No Other Gods - “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The first commandment, written by the finger of God Himself on Mount Sinai. We are not to worship any other god, mention the name of other gods, or walk behind other gods. We are not to forget God and in so doing serve other gods. We must not allow our hearts to be deceived (become broad, liberal, “open”-minded) and worship other gods. And we are not to go aside (turn off, withdraw) from the words of God and by doing so serve other gods. No wonder our Lord Jesus called this the “first and great commandment” and insisted that we must “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart”

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” - (Exodus 20:3)

This first commandment, written by the finger of God Himself on Mount Sinai — twice (Exodus 31:18; 34:1) — contains a very intriguing choice of words.

“Thou shalt have no” is rendered from the Hebrew word lo, which is an emphatic negative: “never,” “neither,” “not,” etc. 

The word “other” translates the Hebrew word acher, which is derived from another word meaning “behind” or “less.”

This word is also translated “following,” “next,” “[an] other,” or “strange” — in the sense of being less than the previous object. 

Elohim is the Hebrew word for “gods,” the term for “powerful ones.”

The Holy Spirit’s most unusual choice of words is the phrase ‘al paniym at the end of the sentence, translated “before me.” 

That phrase literally means “against the faces” or has the sense of “on top of.” 

So, a direct translation of the command would be “Never place a less powerful being on top of my faces.”

It can also be rendered “Don’t ever let any other god get between your face and my face.”

Moses gave several instructions on how we are to observe the command. 

We are not to 

- worship (prostrate, bow down to) any other god (Exodus 34:14), 

- mention (call to memory) the name of other gods (Exodus 23:13), or 

- walk behind other gods (Deuteronomy 6:14). 

We are not to forget (mislay, be oblivious of) YAHWEH and in so doing serve other gods (Deuteronomy 8:18-19). 

We must not allow our hearts to be deceived (become broad, liberal, “open”-minded) and worship other gods (Deuteronomy 11:16). 

And we are not to go aside (turn off, withdraw) from the words of God and by doing so serve other gods (Deuteronomy 28:14).

No wonder our Lord Jesus called this the 

“first and great commandment” and insisted that we must 

“love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” - (Matthew 22:37-38). 

BY HENRY M. MORRIS III, D.MIN. 

Days of Praise

The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) wants people to know that God’s Word can be trusted in everything it speaks about—from how and why we were made, to how the universe was formed, to how we can know God and receive all He has planned for us.

After almost 50 years of ministry, ICR remains a leader in scientific research within the context of biblical creation. Founded by Dr. Henry Morris in 1970, the institute exists to conduct scientific research within the realms of origins and Earth history, and then to educate the public both formally and informally through graduate and professional training programs, through conferences and seminars around the country, and through books, magazines, and media presentations.

icr.org

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