Did you know that the Bible mentions the names of over 34 different gods? From Molech to Artemis to Zeus, it can seem like our universe is swarming with powerful beings capable of zapping us with lightning bolts! But Deuteronomy 4:35 teaches us, “You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.” And in Isaiah 44:6, God says, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”

The Lord, the God we read about in the Bible, he’s it! He’s the one and only God. There’s no one else! You could search every inch of the universe, but you’ll never find any other god but the Lord!

So what are we to make of all these other “gods” mentioned in the Bible? What about Baal and Chemosh and Asherah? 1 Chronicles 16:26 gives us the scoop on them: “For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” All of the other “gods” mentioned in the Bible aren’t gods at all. They are idols: “gods” made up in the minds of people and formed into statues of wood, stone, or metal.

Psalm 96:5 tells us that these idols are worthless. They can’t do anything! Their wooden eyes can’t see. Their stone noses can’t smell. And their metal mouths can’t speak. You could shout to them all day long; you could scream until you lost your voice. These idols never hear your prayers and certainly would never come to your rescue! In fact, if one of these so-called “gods” fell over, they’d need you to come over and rescue them! That sounds pretty worthless to me!

But the Lord, the one true God – he’s the complete opposite of worthless! He made the heavens with only his voice! And with that same powerful voice, he holds our world together. If he ever stopped, everything would just cease to exist! The Lord, the one true God, he sees and hears and smells. He crushes his enemies in battle. And he rescues his people from their troubles with mighty signs and wonders! We live in a universe with only one God – and he’s the best possible God there could be!

Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10; Mark 12:29; Acts 17:22-31, 1 Chron. 17:19-20