Exo 20:3 - "You shall have no other gods before me."
Deut 5:7 - "You shall have no other gods before me."
The First Commandment demands, by way of negation, Israel's total allegiance to Yahweh; she is to have "no other gods before me." It is important to note that, whatever may be the commandment's specific meaning, it is not intended in this context to spell out the relationship of Yahweh to other gods. Neither does it have to do with whether gods other than Yahweh truly exist. The Old Testament is persistent in its preaching that pieces of wood and silver become gods-de-facto when bestowed with the devotion that belongs alone to God.
The Hebrew phrase 'al penay, "before me," is capable of a number of meanings, including "in addition to me," "other than me," "prior to/in preference to me," "in my sight/presence" (such as, perhaps, as an idol set up in the temple), or "over against me." It defines Yahweh's right to occupy Israel's devotional space solely and wholly; there is to be nothing to intervene that space between Israel and Yahweh. This commandment lays bare the simple fact that, to borrow the words of a famous missionary, if Yahweh is not the Lord of all of Israel's devotion, He would not be Lord at all.
The First Commandment lays bare
the simple fact that
if God is not the Lord of
all of our devotion,
then He would not be Lord at all.
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2013