Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:4-6 (day four)
The first and second commandments are very similar…one almost an extension of the other. Together, they define the starting point of all worldviews. Either you believe in God or you do not. Your worldview is then established off of these premises. These commandments demand ultimate allegiance to God whose existence defines all reality. Theologian James Orr said, over a century ago, “This explains the radical antagonism between the two worldviews, one believing in God and one not. Two different starting points for all thought, two different realities—on the one hand silence, on the other hand speech; on the one hand, nihilism, on the other hand, theism, and those in the end are the only two great alternatives.”
These commands also demand exclusivity in worship. In our politically correct society, exclusivity is not a popular thought. Tolerance is the word of the day. Jesus also claims to be exclusive. Acts 4:12 says, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” God is not saying I am the best among many…He is saying no other gods, I am the only one!
