No servant
can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and Wealth.” (Lk 16:13)
It’s interesting that Jesus said that to the Pharisees. They were the
folks who took the Commands of God very seriously. When they
tithed, they even counted out each grain of spice. Their allegiance to
God was supposed to be unquestionable. Yet, Jesus said that their
hearts were far from God. They had a problem that is often found in
the church today – an outward show of serving the one true God,
while an inward, hidden desire that leads away from God’s path.
A very odd bit of sculpture adorns the wall on the grounds of
Ribston Hall, Yorkshire, England. It is commonly referred to as “The
Two-faced Butler.” One side is a face that is all smiles and politeness;
the other is one that depicts nothing but insolence and impoliteness.
It is told that the sculpture represents just such a butler who once
served the household. One day, while receiving orders from the
mistress of the household, he was all smiles and servility, but he was
seen a moment later when he thought she was not looking, sticking out
his tongue at her and making other impolite gestures. So this statue was
ordered and erected in a very prominent spot to both shame him and
warn any other servants who might have a tendency to imitate the
behavior of the two-faced butler. We would do well with just such a
reminder in our foyer, but perhaps that might be a bit heavy handed.
Instead, we have the first command, “Have no other God’s before
me.” It is still imperative because, as Jesus said, we cannot serve two
masters. We’ll end up looking just as hypocritical as the Pharisees did demanding that others do things God’s way, while we ourselves do not.
The Pharisees were not compassionate, they were not forgiving, they
were not known for their love, and far too often, neither is the Church.
But that will change when we begin serving Jesus, and him alone.
Prayer: God, you are our one and only. Amen.