Ten Commandments 2 – 2nd Commandment
Today’s bible passage, Exodus 20:4-6
“You shall not make for yourself [a]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. ”
Dear brothers and sisters, today’s the second session of the Ten Commandments.
Last week, we looked at the first commandment of ‘not having any other gods before Me.’ The one and only God created humans and all that exists and gives life and blessings to mankind. When people serve meaningless idols, other gods, they suffer by the enemy devil and Satan. Our loving God set forth the first commandment so that we receive protection and blessings by serving only Him.
Today we’ll look at the second commandment which prohibits idol worshipping. This means we must never make for ourselves an idol nor worship any form of idols. But this also doesn’t simply mean to ‘not worship idols made by our own hands.’ May everyone pay heed to this message and take the time to check whether you have spiritually idol worshipped, even if you believe you have only served God, not any other idols. I pray in the name of the Lord that you all remove any idols from your lives and come forth as God’s beloved and blessed children.
Dear brothers and sisters, an idol is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. Whether it’s worshipping something made from wood, stone, metal or gold; or of human likeness, animals, insects, birds, or sea creatures; or celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars; or from a figment of imagination. Idolatry is creating such images and worshipping them. People-made idols have no life.
Nor does it have power to grant answers and blessings. How foolish and ridiculous would it be for people made in the image of God the Creator to worship idols formed by human hands and pray to it for blessings? Isaiah 46:6-7 tells us, “Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh silver on the scale hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down, indeed they worship it. 7 They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; they set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; it cannot deliver him from his distress.” Superstitious and paranormal acts like carrying talismans or performing sacrifices to the dead are also considered idolatry.
There are those who believe talismans ward off disasters and bring forth blessings. In reality, it is the complete opposite. If your spiritual eyes are opened, you would see dirty demons and evil spirits attracted to talismans and idols. These are what cause disasters and calamities. It’s important to remember that none other than God can bring blessings to people; idols only bring disasters. Why do people desire to make and worship such meaningless idols? People have an innate need to see with their own eyes and touch with their own hands for complete satisfaction. In Exodus 32, the Israelites who left Egypt had experienced God’s power so many times. But still, they made and worshipped idols, incurring God’s wrath.
The Israelites served Moses whom God was with as if he were God. When Moses left them to receive the commandments from God, the Israelites could not endure his absence and created and worshipped idols. They made a golden calf, calling it the god who had led them. Through this, the Israelites received God’s great wrath. Brothers and sisters, we cannot physically see nor make a physical image of God who is spirit. So it’s important to never make an idol and worship it as god. Some people who say they believe in God serve and worship idols that aren’t physically idols. For example, they worship or pray before a picture of Jesus.
They make an image of the Virgin Mary or one of the pioneers of faith and worship before it. These are also forms of idolatry that God despises. The Virgin Mary and the pioneers of faith are God’s creatures and are not to be worshipped. Only God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit should be the object of our worship and prayer. Even if you make an image of God the Son, it is not the real image of Jesus. It is simply from the artist or sculptor’s imagination and varies from person to person. Worshipping and praying in front of these items end up being forms of idol worshipping. However, some people reject the idea of idolatry so much that they even consider the cross in the church to be an idol. The cross is not an idol but a symbol of the Gospel which we believe in.
Jesus carried the wooden cross, and shed His precious blood The reason that we look upon the cross is to remind ourselves of His precious blood and the grace of redemption. The cross is not an object of worship nor an idol. The images of Jesus holding a lamb or of the Last Supper are not forms of idols on their own. They only represent the fact that Jesus is the good Shepherd or depict Jesus’ ministry. It’s not that we worship or pray to these images. But, any act of worship or prayer before a sculpture or image of Jesus means idolatry. When some people hear about the commandment of not worshipping any idols, they claim that even Moses made an idol. They refer to the incident featured in Numbers 21 where the Israelites complained about God and were bitten by fiery serpents. When many Israelites were dying from the bites, Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard. Anyone who was bitten survived if only they obeyed God’s word and looked at it.
God command Moses to make a bronze serpent, but it was never to make people worship the image. God allowed it to foreshadow Jesus Christ coming to save men from the curse of the law. Just as the people were saved from death by looking at the bronze serpent, those who are on the way of death due to sins can receive salvation and life when they believe and accept Jesus who hung on the cross as the Lord. Those who misconceive that Moses made an idol do not comprehend such spiritual meaning at all. 2 Kings 18:4 tells of the future days when King Hezekiah removed all of Israel’s idols, “He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.” Though the bronze serpent was made in God’s will, it tells us that under no circumstances should it become an idol or an object of worship.
Dear brothers and sisters, until now, we’ve looked at the fleshly meaning of idolatry. The more important thing is the spiritual meaning embedded in idolatry. The spiritual meaning of an idol refers to anything more loved than God. You don’t commit idolatry just by bowing before a statue of Buddha or a sacrificial table. If you follow your fleshly desire and love your parents, spouse, or children more than God, this is also idol-worshipping spiritually. Those who consider themselves the first and foremost and love themselves the most make themselves an idol. This does not mean that we should not love others but only God.
For example, it is very natural for God’s children to love their parents in the truth. God also said, “Honour your parents.” But if you deviate from the truth out of love for your parents, it turns into serving idols as you love your parents more than God. If your unbelieving parents who don’t like you going to church on Sunday and you violate the Sabbath to please them, this is loving your parents more than God. This not only displeases God but shows that you do not truly love your parents. If you truly love someone, you would lead them to salvation and to eternal life. This is true love. It’s important not only to keep the Sabbath, but to evangelise and pray for your parents to quickly receive salvation. This is how you can truly honour and love your parents.
