does the first commandment imply there are other Gods?

Question

I the Lord am your God you shall not have other Gods before me.

Answer 1

There are no other "real" gods.

There are things that are more important to some people than God.

These are the false gods, whether they are as blatant as a golden calf or as subtle as pride.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one...

1 John 5:8
And there are three that bear witness in earth the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

If you really want to know and study this you will see they are all One God...

Jesus is Man

Isaiah 7:14, 9:6
Luke 1:31 2:6-7
Acts 17: 31
Galatians 4:4
Pilippians 2:7-8
1 Timothy 2:5
Hebrews 4:15 7:24-25


Jesus is God
Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah 9:6
Micah 5:2
John 1:1, 14
John 1:10
John 8:24, 58-59
11 Corinthians 5:19
1 Timothy 3:16

Source(s):

God is a Spirit

John 4:23-24
Acts 7:48-49
Acts 17:24-28
Psalm 139: 7-14
1 King 8:27
Jeremiah 23: 23-24

Answer 3

Funny you should mention this ... I always harbor a suspicion that Moses wrote the 10 commandments by himself. But his intentions were good. It's just that he did not have very much faith in his fellow man. So he tried to guide their thinking a little. Just like all our religions are still doing today. If God did author the 10 commandments as has been said, then all who breach them would be struck by lightning on the spot, the minute they crossed the line, God doesn't need any handymen to help carry out God's commandment. The commandments, are more like a guide on how to be better human beings.
Even the concept, of how many beings constitute God, seems hard to understand ... what if the concept of numbers does not exist in the absolute? The confusion comes from our own attempts to define God.

Answer 4

Yes, but not in the way that you think. There are two types of G(g)ods: One made by humans whether it is made of wood, metal or some other substance (paper), and then there is the True and Living God.

Do the former gods really exist (such as Loki or Zeus)? No. They are gods made from the imagination of man. Are there other gods? Of course... it is whatever concerns a person the most: money; success; power; pride; intellect; sex; control; etc.

Are all of the above important? Yes and are not in conflict with God unless they become the focus of your life. All of these other things, in the end, will leave you empty and cannot fullfill you in and of themselves. As a primary focus all they can do is dissappoint you and leave you empty. I suspect that you know of what I am refering.

God is the only thing that is capable of fullfilling your every need. Once you come into that perspective all of these other things, these false gods, take up their rightful place...

Wishing you well on your trip.

Answer 5

just read it and you will see. There would be no commandment about no other gods before me unless there were other gods.
In Genesis, the word translated into English as "God created..." is elohim, which is plural for god(s). YHVH battled other gods, incuding those of the Egyptians and Baal, etc, and notice that when Adam and Eve left the Garden, there were other people already there - who had also been taught celestial knowledge (sciences, math etc) by their gods. different gods for different people, which if you look at the world had to have been. this is why YHVH says I am the God amongst gods. When you see or hear the phrase the Lord of Hosts (YHVH Adaonai Sabaioth), the hosts are these other angels, if you like, ruled by God.

Answer 6

Actually, the Lord wants to be the priority in your life and he wants you to meditate upon him and worship him. What is being implied by other Gods is a reference to anything that consumes your thoughts more than he does. The Lord is your loving Father and he took the time to create you, so why would you worship or believe in anyone else. There is only one God and he's completely and totally devoted to you, he just wants you to do the same. God Bless!

Answer 7

Well by the way it is worded, it almost sounds like you can have other gods, as long as they are not more revered. I would assume however, though I am not sure, that it means you should have no other gods but God. Now as far as other possible gods go, I would assume the possible canidates are probably demons or Satan. I have heard some people say that anything you put as more important than God is disobeying this commandment. For example, if your life is devoted to one thing, and your obligations to God come second to that. Basiclly keep God as your number one concern in life is what I believe it is trying to say.

Answer 8

Of course,there are thousands of gods.Even Satan is referred to as "the God of this system of things"in the Bible(2Cor4:4).
Anything that is worshipped and put on high becomes a 'god'.
The original manuscripts contained God's name which is Jehovah in them.However due to superstition and prejudice God's name has been removed from most translations.You can still find it in older translations of the KJV.(Ps.83:18)The New World Translation published by the Watchtower,Bible and Tract Society of Jehovah's Witnesses has God's name put back in every instance it originally occurred,making it much easier to understand the context of relative verses.
It is because God's name has been removed from His Holy Word,that causes the confusion.Millions of people are unaware that the one true God,the Creator of the universe is named Jehovah,and He is the only true God,the one to be worshipped and obeyed.
Rom10:13;John 17:3

Answer 9

Actually, it's quite possible. According to the book God: A Biography, at that time in religious history, the Jews had no concept of monotheism (yet another sad, sad case of modern Christians imposing 21st century thought on ancient documents instead of reading and understanding them in their proper socio-historical context). Remember that Abraham was a man called from another religious tradition and summoned unto Yahweh, in return for which Yahweh would bless him. Deuteronomy was a contract (patterned after Hamurabi's Code, as I recall). You Jews will obey Me (and none of the other gods) and in return I'll bless you. But if you break this contract, I'll punish you via the methods written in the contract. Monotheism such as we think of it was a later development.

Answer 10

No It implies that there is only one God, and that one God does not want to share that space with any idols or false creations that mankind chooses to exalt. This command was given to the people He chose to make Himself known to, not to the world.

Answer 11

Anything a person worships becomes their god. There are people whose sole purpose in life is to make money and it guides and controls their thoughts and decision making processes. The Bible calls Satan the god of this system of things. However, there is only one true God, with a capital G.