Deuteronomy 18:9-14 / Lord’s Day 34 (Q&A 94, 95 only)

Summary: The first commandment begins in much the same place that marriage vows begin: exclusivity. To really enter into this relationship, God says, it’s not enough to simply promise to love me–like a bride, you must forsake all others. “Having a god” is primarily about trust…whatever we trust in to take care of us and to keep us satisfied and safe, that is our god. And if all God were asking is that we don’t trust anyone or anything more than him, we might not struggle as much with this commandment. The challenge comes for us (as it did for Israel) in the exclusivity; trusting in God alone. Lest we interpret the 10 commandments as the rules we must keep in order to earn God’s favour, they begin with a reminder of redemption from Egypt. Our obedience to the law is the consequence (not the cause) of God first loving and redeeming us…most gloriously, of course, in his Son Jesus Christ. In his radiance, all other gods are exposed as helpless counterfeits.