The same goes for parents. If you truly love your children, you must love God first and love your children in God. No matter how much you cherish them, you cannot protect them from the enemy devil by men’s power. You cannot cure their incurable diseases nor make them taller. You also cannot protect them from accidents. But God can protect them when you fear God, entrust your children to God, and love them in the Lord. God gives us strength in spirit and flesh and blesses us with success in everything. The same for love between a husband and wife. Those who do not know the true love of God share fleshly love.
They quarrel despite saying they’re in love. Eventually, they become no better than strangers. But, when we love in God, we can share true, spiritual love. We can have true and beautiful love that is not provoked, doesn’t act unbecomingly, and doesn’t seek its own or change. We can share true love only when we love God the Father first prior to loving others. That’s why God tells us to love Him the most and to not serve idols. Without understanding such spiritual meaning, one shouldn’t say, “The church tells us to only love God, not family.” If you break God’s commandments out of love for money, fame, or knowledge, it also turns into a spiritual idol. These days, many people say they believe in God but love material things more. And, they don’t even keep the Sabbath.
There are also those who break God’s commandments to maintain their fame and power in the world. If you break the Sabbath or compromise with the world and fail to live in the truth for the sake of maintaining your wealth, power, and fame, this is also spiritual idolatry. Some people love celebrities and other public figures more than God, making idols of them. It’s okay to like people who excel in acting or sports and admire their talents. But it’s important to not make them idols that come before God. For example, some of our church members are greatly admired for their excellent talents in singing, dancing, or musical abilities but this should not mean that they become your idols. Similarly, you may respect and admire the talents of worldly celebrities. But if you long for worldly things, always keep them in your heart, and love them more than God, you will gradually become estranged from God. God is not pleased. The same goes for anyone with toys or prized objects.
If they have their heart completely taken away by them, they can turn into idols. Brothers and sisters, the latter half of Exodus 20:5 and verse 6 tells us of a blessing for those who obey the commandment of not worshipping idols, and a warning for those who disobey. “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” When God says He is jealous, it differs in meaning from normal human jealousy. Human jealousy comes from fleshly desires.
It is ugly, dirty, harmful to others. For example, if love cools between a married couple and the husband finds another significant other, the wife may become jealous and try to harm him. Fighting in anger and hatred, she would disgrace him by notifying others of his wrongdoings. Some people even sue. This kind of jealousy, envy, and revenge relates to jealousy of hate, never jealousy of love. Loving your partner in spirit means you would first look back on yourself and ponder over your faults instead of harboring fleshly jealousy. You would question whether your actions were right before God, whether you loved and served your partner.
And, instead of telling others your partner’s mistakes, you would seek wisdom from God to change his/her mind. (Esther) Brothers and sisters, then what kind of jealousy of love does God have? If believers worship idols, God looks away from them, so the enemy devil and Satan take over. It’s not because God gives them disasters, but God has no choice but to hand over the sinned believers to Satan in line with the law of justice. People realise their mistakes, repent, and return to God after facing various trials and tribulations, and becoming poor in heart. This is the result of God’s jealousy. God’s jealousy helps His children go the path of eternal life instead of walking the path of destruction due to sins. It’s an expression of His true love. What would happen if God did not get jealous and turned a blind eye to sinful believers, forgiving unconditionally and letting nothing happen despite their committing sins?
People wouldn’t be able to repent. So, they would repeatedly commit sins and end up on the path of eternal death. (Parents raising children who only think about themselves) Dear brothers and sisters, God is the Father and Creator who sacrificed even His one and only Son to open the way of salvation for all mankind. He controls all and grants blessings to those who fear Him. Nevertheless, when people love and worship idols rather than God whom they must serve and honour, it is the same as hating God and committing treason before Him. Those who hate God suffer the consequences; the sin is passed down to the third or fourth generation.
As the word says, families that severely worship idols and commit evil continuously suffer with worries and troubles. Financial issues and various tribulations keep coming and they have people with incurable diseases, disabilities, mental disorders, and demon-possession and suiciders. If these tribulations persist over four generations, the family line would crumble and reach a point of no return. Why did God not conclude with the fourth generation but say the third or fourth generation, leaving room for movement? This is a sign of God’s mercy.
In other words, even if ancestors worshipped idols and opposed God, a family member down the line can receive God’s mercy and end the disasters if he repents and seeks God before the family disintegrates. However, it is not easy for the descendants to believe in God if they have ancestors who opposed God, severely worshipped idols, and piled up evil. Even if they accept the Lord, it’s difficult to live a life of faith as they are spiritually tied to their ancestors. The enemy devil and Satan continuously bring accusation and hinder them from having faith to lead them back to death anyhow.
Even in such cases, if we keep on repenting on behalf of our ancestors with a humble heart, get rid of our own evil, and seek God’s mercy, we can surely receive protection through God’s grace. Those who love God and keep His commandments will enjoy God’s grace for a thousand generations, namely, forever. Once again, we can feel God’s love through His word saying that disasters would last to the third or fourth generation but blessings, for a thousand generations. Dear brothers and sisters, if you fear God and don’t worship idols, you along with your descendants will be blessed. However, just because the ancestors served God well does not mean that the descendants will receive unconditional blessings.
For example, Abraham, the forefather of faith, was greatly loved by God. God promised to bless Abraham’s descendants for generations to come. However, those who didn’t fear God among his descendants were not blessed. David also loved God and was promised blessings for his descendants, but those of David's descendants who left God had nothing to do with the promise of blessings. Only as they loved God, lived in the truth, and didn’t defile themselves with idols, could they receive and enjoy all the blessings accumulated even from above.
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you will not make nor serve any idols for yourselves. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will all abundantly receive and enjoy the blessings God promised to you, your children, and your families, for generations to come.
