Thou shalt have no other gods before me. - Exodus 20:3 Personally, one of the most interesting sections of the marriage ceremony is at the very beginning when the minister has both the woman and the man to answer, "Wilt thou have this woman/man to be thy wedded wife/husband, to live together after God's ordinance in holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her/him, comfort her/him, honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her/him, so long as ye both shall live?" Wow! Forsaking all others!
Do you know of any instances when the affirmative was not indeed, the truth? So many times, we as mere mortals full of zeal, the lust for power and the propensity to think more of ourselves than we ought to, forget all about the existence of a higher power. We strut and gloat and have no regard for others, only to place things way above the importance and firstness of people. Also there are some so brassy that they place fancy dancers above family and responsibilities, thus causing much pain and suffering. Then there are some who would have no part of shared love and playing second fiddle to none, only to be told that they should be happy they are a part of the band - forsaking all others.
There are interesting happenings leading up to our text today. Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the Red Sea and Miriam along with the women, burst forth in song and adulation, "Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." After this Moses brought Israel to the wilderness of Shur where the water was bitter and the murmuring of the people was at an all-time high. After God's instructions of how to make the water sweet and palatable, they came to the wilderness of sin. Here again the children of Israel murmured about the lack of sufficient bread. God sent manna, with instructions, down from heaven.
Leaving sin they camped at Rephidim and there was no water for the people to drink. Giving instructions again to Moses, God told him to take a group of the elders up to Mount Horeb and strike the rock and water will gush forth. By this time, Moses was fed up with the murmuring of the people. After a visit to his father-in-law, Jethro, Moses encamped at Mt. Sinai where God gave him instruction for the Israelites, of His upcoming visit to them. "And the Lord said unto Moses, go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount.
And Moses went up and was sent back down to come up again for further instructions." Coming down from Mount Sinai, Moses was armed with the Ten Commandments opening with these words: "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The children of Israel had forgotten and forsaken the God that had led them through the wilderness and opened the Red Sea as an escape route from Pharaoh and his army who were hot in pursuit.
God was not at all pleased with their worship of idols and He is now giving Moses rules and commandments for them to obey opening with the undisputable truth that it was He who was responsible for their deliverance and no other god was to be placed before Him! Today, the message remains the same and is very relevant for the time, season, place and country in which we live. Many have strayed far from the God of our fathers and have gone whoring after other gods - materialism, wealth, fame, social mobility, envy, greed, lust, sexual promiscuity, ignorance, lawlessness and lack of respect. Yes, these are all gods that are placed before the God of all creation. How many have taken others out of the house of poverty and degradation and given them a life of luxury, only to be looked down and talked down and replaced with some wondering, wandering gypsy.
What a feeling of being forsaken. My, how does our heavenly father feel when, after all that He has done for and Blessed us with, we walk out on Him and serve other gods. Today is a special day for those who have fallen from the faith of our fathers, who have gone astray and committed shameful deeds and actions. But in spite of, we serve the God of mercy and grace who is always willing and able to forgive and restore lost joy. Yes, lest we forget, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The word of God for all the people. o E-mail rubyanndarling@yahoo.com; write to P.O. Box 19725 SS Nassau, Bahamas with your prayer requests, concerns and comments. God's Blessings!
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