Exodus 20 begins the pronouncement of the covenant that God will make with the Abraham’s people, the Israelites. The covenant form that God uses is typical of contracts or international treaties in the ancient Near East. Yahweh’s covenant with Israel is similar, but, yet, not identical, to the Suzerainty Treaty that we find preserved in the Hittite documents from Anatolia (Asia Minor, or Turkey today) and Assyrian documents. In these treaties a superior nation or king would offer his protection to a lesser state or tribe based on what that superior king had done to earn him the right to be taken serious. The vassal, or lesser party, would be required to provide some provision and meet some stipulations in order to secure the protection and relationship with the greater king or nation. The basic format would be something like this:

1. The Title of the King
2. Statement of historical event justifying the great king’s claim
3. Requirements and duties of the lesser vassal
4. A list of witnesses who would enforce punishment if covenant was broken
5. A list of curses for failing and blessings for fulfilling the covenant requirements

The Lord follows a similar format that was typical for 1440 BC. First, he states his title, “I am the Yahweh your God.” Second, historical proof of his greatness from the perspective of the vassals, “who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Then, follows the list of requirements and duties Israel is to meet if they want the benefit of a national covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (It should be noted that this covenant from Mount Sinai does not replace the covenant with Abraham, see Paul’s teaching in Galatians  3:16-17, “…The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.”)

The Lord says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” The phrase “before me,” could be translated “before my face” which would be in reference to the presence or sanctuary of the Lord. In other words, Yahweh continues to state his superiority since there are “no other gods in my presence” and proclaim his ultimate victory in Egypt for Israel to know and trust. Since all the gods were clearly destroyed, Israel can hear and believe the opening statement of this covenant. Israel does not so much need to obey this statement as a command, as they need to be convinced that it is true! Yahweh is not saying, “Don’t have any other gods,” but is saying, “You will find that there are no other gods in my presence.”  This is a statement of victory for Israel to embrace and believe,…or, it can be a law they struggle to obey if they do not believe…

Psalm 82 reiterates the same point:

God presides in the great assembly;
    he renders judgment among the ‘gods’:
How long will you defend the unjust
    and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.
    They walk about in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I said, ‘You are “gods”;
    you are all sons of the Most High.’ (Note: meaning they are created spiritual beings)
But you will die like mere mortals;
    you will fall like every other ruler.
Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
    for all the nations are your inheritance.

“The child asks of the Father whom he knows. Thus, the essence of Christian prayer is not general adoration, but definite, concrete petition. The right way to approach God is to stretch out our hands and ask of One who we know has the heart of a Father.”
 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

Frank Tipler is professor of mathematical physics who converted to Christianity according to his book “The Physics of Christianity.” In this 1994 book Tipler wrote:

"When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo-Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straightforward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them. I have been forced into these conclusions by the inexorable logic of my own special branch of physics."

(See critics here and here.)