Exodus 20:3-11, Love the Lord Your God

Devotions on Exodus 20:3-11

 

Monday–Love the Lord Your God

“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

In ancient times, a person could make gods out of almost anything. Archeologists have found idol figurines made out of stone, pottery and wood. If we use Martin Luther’s definition of a god/idol as anything in which we place our hope and trust, then we’re quite imaginative in what we create as our gods/idols today. Retirees place their hope in their 401ks. Others worship extensively at fitness centers and partake of the sacraments of super smoothies, mega vitamins and fad diets. Some confess that their sole focus in life is their families and trust that relationships will be their salvation from meaningless lives.

The first commandment is judgment and condemnation of all things of this world. Retirement plans, healthy diets and exercise, and the gift of family and friends are all parts of an abundant life. The first commandment, though, is an invitation to keep these items in their proper place in our lives. They are gifts and not gods. As such, they are never worthy of our worship. Only in the Lord, God of all creation, is our hope and trust correctly placed. For only the Lord is worthy of our worship and praise.

Lord, may we be true to you and place our love, hope and trust only in you. Amen.

Tuesday–Love the Lord Your God

“You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4).

People worship idols because they think the idols will do something for them (and if they don’t worship them, they will be punished by them.) Baal was a god of fertility. Besides having rather unique worship services complete with prostitutes, Baal promised an abundance of children and good crops. Other idols provide safe travels, rain—at the right time and in correct amounts, protection of evil spirits or strength to fight off sickness and disease.

Today, fast cars and powerful boats promise to overcome our feelings of inferiority. Fancy homes ensure the envy of our friends and neighbors. Our careers may offer us financial security and personal power, while savings accounts and retirement plans keep us safe from any wolves lurking outside our doors. At least that is what they claim they will do.

Idols have an almost 100% failure rate. They’re like the dot com stocks of the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s—a lot of hype but no performance and thus lousy investments. There is only one whose steadfast love, overwhelming grace and unconditional love is guaranteed—with a track record that goes back thousands of years. It is the Lord. No idol can compare.

Turn our eyes to you, Lord, and create in us new and fresh hearts and spirits. Amen.

Wednesday–Love the Lord Your God

“For I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5).

It is common knowledge when hiking that a person should not get between a mother bear and cubs or a moose and her calves. Why? Because mother bears and moose are very jealous animals. In other words, they are vigilant in guarding their young, which they regard as their possessions.

The Lord our God is a jealous God. That doesn’t mean that the Lord can’t stand competition or feels threatened by idols or false gods. That’s not God’s style. The truth that God is a jealous God means that God is attentive in protecting God’s prize possessions—us. The Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament are filled with stories of God moving in the lives of God’s children to bring them into a relationship with God. The history of the Church is filled with examples of God gathering God’s children. When we look back on our lives, we can see God moving in a multitude of ways to draw us into an ever closer relationship.

Cubs, calves and people sometimes wander away from their jealous protectors. There is no need to worry, though. Those protectors come looking for their possessions, and watch out anyone or anything that gets between them.

We thank you, Lord, that you are a jealous God and that you watch over us. Amen.

Thursday–Love the Lord Your God

“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord” (Exodus 20:7).

God’s name gets batted around in a number of ways, even by people who say they don’t believe in God. We frequently use God’s name as a curse to damn this, that or the other thing. Many people use God’s name as an exclamation. Probably the most common misuse of the Lord’s name is not to use it at all.

Luther, in his explanation to the second commandment in his Small Catechism says it well, “We are to fear and love God, so that we do not curse, swear, practice magic, lie, or deceive using God’s name, but instead use that very name in every time of need to call on, pray to, praise, and give thanks to God.” As followers of Jesus we are invited to call God by God’s name in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. We have been given a great gift.

Lord, move within us so that the words of our mouths always give you praise and thanksgiving. Amen.

Friday–Love the Lord Your God

“Remember the Sabbath day” (Exodus 20:8).

Many things that we do are an inconvenience, but they are beneficial to us. No one looks forward to a colonoscopy. Avoiding colorectal cancer, however, is a very good thing. It may add to an already crammed calendar, but bringing our cars into service centers when the “service engine” light glows can prevent worse problems from occurring. We may not have time to exercise, but the possible health implications provide us with many reasons to move our bodies, flex our muscles and get our heartbeats out of the “resting” zone.

Many view the Sabbath as an inconvenience. It gets in the way of our beauty sleep and conflicts with our kid’s baseball tournaments and dance competitions. Ignoring the Sabbath doesn’t appear to have any ill effects and we join the majority of people when we skip the Sabbath. The Sabbath, though, is one of those inconveniences that are beneficial to us.

The Sabbath is a time of rest. In a society, where the majority don’t take all of their vacation days and many work more than forty hour weeks, we need our rest. Worshiping on the Sabbath enables us to turn our attention away from the cares and concerns of everyday life and focus on more important things. Observing the Sabbath is also a way to exercise our faith. When we intentionally rest, we are proclaiming that the world can function without us and that God’s provision for us is not dependent on our work.

The Sabbath is too precious a gift to ignore. It is an inconvenience with too many benefits.

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to rest. May we rest in you. Amen.

Saturday–Love the Lord Your God

“You shall not work” (Exodus 20:10).

Dane Evens fell off a ladder two weeks before the start of harvest. He broke five ribs, punctured a lung and broke his leg. There was no way that Dane would be able to drive the combine and bring in his crop. Dane’s neighbors rallied around him. Together they harvested his crop and made sure that his family was provided for during Dane’s recovery. A twister roared through a small Oklahoma town. Most of the town was leveled. Insurance would cover some but not all of the loss. Work teams from surrounding states traveled to the town and helped to rebuild it. Support poured in from around the nation. The residents of the town would never be able to pay back the help that they received. They realized, however, that God’s provision for them was based on love and not necessarily the amount of work that they did.

It is difficult for us to separate the provision of our daily bread from our work. The fact that all of life is a gift, though, is an important truth to remember. Food, clothing, shelter, family and everything we need to get through the day is a gift from a very loving and benevolent God. God provides for us even when we can’t work and also when we choose not to work so that we can observe the Sabbath.

Lord, help us remember that you are the one who provides for us like loving parents provide for their children. Amen.

Sunday–Love the Lord Your God

“The Lord blessed the Sabbath and consecrated it” (Exodus 20:11).

Cho was an artist who loved to work with watercolors. Through several decades, Cho produced wonderful pictures with watercolors. There was one work, however, that was her favorite. It was a garden scene. Cho loved the balance of color in the picture and thought the picture captured the essence of the garden. Miguel had worked with wood all of his life. He had crafted several pieces of furniture. Miguel’s favorite creation was a rocking chair. He loved the grain of the wood, the minimalist design and the fact that it was so very comfortable.

All artists and craftsmen have favorite pieces. Perhaps this even pertains to God. After God had created all of creation, God looked upon it and said that it was good. When it came to God’s creation of the Sabbath, though, God not only said that it was good, God also blessed it and consecrated it. The Sabbath was one of God’s favorite parts of creation.

There could be many reasons for this. It could be that in God’s eyes the gift of rest ranks right up there with love and laughter as part of a full, abundant and free life. It might also be because people at rest is one of the most dramatic demonstrations of grace. God carrying for one of God’s prize creations—providing and protecting them—dose so not because they worked hard and deserve it, but rather because God is a God of love.

Your love, Lord, catches us by surprise even when we close our eyes to rest. Thank you. Amen.