Robert L. Alexander, minister

Robert L. Alexander, minister Robert Alexander is a Servant of Christ and a Preacher of the Gospel of Christ

06/19/2026

(Articles for our Summer Series at the Church of Christ in Monroe, GA (which begins this coming Wednesday the 17th) .: Theme: "The Ten Commandments: Article #3: COMMAND #1)

One God, None Other
Robert Alexander

The book of Exodus is about God getting Israel out of Egypt. One of the challenges then that would face Israel was getting Egypt out of them. This is where the giving of the law at Sinai, the ten commandments, comes into play.

In Egypt, the Israelites were exposed to the plethora of Gods the polytheistic (meaning “many gods”) Egyptians worshipped. The Egyptians worshipped hundreds, if not thousands, of different gods.

At Sinai, Israel is reminded that it was the LORD—Yahweh/Jehovah—God alone who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. He was their Savior, their Deliverer. He was the One who had unleashed the plagues upon the Egyptians demonstrating His superiority over their gods and He as the true and living God. He was the one who redeemed them to be His own special people.

Consequently, it should be of little wonder then that in giving the Law—these ten commandments—that it starts off with the admonition to have no other gods before Jehovah/Yahweh (Ex. 20:3).

If Israel was to have no other gods, then, what about people, and particularly Christians, today? You see God has gotten the Christian out of the world, but the challenge is to get the world out of the Christian. This is where prioritizing and putting the preeminent God first comes into play.

The New Testament speaks of the “gods of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) that keep people away from the true and living God. It is possible as the text of 2 Cor. 4 stresses for Christians—God’s people today—to be “blinded” by these “gods.” When one is spiritually blinded, they are unable to see the truth that there is but ONE God, but one TRUE God, but one true and LIVING God being Jehovah.

Ephesians 4:4ff in enumerating God’s plan for unity, reminds the reader that there is but ONE Lord and ONE God and Father.

Consequently, because there is but ONE God it necessarily follows that this same principle found in Exodus 20:4 holds true today for us to have no other gods before the true and living God of Heaven.

This therefore establishes the basis for our study on Wednesday night June 24th at 7 pm, as we continue our summer series on The Ten Commandments at the Monroe church of Christ here in Monroe, GA. Bro. Stacy Grant of the Perry church of Christ in Perry, GA will be with us to speak on the imperative then and now to have no other gods but the true and living God. He will consider the significance then for Israel and its meaning and application for us today living under the New Testament of Christ.

06/12/2026

(Articles for our Summer Series at the Church of Christ in Monroe, GA (which begins this coming Wednesday the 17th) .: Theme: "The Ten Commandments: Article #2: An Introduction to the Ten Words Themselves)

The Ten Commandments: Why?
Robert Alexander

Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:7-21 are the two Divinely inspired and preserved records that detail the giving of what we often refer to as “the ten commandments” at Mount Sinai. The account in Exodus is after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. The account in Deuteronomy is given just prior to Moses’ death and Joshua’s ascension to leadership over Israel to bring them into Canaan.

These commandments have two major divisions pertaining to Israelite obligations: 1) Obligations to God and 2) Obligations to their fellow humans. But all were obligations to God because it was God who gave them.

The question that we might ask is “why?” Why did God give these commands to Israel? The simple answer is God knew Israel needed them.

Israel needed the Law to guide them religiously and ethically/morally. It was designed to keep them distinct, separate, and different from the rest of the world. Consider these ten commands very briefly with me.

Commandments one and two were designed to impress upon them that there was but one true God and to not go after other “gods” (history reveals they failed miserably)

Commandment three was given to govern how Israel was to use God’s name.

Commandment four was given to remind Israel of the importance of rest at times specified by God not just for themselves but the land. Remember the sabbath was made for people, not people for the sabbath (Mk. 2:27).

Commandment five was given regarding children’s responsibilities to their parents.

Commandment six was given to demonstrate the sanctity of human life as a gift from God.

Commandment seven was given to warn against the seriousness of breaking the marriage vows.

Commandment eight was given to shield one’s belongings from being taken by others.

Commandment nine was given to govern one’s speech especially toward others.

Commandment ten was given to govern and warned against coveting which in turn would lead to stealing.

What can we as Christians today learn from these? Why were they preserved for our learning (Rom. 15:4). On Wednesday, June 17th at 7 pm, bro. Scott White will kick off our summer series at the Monroe church of Christ with this topic of WHY God gave the ten commandments and why we need to study them today.

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