One God

The Bible declares forthrightly that the God of the Bible is Creator and thus Lord and king over
all. In the span of the universe there are not multiple creators and multiple lords battling for
supremacy. The God of the Bible stands alone as the eternal true God.

- I Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is
wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

But what about the references in the Bible to other gods?
Jehovah is referred to in some passages as the supreme God, or God of gods, Lord of lords.

- Deuteronomy 10:17, For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the
great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
- Psalm 136:2, Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.

In other Scripture one can see Jehovah triumphing over “gods”.
1 In Exodus 1-14 God poured out ten plagues against Egypt and against their deities.
- Exodus 12:12, For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment : I am the LORD .

2 In Israel one sees God triumph over the gods of the Philistines. One instance is when
David killed Goliath the Philistine champion. Goliath had defied Israel and the God of Israel (I
Samuel 17:26, 36, 45). David killed the Philistine champion by the power of God.

- I Samuel 17:45-46, Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a
sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD
will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And
this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air
and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel.

In I Samuel 5 and 6 God shatters their god “dagon” before the Ark of the Covenant and afflicts
the Philistine cities causing them to confess God’s power.
- I Samuel 5:7, And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of
the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and dagon
our god.

3 In I Kings 18 God’s prophet Elijah challenged wicked king Ahab and his prophets of
Baal to a challenge. Jehovah proved victorious sending down fire from heaven to consume a
soaked sacrifice, while the prophets of baal demonstrated the folly of baal.

Elsewhere in Scripture one sees the direct commands to not worship any other God but
Jehovah.  In the familiar ten commandments one sees first the command to exclusively worship Jehovah and no other gods.
- Exodus 20:3, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
One then sees in the second commandment that no idols were to be made reflecting any beings.
- Exodus 20:4, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any
thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth:
The third command teaches that idols were not to be worshiped.
- Exodus 20:5, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the
LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Similarly in Exodus 34:14 one sees the command to not worship any other God but Jehovah the Jealous God.
- Exodus 34:14, For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is
Jealous, is a jealous God:

Do the references that God is the “God of gods, Lord of lords,” that He conquers other
gods, and the commands to not worship other gods teach that there are in actuality
multiple gods?
If these were the only Scriptures touching on the matter it would seem like there are in fact
multiple gods. But Isaiah the prophet and others in the Bible add further brilliant clarity
explaining there is only one true God and that there are no other gods. Idols are understood as foolishness.  People may worship and serve images directly or indirectly as gods but the scriptures declares this an utter absurdity.

In Isaiah 44:9-17 Isaiah reveals the folly of the craftsman of idols and the idols themselves. The craftsman are simply feeble men and idols are made of perishable materials.

9 Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god or mold an image
That profits him nothing?
11 Surely all his companions would be ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.
12 The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!” NKJV

Likewise in Acts 17:29 Paul explains that idols are simply the work of man's creation.
In I Corinthians 8:4 Paul declares that idols are nothing and that there is only one God.
- Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is
nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Not only are idols nothing, but Paul further explains in I Corinthians 8:4 that there is only one
God. This is known as Monotheism . This is not an idea novel to the Apostle Paul, but the
forthright doctrine of the entire Bible. The Prophet Isaiah not only reveals the folly of idols, but
he likewise declares the exclusive existence of Jehovah alone as the one God. Isaiah repetitively affirms this truth through Isaiah 40-48. (Consider also specifically Isaiah 45:5-25; Isaiah 46:9)

- Isaiah 43:10-13

10 “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD ,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD ,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the LORD , “that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”

- Isaiah 44:6-8.

6 “Thus says the LORD , the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
7 And who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;
Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”

Isaiah the prophet of God addresses idolatrous Israel and declares on behalf of God that there are no other gods. He alone is the one true God from eternity past to eternity future. The reference to other gods does not indicate their actual existence in reality. Polytheism, or a believe in multiple gods is a false theology and a false worship simply combated and confronted by God.  Monotheism is a strikingly clear theme through the Scriptures. Jehovah is God alone and His glory He will not give to another (Isaiah 42:8).