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The First Commandment (Ex. 20:1-6)

Then God spoke all these words.  2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You shall not have other gods beside me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; 5 you shall not bow down before them or serve them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; 6 but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

After Yahweh led the Israelites out of Egypt and they entered the wilderness of Sinai, Moses went up Mount Sinai and conversed with Yahweh.  Yahweh told Moses that if the Israelites obeyed Him and kept the covenant He made with them, they would find favor with Him.  Moses told the Israelites what Yahweh said, and their reply was, “Everything the Lord has said, we will do (Ex. 19:1-8).”  Yahweh gave the Israelites the Ten commandments

In the First Commandment Yahweh introduced himself, “I am the Lord,” and then told the Israelites that he was their God (v. 2) who brought them out of slavery in Egypt (v. 2).  Since Yahweh defeated their previous lord and master, Pharaoh, Yahweh was now Israel’s Lord and Master.  He commanded them not to worship any other gods.  The Egyptians made images of many kinds of beings, and Yahweh forbade the Israelites to make images of anything in heaven or on the earth and worship them (vv. 4-5).  Yahweh warned the Israelites, who had just made a covenant with Him, not to sin.  Sin is based on human action or inaction and has consequences.  Yahweh will punish sins even if the punishment falls on the children of the parents who committed the sins (v. 5).  However, those who love Yahweh and keep his commandments will experience His divine love (v. 6).

Almighty God, out of your boundless mercy you redeemed the Israelites from slavery and sent your beloved Son to redeem those who accept him from slavery to sin.  Help us to be obedient to you and do not let the consequences of our sins bring physical, emotional or spiritual harm to others.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

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