Posted on November 7, 2025 SHARE: [By Darrell Bock , 2016] The First Commandment in the Old Testament Ever since God delivered Israel from being a house of slavery in Egypt, God has asked for allegiance from his people (Exodus 20). When God issued the Ten Words, as the Old Testament calls them, he was marking out ethical standards that not only would make Israel a kingdom of priests, he also was creating a nation that would live in the world in a way that respected both God and others (Exod 19:5-6). The very structure of the Ten Commandments has one portion discussing how to relate to God and another on how to relate to others. When Jesus boils down the Law to the two commands of loving God completely and loving your neighbor as yourself, he is drawing from the same moral expectations and guiding stone. What we are seeing is the outwork of God’s original commission to humanity in Genesis 1 and 2 that humans were created in the image of God to reflect their Creator and manage the world well– to exercise a flourishing dominion over the creation God gave to us as a garden to care for and live in. It is in this context that God utters the first commandment, which says “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod 20:3). This commandment was repeated after the colossal failure of Israel worshipping the golden calf. In Deuteronomy 5:7, God repeats this command in the very same Hebrew words. In both settings the context points to a covenantal relationship God would have with his people, a “special possession among the nations” (Exod 19:5). God was to be a God so near to them it was unlike any other god of any other nation (Deut 4:7). In Deut. 4, before this first commandment is repeated, God makes the point that no replica of God should be formed. God had married himself to his people and he is a jealous God, a jealous husband. In our world, jealousy is seen as a mostly negative quality, but in the Old Testament in certain contexts it was seen as a positive attribute. God deserves the loyalty he seeks. He had delivered Israel. He had drawn close to her. He had protected her. He was in the process of giving her a home when before she had been a captive, caught in slavery. He had taken this enslaved people and made them special. So he is jealous to preserve the relationship he had formed with them. Only the Lord is God, there is no other besides him (Deut 4:32-35). So he is the only one worthy of adoration. Our primary obligation in life is to our Creator. It is in this context that God declares that there are to be no other gods before him. The Hebrew word for “another” (aher) is actually more descriptive than this. It is a “strange” god, one not appropriate for the relationship being attributed to him. The word is used for something that is of another kind. So we have the exhortation in Exodus 34:14 (NET) not to worship another God for God’s name is Jealous and is a jealous God. Here is the verse: “God shares his glory with no one else (using this same Hebrew term for “another” that often is translated as no one else or anyone else; Isa 42:8- “I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols.” Idols of any sort are ruled out as objects of worship in this passage from the prophet. Even the name of other gods are not to be on their lips (Exod 23:13). The prediction of unfaithfulness in going after other gods comes in Deuteronomy 31:20 and it is described as the breaking of a covenant. This is why God compares his relationship to his people with a marriage in the book of Hosea. God’s people are to be like a faithful wife, but God is faithful even in the face of our unfaithfulness. He continues with jealous loyalty to pursue his bride, both in judgment (Josh 23:16) and in restoration (Hos 3:1). The first commandment is a call to loyalty to a good, gracious and delivering God, who loves us as a faithful husband. The idea of having no idols before us means that anything else that controls our lives and acts as a “god” for us demeans our relationship and loyalty to God. An idol need not be a wooden object to which we bow in order for it to control our lives. Idolatry can come in many forms. The most subtle are those where we are simply looking after ourselves for basic needs. The difference between a proper set of priorities and excessive self focus can be tricky but needs reflection. The Old Testament teaching leaves us with a first set of reflective questions: Is there anything that garners more loyalty from us than our relationship with God? If the answer is yes, then the first commandment is violated. Adjustments need to be made to get the priorities aligned. Our biblical survey may help us consider when the line is crossed. Let us turn to Jesus and the New Testament to see how loyalty works. The first commandment is a call to loyalty to a good, gracious and delivering God, who loves us as a faithful husband. The Temptations of Jesus and the First Commandment Behind Jesus’ response to the third temptation of Satan in Matthew 4:10 stands an allusion to the first commandment God as he cites Deuteronomy 6:13. Luke’s rendering has a diff erent order of the temptations, so this is the second temptation in his account (Luke 4:8; Deut 6:13). This reply is part of Jesus’ commitment of total loyalty to God’s will and way in all the temptations. He will not test God and his goodness. He will not live by bread alone but rests in response to God’s Word. Deuteronomy 6:13 states the commitment to God alone that mirrors the first commandment. Jesus’ action shows how loyalty to God and worshipping him also should point to faithfulness to God’s way and will. This is an important mirror for how the commandment works itself out in positive terms. The commandment to worship God is not only about not worshipping other gods; it is about being faithful to the one God. