“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
— Exodus 20:2–3
Moses received and followed Jethro’s advice to organize a system of judges in Israel. Opening to or depending upon a source other than God violates the principle that the Lord alone is God. Once Moses acted on this idea, his new way became his god.
We can find ourselves depending on many things other than God. We may find that our job, our career, our degree, our spiritual training, our service, our church, or the young believers we shepherd are so many gods surrounding us. Yet the first thing the Lord makes clear is that besides Him we shall have no other gods.
What Moses’ father-in-law told Moses became a way for them, but what the Lord unveiled to Moses was the secret of going on: We only worship God; we care for God and honor Him above all others; we only follow our Lord, even Jesus Christ, who is our God.
Adapted from Joshua: A Life of Service, pages 20-21.
Tomorrow: “Keep the Feast”