Readings:
Psalm 53 Deuteronomy 13:1-11 2 Corinthians 7:2-16 Luke 17:20-37
Sermon:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. Deuteronomy 5: 6-7
How important is the First Commandment? For many of us, it kind of gets jumbled up with the others of the first four commandments describing our duty to God, before we get to the seemingly more relevant ones, like not cheating or stealing or killing. But to God, it was so important that not only are we expected to die rather than submit to false gods, but we are also expected to fight to defend the community of faith against them.
In today’s Old Testament reading we see God warning the people of Israel against being tricked or seduced into the worship of false gods. He warns them that even if a person claiming to be a prophet produces miraculous signs but does so in the name of another god, that false prophet must be put to death. And even if those nearest and dearest to them try to lead them astray, they must put aside all pity and compassion and cast the first stone, putting to death any who would introduce false gods into the community of worship.
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