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“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: *Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only*.’”
— Matthew 4:10
That is the central declaration of this song. It is short. It is sharp. It is final.
The theme is exclusive worship and exclusive service to the Lord. No rivals. No competitors. No divided allegiance. The song we are examining takes this single, sharp sword of Scripture and presses it into our conscience: “No one else, nothing else—He alone deserves your heart.”
Let us look at what the Word of God says. The primary text is:
> “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”’”
> — Matthew 4:10, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13
This command is reinforced by the first two commandments:
> “You shall have no other gods before Me.
> You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
> you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”
> — Exodus 20:3–5
The song is, in essence, a sung catechism of the first and greatest command of the covenant: worship the Lord alone and serve Him alone. Behind this stands a crucial spiritual issue: who truly owns your heart, and who do you actually serve?
That is not merely an Old Testament concern. Jesus used this very verse in His direct confrontation with Satan. It is a weapon in spiritual warfare. It is also a test of discipleship.
### Deuteronomy 6:13 – The Covenant People in a Pagan World
The phrase “You shall worship the LORD your God and serve Him only” comes first in Deuteronomy 6:13:
> “You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.”
Deuteronomy is Moses’ final set of sermons before Israel enters the Promised Land. They are standing on the edge of Canaan, about to enter a land full of idols, altars, high places and demonic worship. God, through Moses, is preparing them for the greatest test they will face: the test of loyalty.
In Deuteronomy 6, God sets the foundation:
> “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
> You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
> — Deuteronomy 6:4–5
Immediately after commanding wholehearted love, the Lord warns against following other gods. The command to fear, worship, and serve Him alone is not given in a vacuum. It is given:
### Exodus 20 – The Ten Commandments at Sinai
Exodus 20 takes us back further, to Sinai. God has just delivered Israel out of Egypt by mighty acts of judgment on Egypt’s gods (see Exodus 12:12). At Sinai, He reveals Himself with thunder, lightning, and fire. The very first words of the Ten Commandments are about exclusive worship:
> “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
> — Exodus 20:3
Then God immediately clarifies:
> “You shall not make for yourself a carved image…
> you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”
> — Exodus 20:4–5
Israel has come from an environment saturated with idols. God is forming a nation that will be utterly distinct—a people whose worship is invisible (no images) and exclusive (no rivals).
### Matthew 4:10 – Jesus Versus Satan in the Wilderness
Now we move to Matthew 4. Israel failed repeatedly in the wilderness by turning to idols and testing God. Jesus, the true Israelite and the Son of God, is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Satan shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and says:
> “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
> — Matthew 4:9
This is direct. Satan always ultimately wants worship. Jesus replies:
> “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
> — Matthew 4:10
Jesus reaches back to Deuteronomy 6:13, stands on the written Word, and ends the confrontation.
The same verse that defined Israel’s covenant loyalty becomes the weapon by which Jesus defeats Satan’s temptation. It is the same weapon God puts in our hands.
### 1. “Worship” – Hebrew שָׁחָה (shachah) / Greek προσκυνέω (proskyneō)
In Deuteronomy and Exodus, the word often translated “worship” or “bow down” is shachah.
In the New Testament quotation, “worship” is proskyneō.
Worship, then, is not just singing. It is an act of total submission. It says with the body and the heart: “You alone are God. I submit my whole being to You.”
The lyric “Worship the Lord your God” takes on more weight in this light. It is not asking us simply to attend a service. It is calling us to bow the entirety of our lives to the authority of the Lord.
### 2. “Serve” – Hebrew עָבַד (avad) / Greek λατρεύω (latreuō) or δουλεύω (douleuō)
In Deuteronomy 6:13 and Exodus 20:5 the verb is often avad.
In Jesus’ quotation in Matthew 4:10, the word used is latreuō (to serve, especially in a religious/ritual sense) and the related concept of douleuō appears elsewhere:
> “No one can serve (*douleuō*) two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.”
> — Matthew 6:24
Worship is the inward attitude of adoration and surrender. Service is the outward expression of that allegiance in our actions, priorities, and works.
So when the song repeats:
> “You shall worship the Lord your God
> and serve Him only.
> No one else, nothing else—
> He alone deserves your heart.”
It is saying:
Let us walk through the song theologically, stanza by stanza.
### Stanza 1: Jesus’ Warfare Declaration
> “Jesus said to him,
> ‘Away from me, Satan!
> For it is written:
> Worship the Lord your God,
> and serve him only.’”
Here we see three vital truths:
1. Spiritual warfare is fought with “It is written.”
Jesus does not argue philosophically with Satan. He quotes Scripture. This is a pattern. Each of the three temptations in Matthew 4 is answered with “It is written” from Deuteronomy.
2. Worship is the battleground.
The temptation is to gain authority and power (the kingdoms of the world) at the price of wrong worship—bowing to the wrong being.
3. Exclusive worship and service end the argument.
“Away from me, Satan!” is grounded in “For it is written…”
### Stanza 2: The Positive Command of Exclusive Allegiance
> “You shall worship the Lord your God
> and serve Him only.
> No one else, nothing else—
> He alone deserves your heart.”
Here we move from the narrative to the command. Notice:
Scripture confirms this:
> “My son, give me your heart.”
> — Proverbs 23:26
> “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
> — Deuteronomy 6:5
God is not interested in external conformity without internal loyalty. He claims the very center of your being.
