In the beginning God...

The Carina Nebula of our Milky Way

Israel's Scriptures taught them monotheism from the very first verse. It was something the new nation needed to learn. After the Conquest, God had to warn them, don't return to the gods of your ancestors on the other side of the Euphrates, the gods of your grandparents on the other side of the Nile, or the gods of your neighbors on the other side of the Jordan (Josh 24:2, 13, 15). They were to worship the one true God (Deut 6:4-5).

"The Ancient of Days" by William Blake

Creation established God's universal lordship. So Israel sang, "The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it" (Ps 89:11). Other nations figured that the various gods exercised only regional authority (e.g., 1 Kgs 20:23, 28), but Israel's God had created the universe, so he rules it.

As we approach Christmas, let's remember that the Babe born in Bethlehem is our Creator and our Savior. Let's have no other gods before him--especially in this season that Mammon vies for with such energy.