You shall have no other gods before me. – Exodus 20:3

 Today's Scripture Reading (November 20, 2024): Exodus 20

One of my favorite M*A*S*H characters was Father Mulcahy. I love the episode where his sermon is left undone because he spent the whole Saturday night talking to a patient in the Hospital. Or maybe his drive to be relevant in a warzone and his willingness to take chances. I love his understanding of his call to the priesthood. His naïve way, sometimes never really connecting with the events that were happening around him. His failing efforts to tell a joke; no one laughs when I tell them either. I love how he interacted with the patient who thought he was Jesus Christ, giving him honor while helping to draw him back into the real world. I love his description of Plato's ideal plain, and this sitcom character sparked my interest in Greek Philosophy. But it would be ridiculous for my church board to decide that maybe our church needs to hire Father Mulcahy instead of me. Besides the fact that the Father is Catholic and I am a Baptist, Father Mulcahy is a character on a T.V. show played by an actor named William Christopher. Christopher died on New Year's Eve 2016. Whereas, believe it or not, I am real, and I am here; I exist where Father Mulcahy never really did. 

God told Moses his name was "Hayah hayah," or "I am that I am." Essentially, God is saying that he is the God who exists, so why would we trade him for one who is made of wood or nothing more than a character in a book? God tells Israel, "Because I am, you shall have no other gods before me because there are no other gods to have."

God's invitation is that we would journey with him; he has already made the first move, telling Israel, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Exodus 20:2). I have already done this. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. Israel, you have already benefited from my grace, so now I want to know if you will honor me and me alone. I did what no one else could do; why would you bring honor to someone else? You shall have no other gods before me. 

This is the story of the Bible; it is the story of our journey with God. And that journey begins with trusting God above everyone and everything else. "You shall have no other gods before me" could also be interpreted as "You will have no other gods in my orbit." It isn't just about prioritizing God among the other things competing to take his place in our lives. The first commandment is about realizing he is the only God; no one else even inhabits his neighborhood. He is the only God, so honor him above everything that is not God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Exodus 21