### Stanza 3: The First and Second Commandments
> “You shall have no other gods before me.
> You shall not make for yourself an idol—
> do not bow down to them
> or worship them,
> for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”
This stanza quotes directly from Exodus 20:3–5.
#### “No other gods before Me”
The phrase “before Me” can mean “in My presence” or “besides Me.” God is not saying there are real rival deities equal to Him, but He is acknowledging that humans are constantly tempted to treat created things as gods.
Paul says:
> “They exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…”
> — Romans 1:25
This is the essence of idolatry: worshiping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.
#### “You shall not make for yourself an idol”
Here we confront idols. In the ancient world, idols were physical images. Today, our idols are often non-material: ambition, relationships, ministry, money, reputation, comfort, self.
#### “Do not bow down to them or worship them”
Idolatry has two phases:
1. Inner idolatry – the heart setting something above God.
2. Outer idolatry – the bodily and practical actions that express that misplaced devotion.
The Lord addresses both. He forbids bowing and worshiping. He is claiming both the inner life and the outer life.
#### “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God”
The word “jealous” in Hebrew is qanna’. This is not sinful human jealousy. It is covenant jealousy. God is like a faithful husband who rightly demands the exclusive love of his bride.
God’s jealousy is protective. He will not share His glory with idols because they destroy those who worship them.
### Repeated Refrain: “You shall worship… and serve Him only”
> “You shall worship the Lord your God
> and serve Him only.
> No one else, nothing else—
> He alone deserves your heart.”
The repetition in the song mirrors the repetition in Scripture. God knows our tendency to drift. So He repeats:
The repeated line “No one else, nothing else” is a direct challenge to:
> “You cannot serve God and mammon.”
> — Matthew 6:24
Jesus says we cannot have two masters. Many attempt to negotiate a truce between God and money, God and self, God and the world. Jesus allows no middle ground.
### Final Line: “Worship Him, serve Him alone—the Lord your God forever.”
This shifts the focus to perseverance. The call is not for a moment of emotional intensity, but for lifelong, covenant loyalty.
Revelation shows the end:
> “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
> — Revelation 4:11
The church on earth is called now to live in line with that eternal reality: worship Him, serve Him alone—forever.
The question is not whether the command is clear. It is very clear. The question is: How do we respond?
I will outline four practical responses, each of which can be turned into a proclamation.
### 1. Identify and Renounce Idols
First, we must face the reality of idolatry in our own lives. Idols are not always obvious. Ask the Holy Spirit:
Often, idols show up in these areas. When the Holy Spirit puts His finger on something, we must:
Proclamation:
“I renounce every idol in my life—seen and unseen. I refuse to worship or serve anyone or anything above the Lord my God.”
### 2. Reaffirm Exclusive Lordship
Second, we must reaffirm that Jesus Christ is Lord over every part of our lives. Salvation is not only believing that Jesus died. It is confessing Him as Lord.
> “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
> — Romans 10:9
This includes:
We must move from saying “Jesus is Lord” in general, to saying, “Jesus, You are Lord of this specific area.”
Proclamation:
“Lord Jesus, I declare that You alone are Lord of my life—spirit, soul, and body, in every area without exception.”
### 3. Align Worship and Service
Third, we must bring our worship (heart) and service (actions) into alignment. Many worship with their lips but serve other masters in practice.
> “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”
> — Matthew 15:8
Ask yourself:
Where there is a gap between confession and conduct, we must:
Proclamation:
“Father, I choose that my actions will agree with my confession. By Your grace I will worship You with my heart and serve You with my life.”
### 4. Use the Word in Spiritual Warfare
Fourth, we must imitate Jesus in the wilderness. When tempted, pressured, or seduced by the world and by Satan, we must answer with the Word.
When confronted by offers of sinful shortcuts, compromise, or idolatrous attachments, say:
That is not emotional reaction. That is legal, covenant assertion based on the Word of God.
Proclamation:
“In every temptation I answer with the written Word: ‘I shall worship the Lord my God and serve Him only.’”
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, thoughtfully and deliberately:
**“I proclaim that the Lord is my God and there is no other.
I shall have no other gods before Him.
I shall not make for myself an idol, nor bow down to any created thing.
I shall worship the Lord my God and serve Him only.
No one else and nothing else will take His place in my heart.
Jesus Christ is my Lord—over my spirit, my soul, my body, my time, my money, my relationships, and my future.
By His grace and in His strength, I renounce all idols and all rival loyalties.
The Lord my God alone is worthy, and to Him alone I give my worship and my service, now and forever. Amen.”**
### Prayer
“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
I come to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
I acknowledge that You alone are God and that You alone are worthy of worship.
Where I have allowed idols in my heart, I ask You to forgive me.
Search me and show me every rival, every false god, every attachment that has taken Your place.
I renounce all idolatry—whether of self, of people, of possessions, of ministry, or of any created thing.
Lord Jesus, I confess You as Lord over every area of my life.
Teach me to worship You in spirit and in truth.
Teach me to serve You only, with an undivided heart.
Holy Spirit, empower me to stand, as Jesus stood, on the written Word of God.
Put Your Word in my mouth as a sword against every temptation.
Establish in me a steadfast, exclusive loyalty to the Lord my God.
I thank You that he who calls me is faithful, who also will do it.
All the glory, all the honor, and all the worship belong to You alone, forever and ever.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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