Scripture Daily

Context No. 3217 of 4322 · Exodus

Context · Reflection

Exodus 20:1-6: in context

1God spoke all these words, saying, 2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3“You shall have no other gods before me. 4“You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God speaks the Ten Commandments, and they open not with a demand but with a rescue: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Then the first commands: you shall have no other gods before me, and you shall not make or bow down to idols, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.

Notice where the commandments begin. Obedience is founded on redemption; God saves first, and the commands flow out of relationship with the God who delivered them. Then the first commands guard that relationship: no other gods, no idols, because he is a jealous God, jealous the way faithful love is jealous, unwilling to share the beloved's heart with rivals. And the contrast at the end is telling. The consequences of hatred reach a few generations, but his steadfast love reaches to thousands of those who love him. God's mercy vastly outweighs his judgment.

Do I obey God out of gratitude for his rescue, keeping my heart free of rival "gods," and do I know his steadfast love reaches far beyond his judgment?

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