seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 34:8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”
10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a] 14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a] 14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
a. Exodus 34:13 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
This is from the easy English site.
God promised Moses that he would do wonderful things for the Israelites. If they obeyed him, he would force out all the other people from the country called Canaan. And God would give their country to the Israelites. The list of the different nations emphasises that this would be a difficult job. Those people were very strong. But God was stronger, and he would give the country to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 4:38).
God warned the Israelites about the dangers that they would meet. They must not make an agreement with any group in the country called Canaan. This agreement would become like a trap for them. It would be easy for the Israelites to start to worship those people’s false gods. So the Israelites must destroy everything that the people used in Canaan. God wants us to be completely loyal to him. We must worship only God. God said, ‘My name is Jealous’. That means that God is jealous. And it is right that God is jealous. He does not want people to worship any false gods. The Israelites must worship only God. That is the only right way. So he cannot allow anyone or anything to become another god. The Israelites must worship the LORD. Nothing must cause them to stop.
God warned the Israelites about the dangers that they would meet. They must not make an agreement with any group in the country called Canaan. This agreement would become like a trap for them. It would be easy for the Israelites to start to worship those people’s false gods. So the Israelites must destroy everything that the people used in Canaan. God wants us to be completely loyal to him. We must worship only God. God said, ‘My name is Jealous’. That means that God is jealous. And it is right that God is jealous. He does not want people to worship any false gods. The Israelites must worship only God. That is the only right way. So he cannot allow anyone or anything to become another god. The Israelites must worship the LORD. Nothing must cause them to stop.
I thought at least one of the other commentaries would offer this in a different light. Normally someone has written an "alternate" commentary. I didn't find anything but restatement or preachy stuff.
Nothing can be more important than God. Not money, food, your family, or even yourself. Everything, right down to the tiniest molecule or tiniest hint of a thought, is secondary to God. If it gets in the way, remember, He's a jealous God.
You want to be a true follower? You have to give everything and everyone second place in your life. Nothing can be more important than God. It's ok to love someone.... you just have to love God more.