How does Deuteronomy 6:14 connect with the First Commandment in Exodus 20:3?

Setting the Stage

- Israel has left Egypt (Exodus) and is poised to enter Canaan (Deuteronomy).

- Two distinct moments, one unchanging truth: the LORD alone is God.

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The First Word: Exodus 20:3

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”

- Spoken audibly by God at Sinai.

- Establishes exclusive allegiance to the LORD.

- Literally forbids every rival deity.

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Echoing the Command: Deuteronomy 6:14

“Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.”

- Moses reiterates the covenant on the plains of Moab.

- Anticipates the temptation of Canaanite worship.

- Uses the same absolute language: “other gods.”

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Direct Connections

- Same Subject: “other gods” (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:14).

- Same Prohibition: no tolerance for competing deities.

- Same Foundation: the LORD’s unique identity (Deuteronomy 6:4; Exodus 20:2).

- Same Covenant Context: wholehearted love and obedience (Deuteronomy 6:5–6; Exodus 20:6).

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Why the Repetition Matters

1. Reinforcement

• Sinai truth must be carried into daily life and the next generation (Deuteronomy 6:7).

2. Relevance

• New environment, same danger: cultural gods pressing for loyalty (Deuteronomy 6:10–13).

3. Relationship

• God’s jealousy (Exodus 34:14) guards the covenant bond; idolatry is spiritual adultery.

4. Reminder

• Memory of redemption undergirds obedience (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 6:12).

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Applications for Today

- Identify modern “other gods”: materialism, self, fame (1 John 5:21).

- Guard the heart through Scripture saturation (Psalm 119:11).

- Worship Christ alone, “for us there is but one God, the Father… and one Lord, Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:6).