This week, word one: “You shall have no other gods beside me” (Exod. 20:3). This is the first commandment because it forms the basis for all the others. God – who both created and rescued his people – calls for his people to hold an exclusive allegiance to him. For ancient Israel this was more difficult than you might imagine. Interestingly, the temptation was almost never to reject Yahweh altogether, but rather to keep him, and, just in case they were needed, to add other gods too. The same is true for us.