1st Commandment: No Other Gods
4/13/202641 min
The 10 Commandments E4 — Before Yahweh gives the 10 Commandments to Israel, he reminds them that he is the God who liberated them from slavery and is entering into a covenant with them. So how does this connect with the first commandment, “You will have no other gods before me”? And what does that even mean? In this episode, Jon and Tim walk through the 1st Commandment, exploring how a command about ultimate allegiance can keep the newly liberated people of Israel (and us) free.
FULL SHOW NOTES
For chapter-by-chapter summaries, biblical words, referenced Scriptures, and reflection questions, check out the full show notes for this episode.
CHAPTERS
- Recap and the Scene When God Gives the 10 Commandments (0:00-12:38)
- “Before My Face” (12:38-24:09)
- The Meaning of “No Other Elohim” (24:09-33:11)
- Allegiance That Leads to Life (33:11-41:21)
OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
View this episode’s official transcript.
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS BIBLEPROJECT TRANSLATION
View our full translation of the 10 Commandments.
REFERENCED RESOURCES
- Find the related animated video for this episode here.
- Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books.
SHOW MUSIC
- “Coffee Crash” by Lofi Sunday feat. Me & The Boys
- “Stillness” by Lofi Sunday feat. dannyfreeman
- “Faith (Mustard Seed)” by Lofi Sunday feat. Zairis Téjion
- BibleProject theme song by TENTS
SHOW CREDITS
Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJon Collins· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Today we begin reading through the Ten Commandments. Now I've been familiar with the Bible my whole life, and I've been familiar with the Ten Commandments my whole life, but I learned something completely new to me. I thought that Moses was up with God alone on the mountain when God gave Israel the Ten Commandments. And I thought this because there is a later scene when Moses is up on the mountain with God, and God inscribes the Ten Commandments into stone. But when God first speaks the Ten Commandments, Moses is down at the base of the mountain with the Israelites, and they hear the words blasting down like thunder, and it frightens them.
Tim Mackie· Guest0:42
The people's response to the Ten Commandments is they think they're gonna die. Getting in touch with what is really true is actually gonna feel so counter to what I think is normal life.
Jon Collins· Host0:53
What they hear booming down is this, "I am Yahweh, your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." The first line in the Ten Commandments is not a command, but a reminder of who God is and who they are.
Tim Mackie· Guest1:09
This is a family whose fundamental identity is, "We used to be slaves being slowly killed off, and we were liberated. How do we live as freed people?" One way to think about the Ten Commandments is it's like a freedom ethic. It's the ethic of the free.
Jon Collins· Host1:25
This freedom ethic begins in the context of an intimate