I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.—Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV)

God’s Power

A simple understanding of sin is that we break the first commandment. In Exodus 20, we  read that Moses is to tell the people that they are to have no other gods besides the one  true God. But lucky for us this first commandment is just an outdated rule, right?

The Israelites struggled with the idolatry of the Canaanites. We struggle with the idolatry of the god of self—that every individual has the highest authority, and no one can take that away.

What’s the sad reality of watching people crumble when they are removed from their godly pedestal? Reflecting on the first commandment, it is important to understand that God tells Moses that He (God) brought them out of Egypt. God possesses all the power. And while this terrifies us, we see God’s power displayed in perfect humility as He takes our place in punishment and death. Where He should be exalted, He is humbled. And in a strange way that shows the true power of God. He is willing to take an imperfect and rebellious people out of Egypt. And He is willing to take an imperfect and rebellious people from the depths of sin and death.