This is the first in a 10-part series that focuses on the covenant law of Yah which was inscribed on tablets of stone at Mount Sinai. What do these laws really mean and how are we to keep them?
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Introduction
Before he delivered the first commandment, Yah preceded it with these words:
1 And Elohim spoke all these words, saying, 2 I am Yah your Elohim, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
—Exodus 20
With that we get an introduction into the character of the one we are to worship. First and foremost, he is an Elohim of deliverance, of redemption, of salvation. He made himself known to the children of Israel by freeing them from captivity, and that is the business he has been in ever since, despite our numerous rebellions.
Yah intends to free us not only from the physical aspects of bondage, he has worked to free us from much more. We learn the extent of our bondage from Yeshua himself. During one of many challenges with the Pharisees, Yeshua had this to say:
34 Yeshua answered them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abides not in the house forever: but the Son abides ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”
—John 8
In truth, the highest form of freedom Yah intends to give to those who serve him is freedom from sin, which leads to life, for we are told:
19 As righteousness leads to life: so he that pursues evil pursues it to his own death.
—Proverbs 11
and . . .
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die.
—Ezekiel 18
Yeshua’s name, in its long Hebrew form, which is the same as the Hebrew form of Joshua, is Yahushua, which translates to “Yah is salvation.” In this salvation package comes freedom from sin, but one must first understand what sin is in order to learn how to obtain freedom from it.
4 Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
—1 John 3
Sin is basically disobedience. When Yah tells us to do something, and we refuse to do it, this is sin. Freedom from sin is essentially doing the opposite of this; it is keeping Yah’s law! Remember what Yeshua said:
34 Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin.
—John 8
To keep Yah’s law is to cease from sin. So we must keep his laws, but we must also exercise faith in Yeshua, for these are the two traits that identify those who will overcome in these last days.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Elohim, and the faith of Yeshua.
—Revelation 14
Writing concerning Yeshua, John had this to say:
5 And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither known him.
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
8 He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of Elohim does not commit sin; for his nature remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of Elohim.
—1 John 3
So if sin is the transgression of the law, as stated in First John 3 verse 4, we must be familiar with the law in order to know what not to do, so that we do not commit sin.
When Yah made a covenant with Ancient Israel, which we covered in our Scripture Study series, Scattered Among the Nations, he presented them with a set of covenant laws that were inscribed in stone and written with his own finger according to Deuteronomy chapter 9 verse 10.
The first of these covenant laws is found in Exodus 20 verse 3.
3 You shall have no other deities before me.
—Exodus 20
To fully understand this commandment, and the entire covenant law for that matter, we must understand what Yeshua said about the two great commandments. When asked by a Pharisee:
36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Yeshua said unto him, You shall love Yah your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
—Matthew 22
The first great commandment can be seen as the first four commandments inscribed on the tables of stone, which instruct us on how we are to deal with Yah, beginning with the command to have no other deities before him. The fifth to tenth commandments instruct us on how we are to deal with our fellow Israelites, and those who are considered our neighbor in this world.
On the two great commandments, Yeshua said to hang everything that is written in Scripture, because his entire Word instructs us on these two great points.
So loving Yah with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength starts with placing no one before Yah. It means having no one of greater importance in our lives, not parents, or children, or spouses, etc. Yeshua himself said:
37 He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
—Matthew 10
One simple yet overlooked instruction is found in the book of proverbs. In chapter 3 verse 6 we read:
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
—Proverbs 3
In all your ways, meaning in everything you do, acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. If we wake up in the morning and do not speak to him first, we have failed in this objective.
If something is done to our benefit and he is not the first one we thank, we have failed in this objective. In Revelation chapter 4 we read of four living creatures, the Seraphim class of heavenly messengers, who worship before the throne:
8 And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Pure, pure, pure, Master Elohim Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him that sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that is sitting on the throne, and worship him that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. . . .
—Revelation 4
Now here we have one of the highest class of heavenly messengers, the six-winged seraphim, according to Isaiah 6 verse 2, who do not rest day or night, but continually give glory and honor and thanks to Yah, and who see nothing greater than to worship before his throne. And each time they utter those words of praise, the twenty-four elders fall down before him and worship as well.
Yet we fail to thank Yah first and foremost whenever something good happens to us, particularly when it comes at the hands of another person. We either thank the person first, or thank the person only and fail to thank Yah. This is not loving Yah with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is not acknowledging him in all our ways.
And this is certainly not putting Yah first and having no other deities before him. You see, giving thanks is a form of worship, as we saw in the example of the seraphim who worship before the throne. In the book of Psalms we read:
3 Know you that Yah he is Elohim: it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
—Psalm 100
We must be careful who we thank first. And as the 100th Psalm clearly stated, we did not make ourselves; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. There are many who teach “believe in yourself,” and other motivational, self-empowerment adages, but these ideas are dangerous and unscriptural. They in fact teach us to break Yah’s commandments by putting ourselves first.
3 You shall have no other deities before me.
—Exodus 20
This also means ourselves. We shall not exalt ourselves in our own hearts and minds. This is what pride leads to.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
—Matthew 23
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
—Proverbs 16
The prayer of Hannah found in First Samuel sheds more light on this:
2 There is none pure as Yah: for there is none beside you: neither is there any rock like our Elohim. 3 Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for Yah is an Elohim of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
—1 Samuel 2
This explains why we should have no other deities before him, because there is none beside him. There is none like him, period. We praise people, but Yah should be praised above all else. At times we think we are the wisest and other times we seek others for advice and guidance when we should be seeking Yah first, for Yah himself says:
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye.
—Psalm 32
And we are also told to:
5 Trust in Yah with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.
—Proverbs 3
This is putting Yah first. This is having no other deities before him, including yourself and other people. You see, we have a tendency to glorify and worship celebrities of all walks. We hold athletes, movie stars, singers, Civil Rights heroes, historical figures, our parents, our children, and pretty much anyone who excels in physical, intellectual, social, or other areas of human achievement, both dead and alive, when we should be worshipping, glorifying, and praising Yah, who lives forever.
And we even look to others: political leaders, activists, husbands, fathers, mothers, and even our own selves, to save us in times of trouble and adversity, when we are told:
11 I, even I, am Yah; and besides me there is no savior.
—Isaiah 43
This is putting Yah first. This is having no other deities before him. When we focus on celebrities and sports figures, and hold them dear in our hearts, and hang on every word that flows from the lips of political leaders, intellectuals, or activists, and praise their achievements and hope in their efforts, we fail to honor and glorify the one who is truly deserving of such honor and glory. For Yah himself says:
11 I will not give my glory unto another.
—Isaiah 48
Yet we give his glory unto others day after day. When we look at the temptation of our Savior in the wilderness, as recorded in the book of Matthew, we see that the final and ultimate test for Yeshua, and goal for the devil, involved worship.
8 Again, the devil took him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And said unto him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.
10 Then Yeshua said unto him, Begone, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship Yah your Elohim, and him only shall you serve. 11 Then the devil left him, and, behold, heavenly messengers came and ministered unto him.
—Matthew 4
This is also our ultimate test: not worshipping others in the slightest or placing them at a higher position of importance in our lives, and this includes the devil, living or deceased people, and even ourselves. For we are to worship Yah our Elohim in all things, and serve only him.
He should be the highest priority in our lives and he should be the first one we thank, praise, and turn to for everything we need and want in life. This is truly what it means to have no other deities before him.
Keywords:covenant law, the first commandment, kingdom preppers, understanding the covenant, the ten commandments, kingdom prepper, have no other gods before me, putting Yah first, have no other deities before me, first great commandment
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