II. What Should This Mean to You?
A. Avoid the occult.
1. Everything that is supernatural isn't necessarily of God! I Jn 4:1-3 - Dear friends, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
2. Why is rebellion like the sin of divination, & arrogance like the evil of idolatry - I Sam 15:23?
3. It's because divination (witchcraft) & idolatry (the worship of other gods) are the supreme rebellions against God!
4. It's not so much the false fortune tellers (psychics) that bother me. They are simply con people; crooks. It's the real ones that are the threats to loyalty to God.
5. So - what do you do? Stay away from ouija boards, automatic writing or any other supernatural activity not honoring the Lord or connected to your Christian faith.
B. Avoid putting your focus on your modern day idols.
1. What do you focus on most in your life?
a. Your employment, business or money; or the status & power that these can provide?
b. Your social life, family, home, children, spouse; the relationships that mean so much to you?
c. What possessions possess you? What do you devote your time, effort & resources to?
2. Surrender your life to the Lord Jesus!
a. Matt 6:31-33 - So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
b. Lord Jesus is your Creator & Redeemer.
c. He has a right to your decisions, your companionship & your devotion.
d. He is jealous of the other gods you have set before Him.
e. He wants your full allegiance, focus & loyalty!

The Ten Commandments - # 1
No Other Gods
Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me.
I. What Did This Mean to Them?
A. What are "gods"?
1. Sons of God.
a. Gen 6:1-2 - When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
b. The popular belief is that these "Sons of God" were supernatural beings; fallen angels or demons (Job 1:6).
c. The Living Bible = "spirits from the spirit world". Giants resulted from these marriages!
d. I believe these "Sons of God" refer to the lineage of Seth who began marrying the daughters of Cain.
2. Images. Several passages call the images carved from wood, stone & metal "gods".
a. Gen 31:34 - Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them.
b. Ex 20:23 - Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
c. Ex 32:31 - So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.
3. People.
a. The Pharaoh of Egypt.
1. When he was alive & ruled, he was the son of Ra, the sun god, the incarnation of Horus.
2. When he died, he became Osiris, the god of the underworld.
3. ILL: The 10 Plagues show God's majesty over the gods of Egypt.
b. The King of Babylon.
1. He had a statue of himself built & required all his government leaders worship it as a god. (Dan 3:1-30)
2. As a consequence of his arrogance he was driven insane. (Dan 4:28-37)
4. I believe the "other gods" are the supernatural demons of Satan.
They have supernatural, but limited, power.
They can indwell people & possibly things. They may have indwelt enough idols & performed enough supernatural acts through them to give momentum to the worshipping of idols.
B. What does "Before Me" mean?
1. Almighty God, Creator of the universe, is the greatest & most powerful being in existence.
2. Because He created you & redeemed you, you belong to Him.
3. He rightfully demands your absolute allegiance - your focus above anything else!