God or Gods...

[pixiegirl]

Something occurred to me the other day. In the ten commandments, at least the versions I've been socialized with (Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian) on of the commandments says that you shall worship no other gods before him (him being Christian God of course) and I've also heard the version with the jealous god. So, if the 10 commandments were God's word is this an admission (maybe that's the wrong word but you can figure it out) that there are in fact other gods, more than one god?

[SShewbert]

No I have always taken that to mean to me and what I have been taught is that is meaning anything else that you put above God, be that money, animals, your family.... It would be idolatry (or however it is spelled).

[Penn]

I THINK it goes back to the Book of Exodus, where Moses had just received the Ten Commandments, up on top of Mount Sinai, from the Burning Bush(God).

God had given him the tablets, in order to tell the people, who had just escaped Egypt, and the Pharoah's wrath, what His Laws were.

Moses was gone for quite awhile, and, the people decided to constuct an image of God, in their view, as to who He was.

It was a Golden Calf.(who knows where that one came from)

When Moses did come down from Mount Sinai, he was highly pizzed, that the people he had led out of Egypt, had taken this step.

Amazing, how God foresaw what those people were up to, in Moses' absence!

[vraiblonde]

Originally Posted by SShewbert

No I have always taken that to mean to me and what I have been taught is that is meaning anything else that you put above God, be that money, animals, your family.... It would be idolatry (or however it is spelled).

That was always my interpretation as well.

Pix, if you're interested in reading the Bible, pick up the New Student Bible. It has annotations, historical references and explanations so you can understand what's going on instead of having to slog through the KJV archaic language, which always made my head spin and caused me to lose interest rather quickly.

[PsyOps]

Originally Posted by vraiblonde

... if you're interested in reading the Bible, pick up the New Student Bible.

Another really good Bible is the Thompson Chain Reference Bible.

[Penn]

Pixie, another option would be to check out the local churches in your area, that may offer night classes.

My church offers a course that's called "Disciple", whereby a group study takes apart(?) every book of the Bible, book by book, and chapter by chapter, right down to every applicable verse. I found it very informative.

It takes about 34 weeks, to go through the entire Bible, but it is very interesting. My Pastor was our leader, our guide, and he helped us to understand what was being said.

[D-35]

Originally Posted by Penn

Pixie, another option would be to check out the local churches in your area, that may offer night classes.

My church offers a course that's called "Disciple", whereby a group study takes apart(?) every book of the Bible, book by book, and chapter by chapter, right down to every applicable verse. I found it very informative.

It takes about 34 weeks, to go through the entire Bible, but it is very interesting. My Pastor was our leader, our guide, and he helped us to understand what was being said.

Your Pastor's pace for providing this course almost seems managable.

That it's Iinformative would probably get me to attend. Which Church?

[Penn]

Originally Posted by D-35

Your Pastor's pace for providing this course almost seems managable.

That it's Iinformative would probably get me to attend. Which Church?

St. Paul's UMC, on H. G. Truman Rd., in Lusby. The 1st time I attended the 11:00am Service, I KNEW this was the church I was looking for. Pastor Ron is a great man, and his views/explanations - about scripture - are easy to understand.

He makes sense, and is an inspiring individual. His Sermons, mostly about the main thought of that Sunday's message, leave you in awe of Jesus Christ's Word!

[Ibelieve]

Originally Posted by PsyOps

Another really good Bible is the Thompson Chain Reference Bible.

Or the New American Bible study version. Gives you a breakdown of each book (most of the breakdowns are longer than the books!), historical data, maps, timelines, etc.

Oh, and back to the original question. The meaning is that nothing comes before the one true God. We put so many other things (money, lust, fame, Wii's, food, etc.) first that become OUR gods.

The commandment reads "I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me." This doesn't interpret that he is "Head God." It means he is the one and only and nothing will ever be above him.

[Penn]

Originally Posted by Ibelieve

Or the New American Bible study version. Gives you a breakdown of each book (most of the breakdowns are longer than the books!), historical data, maps, timelines, etc.

Oh, and back to the original question. The meaning is that nothing comes before the one true God. We put so many other things (money, lust, fame, Wii's, food, etc.) first that become OUR gods.

The commandment reads "I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me." This doesn't interpret that he is "Head God." It means he is the one and only and nothing will ever be above him.

Amen to that!

Another author, that I loved to read, is J. Vernon McGee. He is deceased(1989), but had published a series of books, one of them being: "Through The Bible" vols. I-V, I believe. Vol. 4 covers the Four Gospels, as well as Acts and Romans.

It IS awesome!