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman in John 4:23-24 that God is looking for worshippers who do so in spirit and truth. That idea reflects what he has done in surviving the temptations. A question emerges from Jesus’ example: How does one’s loyalty to God express itself in faithfulness to God in what one does and says as one lives and works? The Roots of Discipleship The roots of discipleship also reflect a commitment to the first commandment. When Jesus says that one who is to be a disciple must hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he is also evoking the fact that God stands in a priority relationship to us. The family was the core earthly relationship people have. So for these relationships to be ranked below a commitment to God and his way, we can see that honoring God is before everything. The term hate here is rhetorical and is used in a relative way to say that God and his way is to come first. The first commandment is the idea behind this call to discipleship. In the original context it meant that if loyalty to one’s family prevailed, one might not even choose to consider Jesus as many of the Jews Jesus shared with had rejected his claims and call. If one’s sense of heritage, tradition and family identification prevails, one might not even consider coming to Jesus because family might be alienated from that choice. Jesus’ point is that God has first place in our loyalty. This raises a third set of questions: Is what I do for my family or for anyone else in line with and related to the prior calling God has given to me? This idea of calling does not mean I have to be in church or other ministries. Work done well and morally that serves people and the creation honors God. But is my labor and the way it is undertaken, whatever it is and however it is done, honoring to God? Is what I do for my family and what I seek to gain for them done in a manner that also shows honor to God? Lessons from the Concept of Idolatry If worshipping other gods is idolatry, then speaking of idolatry also evokes a violation of the first commandment. It is here where the issue of idolatry tied to things other than idols and images of God appears. In a fascinatingly brief reference, Colossians 3:5 calls greed idolatry. Only a careful study of how the love of things corrupts can explain how this works. In the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21, we see a man who is blessed with a rich yield of his crops but only uses it for himself. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, we see a man who had no compassion for the beggar outside his gate and who saw the beggar only as a pawn to serve him . After the rich man had died, he ended up in judgment. The rich man and his own needs were the only thing this rich man was concerned about. So the question becomes, does my use of resources honor only myself or my own family or does it extend out to others in ways that reflects the giving and generous character of God? Is my labor and the way it is undertaken, whatever it is and however it is done, honoring to God? Is what I do for my family and what I seek to gain for them done in a manner that also shows honor to God? Both the negative and positive use of resources is covered in 1 Timothy 6:8-10, 17-19. They treat the array of both the danger and the opportunity that comes with wealth. The trap is that resources can fuel a selfish desire that leads into many a path that is not honoring to God. Wealth can lead to pride, a reliance on that which is temporary. It can make us think we have more control over our lives than we do. It can turn us into thinking, subtly, we are little gods. We are to enjoy what God gives us, but in a way that is generous, doing good and being rich in good deeds with what God allows us to steward. Such generosity leads into a life that pleases God. So another question emerges: Do I use my resources in ways that honors God and gives to others? Are there some on the fringe of life who are honored and impacted by my use of resources? A text like Luke 14:1-24 says we should look to serve those who lack. A Diagnostic Guide for Living According to the First Commandment The first commandment sets the stage for thinking about how we order our relationships, use our resources and set our priorities. No relationship is more important than our relationship with God. Even something as important as family comes second. To aid our thought process that might guide us to live and work in light of God being first and foremost, try reflecting on these diagnostic questions: Is there anything that garners more loyalty from us than our relationship with God? How does my loyalty to God express itself in what I do and say as I live and work? Is what I do for my family or for anyone else in line with and related to the prior calling God has given to me? Is my labor and the way it is undertaken honoring to God? Is what I do for my family and what I seek to gain for them done in a manner that also honors God? Does my use of resources honor only myself or my own family or does it extend out to others in ways that reflects the giving and generous character of God? Are there some on the fringe of life who are honored or impacted by my use of resources? Recently a very popular Christian ad campaign being circulated is called “I Am Second.” That statement may rank us too high. If I am to love God and love others as myself as the Great Commandment says (Mark 12:28-34), then I may not be second as my regard for others is to be as great as my self regard. If I am to think of others as more important than myself as Paul argues in Phil 2:3, then in my regard for others my self- ranking would go down. If as Jesus taught, the one who is great among us is servant of all (Mark 10:35-45), then I am asked to look at my life before God as one where I serve and respond to him by serving others well. This certainly is a great challenge, but it also shows that in worshipping God and avoiding the temptation to have other gods, we are not just discussing worshipping idols of images made in the form of humans or other creatures made of wood or stone. We must not consider putting people, self, family, or things in a place where only God belongs. In fact we are called to do and be the opposite of what often happens. We are not first nor even second, but are to be the servant of all. Does my use of resources honor only myself or my own family or does it extend out to others in ways that reflects the giving and generous character of God? About the Author Darrell L. Bock is Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies and Executive Director of Cultural Engagement for the Hendricks Center at The Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. With nearly 40 books, he has been a New York Times Best Selling author. His specialty involves hermeneutics, the use of the Old Testament in the New, Luke-Acts, the historical Jesus, gospel studies and the integration of theology and culture. He produces a web-based, weekly podcast on issues of God and culture called The Table (www.dts.edu/thetable). He has served as editor at large for Christianity Today, President of the Evangelical Theological Society, and board member of Wheaton College and Chosen People Ministries. Darrell holds a Th.M from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen.
