First Thing First

Exodus 20:1-21

“Then God spoke all these words: 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 20:1-3). It is fitting that the Ten Commandments should begin where they do, with God’s relationship to the people––and the implications of that relationship––made clear. Of all the commandments, however, it is this first one that remains the most difficult to keep.

What is it that motivates us? What is it that fills our lives with joy or purpose? What is the thing that we take most seriously? If our answer to these questions is anything other than God, we have violated the first commandment. Nothing shall come between us and the one true God. God, THE God, must remain first and foremost in our lives. Once this foundation is set the meaning of the other commandments becomes more apparent. For example when our central focus remains on God’s will we see there is no need for idols to serve as good luck charms or totems. If we are focused on God’s will we will be disinclined to substitute our own desires, our own biases and to claim them as the word of God. When we are focused on God we are better able to see the necessity of rest and wellbeing for ourselves and others and to forego the constant drive to achieve or to accumulate. When we are attentive first to God our relationships with others become more meaningful and we begin to better understand the blessings of community and the appropriate ways to live in it.

“You shall have no other gods before me.” As God’s people we are challenged to accept God’s role in our lives and to let go of anything that might stand in the way. This is not an easy task but it leads to a life filled with grace and abundance.

Prayer: Lord, help us to keep you first in our lives and to live in faithfulness and fidelity to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pardon Me, Please

2 Kings 5:1-19

Naaman was a general in the service of the king of Aram. Naaman was also a leper who learned there was a prophet in Israel who could cure him. Elisha was that prophet who did in fact heal Naaman of his disease. Afterwards the general acknowledged that the God of Israel was the one true God in all the world and the only God that Naaman would worship. “But,” said Naaman to Elisha, “may the Lord pardon your servant on one count: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant on this one count” (2 Kings 5:18). Elisha then assures Naaman that he may go in peace.

I find this to be an odd moment. On a number of occasions God has claimed to be a jealous, insistent that the people of God have nothing to do with other deities. (Exodus 34:14 even says “…the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” And Exodus 20:5 specifically mentions bowing to other gods as unacceptable.) So why is it that Naaman is given permission to do these things, to attend the worship of another god and to bow with the king of Aram on those occasions? Frankly, I have no idea. When it comes to worshiping the God of Israel it would seem like Naaman should be “all in” or not, as opposed to “in (with exceptions).”

And yet clearly God meets us where we are and our relationships with God are not “one size fits all.” My needs are not necessarily the needs of another, my situation in life is not identical to anyone else’s. For this reason I take comfort in knowing that God relates to people within the community of faith just as we should relate to one another, recognizing the strengths and weaknesses we each carry, offering to do those things for which we are best suited. In his healing Naaman found the truth about God who already knew the truth about Naaman. What a blessing to know that God pays more attention to us than we do to God.

Prayer: Lord, you know us better than we know ourselves. Bless us with what we need to live as your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.