The First Commandment
James Durham. Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me. This Commandment, as all the rest, hath a positive part requiring something, and a negative part prohibiting something. I. We shall, in the first place, speak to WHAT IS REQUIRED here, and we take it up in these three things. 1. And first, it requireth the right knowledge of God; for there can be no true worship given to Him, there can be no right thought or conception of Him, or faith in Him, till He be known. 2. It requireth from us a suitable acknowledging of God in all these His properties. As — (1) That He be highly esteemed above all (2) Loved. (3) Feared. (4) Believed and trusted in. (5) Hoped in. (6) Adored. (7) Honoured. (8) Served and obeyed. And so — (9) He must be the supreme end in all our actions that should mainly be aimed at by us. 3. It requireth such duties as result from His excellency, and our acknowledging Him to be such a one. As — (1) Dependence upon Him. (2) Submission to Him, and patience under cross dispensations from Him. (3) Faith resting on Him. (4) Prayers put up to Him. (5) Repentance for wronging Him. (6) Communion, and a constant walking with Him. (7) Delighting in Him. (8) Meditating on Him; and such other as necessarily may be inferred as duties incumbent on creatures in such a relation to such a God, whose excellency and worth calleth and inviteth men to all suitable duties. 4. Next, it is necessary that we add some advertisements to these generals. (1) That the Commandment requireth all these, and in the highest and most perfect degree. (2) That it not only requireth them in ourselves, but obligeth us to further them in all others, according to our places and callings. (3) That it requireth the diligent use of all means that may help and further us in these; as reading and meditation, study, etc. (4) That these things, which in some respect may be given to creatures, as love, fear, etc., yet, when they are required as duties to God, they are required in a far more imminent way. II. In the next place, we should consider THE NEGATIVE PART of this Commandment, for the extent thereof will be best discerned by considering what is forbidden therein, and how it may be broken. This idolatry is either: — 1. Doctrinal, or idolatry in the judgment, when one professedly believeth such a thing besides God to have some divinity in it; as heathens do of their Mars and Jupiter; or — 2. Practical, when men believe no such thing, and will not own any such opinion, yet are guilty of the same thing, as covetous men, etc. 3. It may be distinguished into idolatry that hath something for its object, as the Egyptians worshipped beasts, and the Persians the sun or fire, and that which has nothing but men's imaginations for its object, as these who worship feigned gods; in which respect the apostle saith, "an idol is nothing" (1 Corinthians 8:4). 4. We would distinguish betwixt the objects of idolatry; and they are either such as are in themselves simply sinful, as devils, profane men; or they are such as are good in themselves, but abused and wronged, when they are made objects of idolatry, as angels, saints, sun, moon, etc. 5. Distinguish betwixt idolatry that is more gross and professed, and that which is more latent, subtle, and denied. This distinction is like that before mentioned, in opinion and practice, and much coincideth with it. 6. Distinguish betwixt heart-idolatry (Ezekiel 14.; Exodus 14:11, 12, and Exodus 16:2,3), and external idolatry. The former consisteth in an inward heart-respect to some idol, as this tumultuous people were enslaved to their ease and bellies in the last two fore-cited places; the other in some external idolatrous gesture or action. (James Durham.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. WEB: "You shall have no other gods before me.