Exodus 20:1-3 - You shall have no other gods before Me

And God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.

And God spake all these words, saying, 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.

Then God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me."

Exodus 20:1-3

Commentary

The first of the 10 Commandments is "I am the LORD your God...you shall have no other gods before me." If we truly believe and live out this first commandment, it will keep us from breaking any of the remaining nine! This is because if we keep God first in our life, above everything else, he himself will actually make us righteous before him. He is the LORD-I AM that I AM. He is the ultimate reality of life, love and power. When we believe this and submit our lives to him, we'll not be led astray by other "gods" of this world or the "gods" of our flesh that would seek to destroy us. God desires to bring us out of a land of slavery to sin and self, and under his loving rule in all areas of our lives. Living out this first command truly will fulfill all the rest!

Note: In the days that follow, we will look more closely at each of the 10 Commandments and how obedience to the 1st Commandment is the fulfillment of all the rest.

Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Genesis 2:16-17 - You are free to eat from any tree in the garden

And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Genesis 2:16-17

Commentary

The story of God and his interaction with man begins and ends with a call to obey his commands. God has initiated a relationship of love and care with all of humanity, but his call for our obedience to his Word is central to this relationship. Great author and preacher Andrew Murray concerning obedience states, "Note how obedience to [God's] command is the one virtue of Paradise, the one condition of man's abiding there, the one thing his Creator asks of him. In the life of man, to obey is the one thing needful." We can praise God that he sent his own son, Jesus, to be our perfect obedience. He alone lived a perfect life so that we could receive the blessings of the Father. Because of Jesus' obedience, we now have the Holy Spirit to give us the life of obedience that the Father desires!

Today's Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities