When the first commandment is saying that you shall have no other Gods above me, the meaning is that if there are other gods, then don’t let them consume your life over God. I have always interpreted this commandment that the other things that we can worship are the distractions that we encounter in life. It could be your phone, social media, another person, or an object. When in the context of today, these things make sense. However, in the context of ancient Israel, this could mean other gods that people worshipped. As Christianity started forming, a monotheistic religion was forming and moving away from the polytheistic religions that dominated before. Why people believed in multiple gods were to have someone to access explicitly for one reason such as fertility, rain, or harvest. All major things that the ancient people relied on to make a good life for themselves, they had a god for. In the emergence of the prophets speaking of one God that would unite the world through sending his only son down to earth to live, teach, and ultimately die for the sins of all, people were scared, but also hopeful. Under one God, who loves us and cherishes each person for who they are, it can serve as a uniting factor for people. While each person goes through different things, they can rely on a uniting figure to follow and to pray to in their lives.
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