“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. (Deuteronomy 10:17)

Many Scripture passages drip with descriptions of God, and this is a key one. A rich tapestry, a colorful kaleidoscope, a rainbow of hues—this adds to a wonderful 360-degree picture of God. I resist calling Him “our God,” for that implies there are others. But in contrast to other gods, who are merely imagined in people’s minds, our God is the one and only true God. He is not what modern skeptics like to say He is—a fantasy of our imagination, designed in our un-evolved minds to meet our emotional needs. Rather, He is there, as Dr. Francis Schaefer used to say. He is just as real, even more real, than you or I. All other imaginations of gods exist only in the minds of those who deny the true God.

In Egypt, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob multiplied over 400 years, but they were surrounded by the paganism of Egypt. So when Moses led them in the Exodus, they became reacquainted with the God of their forefathers, through the giving of the Law at Sinai. And now, in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving them a second telling of the Law; this is after 40 years of wandering in the Sinai desert, and just before entering into the Promised Land. When he addresses the people about God, Moses calls Him “your God,” in contrast to the so-called gods worshipped by the Egyptians and the pagan inhabitants of the Promised Land they are about to enter.

Their God as Jews is also our God as Christians. He is Yahweh (“the LORD”), unique by His name and its meaning—He is the deity who is actively present, not just a religious construct. He is the “God of gods,” par excellence. The 11^th century theologian Anselm, in a carefully worded statement regarding “proof of God’s existence,” described God this way: He is “the Being than which none greater can be conceived” (the so-called “ontological” argument). If one could imagine something greater than God, then we would have to reframe our understanding of God to include that “thing” as well. He is without any further qualification or limit. Or to put it in Moses’ terminology, He is “the God of gods.” He is greater than all human imaginations of deity.

As God of gods, it follows that He also is Lord of lords. His authority supersedes all other authorities. This is the God the people of Israel were to follow and obey. He is the God we Christians follow and obey. And this goes against our humanistic grain of self-exaltation.

O God of gods and Lord of lords, I acknowledge You as my supreme allegiance.