“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)

Polytheism is the generic belief in many gods. Some religions have innumerable gods, like Hinduism. Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) are monotheistic, believing in one God. Islam accuses Christianity of worshiping three Gods, whom we call the Trinity. However, Christianity is rooted securely in OT monotheism. Nothing could be more fundamental than this: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut 6:4). The doctrine of the Trinity is properly stated: there is one God who exists in three persons; there are not three Gods. There is no logical contradiction in that statement, although the doctrine of the Trinity—like the doctrine of the incarnation, the notion of God becoming human, a part of His own creation—confounds human understanding. The Trinity is incomprehensible but not illogical: the Bible teaches that Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God, and along with the Father, the three are equally one God.

Now, the God of Israel (Yahweh) is the “God of gods and the Lord of lords.” He is not just one of many, or a local god in the manner of the pagan religions of the day. Whatever the belief system, the God of the Bible is superior to all other divine or secular authorities. As Moses was reiterating the Law (“Deuteronomy” means “second Law” or the second reading of the Law) toward the end of the Exodus wanderings, just before the people would enter the Promised Land filled with pagans who worshiped many different so-called gods, he reminded them of the supremacy of Yahweh.

Yahweh is mighty and awesome. He is completely impartial and cannot be manipulated with bribes or anything else—in other words, He is completely just. He is not influenced by the self-effort of merit-based religious systems.

The pagans would perform all kinds of elaborate rituals to try to influence the gods of the weather and gods of the harvest. They would even sacrifice their children to their gods (Deut 12:31)! While we may not go to such extremes today, people still tend to see religion as a way to manipulate God, to coerce Him to do their bidding. But He is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, who does not, like pagan deities, stoop to our measly attempts to control Him.

He is Lord; we are not. And there is no other God. We had best simply align ourselves with Him, rather than He with us.

Lord, I submit to Your Lordship, for You are mighty and awesome.