How does Job 31:28 connect with the First Commandment in Exodus 20:3? Job 31:28 in a nutshell • “this also would be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God above.” (Job 31:28) • Job labels any reverence for the sun or moon (vv. 26-27) as moral guilt. • He sees such awe-giving as “denying” or being “unfaithful to” God—clear language of broken covenant. The heartbeat of the First Commandment • “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3) • God demands exclusive, unrivaled allegiance. • The commandment is foundational—placing every other instruction under the banner of undivided worship. Where the two meet • Job’s self-examination shows that idolatry is not merely bowing to carved images; it includes secret heart-attachments (31:27). • By calling that attraction “denying God,” Job echoes the First Commandment’s core: any rival god, even one as grand as the sun, violates divine exclusivity. • Both texts therefore affirm: – Worship belongs solely to the LORD. – Idolatry invites judgment (“iniquity to be judged,” Job 31:28; cf. Deuteronomy 4:24). Additional Scriptures reinforcing the link • Deuteronomy 4:15-19—warning against worshiping sun, moon, stars. • Deuteronomy 6:13-15—“Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only.” • Isaiah 42:8—“I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not give My glory to another.” • Romans 1:25—exchanging worship of the Creator for created things brings wrath. Takeaways for today • Idolatry can be subtle—anything captivating the heart above God. • True obedience to the First Commandment flows from internal loyalty as well as outward practice. • Like Job, believers must scrutinize hidden affections and keep worship centered on the one true God. |
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