10 Commandments
Week 2: No Other Gods!
Pastor Mike Halstead
6/17/18
This week we are diving into the 10 commandments proper, with number one: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Let’s discuss this, the first rule in God’s far-reaching Law, and see if we might be able to apply it to our lives today.
Read
Exodus 20:1-3
Deuteronomy 4:23-24
Go Deeper
1.Why do you think God says verse 2? Why would he need to say that to the Israelites?
2.Why would this be the first law God gives his people? Why would this be placed above the “behavioral laws” (do not murder, covet, etc.)?
3.In Deuteronomy, God describes himself as jealous. How do we explain this to someone who may see this as a negative personality trait?
4.While Moses was on Mt. Sinai, learning of God’s law, the Israelites were literally building a new god to worship in the form of a golden calf. How do you think they would have reacted when learning of the first commandment?
Apply
1.In our society, literal gods aren’t usually what people put before God. What are some of the “gods that we tend to worship instead of our Creator?
2.We all have things we run to when doubt takes hold of us, or when we face difficult times and seek out temporary relief, rather than the eternal comfort of God. How do we stop this habit? What are ways we put God before anything else?
Pray
The first step in solving any problem is admitting that the problem exists. Make a list of the thing you tend to put before the one true God. Don’t just think about this these, actually write them down. Keep these things in mind, and when they come up in your life, remember to recognize them for what they might be: a pale replacement of the Almighty.