Concordia Sermons

Debates have raged between different segments of the Church over how we are to number the Ten Commandments. Some say there are two commandments on idolatry. Others say there are two commandments on coveting. But in Jewish thought, the first commandment is not so much a commandment as it is a declaration: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). Before God tells His people what they are to do, He reminds them of what He has already done. God’s work, then, is the power behind our works.