The First Commandment: God Above All

What this episode covers

The first commandment is about true worship. Most people think of worship as something we do in various parts of the day. We think of participating in corporate, family, or private worship. When we aren’t engaged in one of those activities, then we are not involved in worship. But that is not true. Your circumstances may change daily or hourly, but the object of your worship must remain the same! Worship is not optional, it’s instinctive. We were made for worship. We are always worshiping someone or something. What are you worshiping right now? The pastoral ministry provides constant pressure to face the idols of security, success, and reputation. But, with the lockdown, my attention has been scattered. Initially, I shifted between learning about new technology for work to learning about the Tiger King at home. I have gone from wondering why more people were not staying home to wondering where our freedom and constitutional rights went. At first, I wanted worship—and maybe haircuts—to be “essential”, but now I want every business to be treated as such. Now, I know you can worship God and still be concerned that we are being stripped of our fundamental rights, but I know that I have often become imbalanced? The lockdown has become such an obsession at times that it is difficult to focus upon God. Early on I was taking advantage of the slower pace of life, but lately, I have cranked back up the speed. That’s not always a good thing. The question is not whether or not we are worshiping, but who or what we are worshiping. To what are we devoting our attention, energy, and power? This should not be an easy question to answer, but it is easy to see how we often fail. The first commandment teaches us that God alone is worthy to receive all of the worship He created us to offer. Read Exodus 20:1-3 Let’s begin with the positive side of this commandment. We can only have no other gods before the Lord if we offer right worship to the One True God. The Duties Required in the First Commandment Egyptian plagues proved God’s supremacy over false gods. The Egyptians believed there were no gods that oversaw the desert, just dangerous snakes. When God gave Moses the sign that would prove that his authority came from God, he had his staff turn into a snake. When they stood before Pharaoh, it was Aaron’s staff that was thrown on the ground and turned into a snake. When Pharaoh’s magicians did the same, Aaron’s staff devoured the staff of the Egyptians. We could say the same thing about God’s authority over the Nile River. Their god had no ability to prevent the water from becoming blood. Even the plague of frogs and the eclipse of the sun were meant to show God’s superior power over the gods of the Egyptians. In the end, Pharaoh and all of the Egyptians were forced to admit defeat. That is an important context to consider because the God of Israel was quite different from the gods of the pagan nations. We will consider that more fully in the next section, but the positive side of this command says we are duty-bound to worship God according to his revelation. We must have the right knowledge about God in order to offer him the right worship. If our chief end is to glorify God, then we must come before him with a proper attitude. We must meditate upon His revelation. We must remember, esteem, honor, and adore him. This is true at all times. God must be the One we choose over anyone else. He receives the pinnacle of our love, desire, hope, and delight! We come before Him with reverence and faith, rejoicing in him with praise and thanksgiving, and yielding to him in humility and patience. When we worship God rightly we offer him all of our love and honor with the full expectation that he will receive our praise and rejoice over us. Covenantal Worship The WLC Q.104 says that we acknowledge God as the “True God, and our God.” We have a covenantal relationship with God. Don’t forget the prologue that we con

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