'You shall have no other gods before me'

By Steve Hall

Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Deuteronomy 26:16-19
Matthew 5:43-48

“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:4-5)

It may not be obvious, but todays readings have their origin in this much older verse from the book of Genesis. When we think about it, it’s clear that Adam åand Eve knew good and evil from the beginning. They knew it because they were in communication with the one who embodied goodness. What was suggested to them, however, was a bit different. With just a bite or two they could supposedly determine for themselves what was good and what was evil. After all, that’s what God does — not by some decision or selection, but by his very being he defines the good and, correspondingly, defines what is evil. So we are brought to the texts we have today; and the consequences of Adam and Eve’s decision continue to bring chaos.

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD:
he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways
and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees,
and to hearken to his voice.

This text from Deuteronomy does two things. It directs both these people and ourselves to return to fundamentals and it lists other essential directives. The directives speak to our dealings with one another; but the fundamental truth, the one at the center of all, is the one Adam and Eve forgot: I am God, you shall have no other gods before me. That includes determining for one’s self the evil and the good.

You don’t need to determine what is good and what is evil for that has already been done. God is good and good is God. Isn’t this why Jesus would direct his questioner to the Father? “And he [Jesus] said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good.’” (Matthew 19:17) And also, for the same reason, he declined the same tribute, and said that it is in-appropriate when it is directed toward himself? “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.’” (Mark 10:18)

When we acknowledge that truth we must necessarily deal with a few other Scripture texts to get clarity. The first is from the Gospel of Matthew. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” (Matthew 7:1-2) 

In these words Jesus is speaking about our tendency to pronounce judgment on others as if we were the arbiter of good and evil. Once more we are reminded of that incident in Eden. In fact, Jesus rejects that role even for himself. “If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” (John 12:47) 

In other words, his role is not to be God among men but to bring people closer to God.

So. We are not to judge. Jesus did not come to judge. And we are left with the question: Who does or will do the judging? Our answer depends upon what we mean by judging. In its primary sense a ‘judge’ is the one who determines the reality that is.

Which participant crossed the finish line first? The judge (possibly with help from a photo) will tell us.

Who’s the tallest? The shortest? The fastest? We have a judge to read the measurements for us.

Has this person broken the law? We have a system to judge that.

In each of these situations the judge observes and acknowledges the truth. So too when we ourselves are ultimately judged.

“When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. . . . “ (Matthew 25:31-32)

In the matter currently before us this is a telling verse. Why? Because it suggests that no judge or judgement is necessary if, by judgement we mean determining a balance between good and evil. Rather, are you one of the sheep or are you one of the goats? Recall the words of Jesus to the Jewish authorities who denied both his teaching and his origin.

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Whether separating sheep from goats or determining the origin of the influence behind the Jewish authorities attitude, no judgement of balance is necessary — just an acknowledgement of the truth that is present. God is a judge only in the sense that he knows and speaks the truth. That being the case, there is another consideration to be recognized.

It’s relatively easy to find You Tube stories in which an animal is rescued from a ditch, a swamp, a mud hole and the like. One of my favorites is about a baby elephant. The herd had crossed a muddy stream with high banks. Though the herd had successfully made the crossing, one of the little ones got stuck in the mud trying desperately to climb a bank which was just too high. Fortunately, park rangers saw the problem and managed to accomplish the baby’s rescue. A few moments later and mother elephant was reunited with her young one who was still a muddy mess. With that, the whole herd turned toward the rangers and trumpeted their gratitude.

“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7)

So, why should we worry about judgment. In the end it will be what it will be. The sheep will be sheep and the goats will be goats. And before that we will, in each and every moment, choose to be what we ultimately be. So if we must worry, let us worry about the choices we make today.

In the meantime God wants us to succeed. He wants us to conquer the ‘mud’ and the ‘tall embankments’ in our lives. More than that, we are not alone. He is our cheerleader and his Angel stands by our side to guard us from the foe and lead us to life everlasting.