In this article, let’s proceed to the second commandment:

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exo. 20:4-6).”

Why God gives this second commandment? Now, let’s move to the explanation of this commandment. There are four parts to this commandment: the rule, the reason, the warning, and the promise. The rule is very simple don’t make any idols (v. 4a). Idol is something crafted by a tool. Whether it was carved out of wood, chiseled out of stone, or engraved in metal, it was cut and shaped by human hands. It was a man-made representation of some divine being. At this point, some may ask does God forbid any kind of artwork? The answer is no. We find in the Old Testament, the cherubim are given a place in the tabernacle, as are designs using flowers and fruit (Ex 25:18‑22, 31‑36; 28:33‑34). Moses is commanded by God to make a bronze snake (Num 21:8‑9). So, the conclusion is God doesn’t forbid any kind of artwork but he rejects making things to serve as objects of worship. Moreover, God doesn’t want to be presented by images of creation (v. 4 anything in heaven, earth, and water) practiced by other nations. Images of Egyptians’ gods are all reflected in images of creation, for instance, the god Horus had the head of a falcon, the god Anubis had the head of a jackal, and so on. The God of Israel refused to be represented in the image of any of his creatures since he is the creator.

Behind the rule of this commandment is the reason. It’s a jealous God. What does jealous mean? God’s jealousy has nothing to do with an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has. It is an intensely caring devotion to the objects of His love, like a mother’s jealous protection of her children, a father’s jealous guarding of his home. He loves us too much not to be! He wants to protect us from the wrong worship before him. God emphasized more on this in the warning and the promise in the end. The warning is that children will be punished for the sins of their fathers. The word for “sin,” sometimes translated as “iniquity,” refers to something twisted. It suggests that idolatry is a turning against God. It may seem very religious to worship idols, but since God hates idolatry (Deut. 16:22), it is really a way of showing hatred for him, and it is not at all surprising that God threatens to punish those who do such a hateful thing. So, in the warning God shows the result of breaking this commandment. Come alongside with the warning is the promise. It is more powerful than the warning because its blessing lasts not just for three or four generations but for a thousand; in other words, it will last forever. God promises a very joyful result for people that show obedience to this commandment.

In sum, God is serious by the way he wants us to worship him. He doesn’t want us to turn him into idols. In the first, we must reject every false god in order to worship the true God, who alone is our Lord and Savior. In the second commandment we must worshiping the right God in the right way. We may not worship him any way we like, but only the way that he has commanded. This is the reason of this commandment.

Now, it’s time to make a bit reflection of this commandment. First, we must avoid infusing any created things with divine immanence and spiritual efficacy. If we bow to the image, relic, or icon, or focus on it, or think we need it to be closer to God, it’s a violation of the second commandment. Second, Who are we worshiping now? Have we made out an idol (maybe it’s our career, our family, our financial security) for us to worship instead of God? It’s time to refocus our worship just for him. Will you? 

Thanks and God Bless you.

SX, Holyland Specialist Team