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THE SECOND COMMANDMENT – A BRIEF EXPLANATION
TEXT
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
EXPLANATION
While the concern of the 1st Commandment is with the object of our worship --- who we worship, this 2nd Commandment is concerned with the manner of our worship – how we worship. The 1st Commandment forbids us from worshipping false gods, but calls us to worship the right God instead. The 2nd Commandment forbids us from worshipping the right God in the false ways.
This 2nd Commandment can be broken down into 4 parts: rule (v4-5a), reason (v5b), warning (v5c) and promise (v6)
Rule: We are forbidden to make idols/graven images for worship purposes. Please note that this is not a ban on having, making or drawing pictures and statutes. In Exodus 31, we read of Bezalel the son of Uri being called to “design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship” for the Tabernacle. You might recall that the Ark of the Covenant, placed in the Holy of Holies, has two cherubim on it. You might also remember that Moses make and lifted up a bronze serpent in the wilderness. God is not against artistry. What He forbids here is idolatry --- the making of images that purportedly represent Him and then bowing down in worship.
Reason: He is a jealous God! The word ‘jealous’ means the burning passion of His love. What does that mean? Perhaps the following two examples will help:
(a) Your beloved spouse is in the arms of another person. What and how will you react? Jealousy in this case reveals the burning passion of your love for your spouse. Indifference is actually more worrying!
(b) Your photograph is being defaced -- all sorts of horns and beards are being drawn on it and you are given all sorts of insulting names. What and how will you react? Will you seek to protect your photograph and reputation, or will you tell the offenders to continue to help themselves?
God is jealous (can also be read as ‘zealous’) for His own Name. He is the great and glorious God, the only true and living God. For people to now “image” Him as bulls, eagles, sharks, etc, is to insult Him to the hilt!
Warning & Promise: Note that people who made images, claiming that the images represent God and then bow down in worship of them --- they are said to be those who HATE Him. God threatens punishment to such people. On the other hand, those who refrain from making images for worship are said to LOVE Him. God promises His blessings to such people. In the light of the above, we can draw the conclusion that to worship God in the right way, in the way He has prescribed, is a concrete expression of our love to Him!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER . . .
1. What is the difference between Jeroboam’s sin (1 Kings 12:25-33) and Ahab’s sin (1 Kings 16:29-33)?
2. Should we have a visual representation of Christ on the cross (crucifix) in our homes and churches? Why?
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