The Israelites saw God part the Red Sea and save them from captivity in Egypt. But soon afterward, they gave up on the God who rescued them. They chose to worship a golden calf instead. When Moses returned from receiving the Ten Commandments, he saw the Israelites—God’s people—engaged in idolatry. Moses threw the tablets to the ground, shattering them just as the people had shattered God’s first commandment—to worship only God.
God is a God of second chances. God gave Moses new tablets and reiterated his commands. Those commands are as important today as they were for the Israelites because God designed his command for us to build relationships with him and with the people around us. Obeying God’s commands helps us to love as well.
God doesn’t ask us for worship because his ego needs stroking. He asks it because worshiping him alone is the best thing that could happen to us.
The first commandment, that God alone is to be worshiped, is at the heart of them all. God doesn’t ask us for worship because his ego needs stroking. He asks it because worshiping him alone is the best thing that could happen to us. We don’t have to kneel before a golden calf to worship idols. An idol is anything for which we have a deeper devotion than God. An idol could be power, money, comfort, pleasure, or even religion. Worshiping God above everything else keeps life in the proper perspective. God is passionate about his relationship with us. Worshiping him alone helps us become more passionate about him.
Consider what’s important in our lives. Weigh your relationship with God in light of everything else. Ask God to help us identify anything that we give higher priority to than getting to know him better.
Source: The 150 Most Important Bible Verses © 2007 by GRQ, Inc. Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
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