Begins with salvation history – how God created everything, seen and unseen. He created the angels. Some rebelled, and ever after that, there have been two realms or kingdoms. That’s what we have to deal with even today.
God chose a nation to begin to teach them how to be His people, to get rid of idols, and to worship the one, true God. He rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land. In the desert, God gave them the 10 Commandments.
The first of those commandments is, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Ways to break the first commandment
People are tempted to seek information, protection, gifts, healing, or power from forbidden sources. Father Thomas gives many examples of how we do that.
Prayer of liberation
At the end of this teaching, Father Thomas leads us through a prayer of repentance and renunciation of any sins against the first commandment.
Scriptures:
- Exodus 20:2-6
- Deut. 17:2-5
- Deut. 4:19
- Jeremiah 10:1-2
- 2 Kings 23:5
- Deut. 7:5, 12, 15