The Second Commandment

There is a war going on

Many of us here likely see the 10 commandments as one more checklist, like the rules posted at the swimming pool - no running by the pool, no diving in shallow areas, no peeing in the pool.

And our commandment today, the one about idols, is quickly skipped over because we think we’ve got that bullet point figured out. We know that there is to be no other gods before Yahweh. We covered that last week. So, after all that, the subject seems mostly obsolete.

I don’t know anyone who kneels before golden statues or bows down before carved images. Idolatry seems to have gone the way of the iPod, Myspace, or Big Boy.

Yet, as Kyle Idleman states, “idolatry is the number one issue in the Bible, and that should raise caution signals for us.” Idolatry comes into every book of Scripture. In all of Judaism, it was one of only four sins to which the death penalty is attached.

As we look at our life through this lens, it becomes clear there is a war going on. There are gods at war, and their strength is not to be underestimated.

These gods clash for the throne of your heart, and much is at stake.

Everything about me, everything I do, every relationship I have, everything I hope or dream or wish to become, depends upon what god wins that war.

You shall not make for yourself an image...

When we hear God say, “You will have no other gods before me,” we think of it as a hierarchy - God is always in first place. But the truth is that there are no places. God is not part of a hierarchy. He is not apart of an organizational flow chart. He is the organization.

As I mentioned earlier, we don’t worship golden statues, pray to gods of fertility or weather. However the gods of our age are those things that take the place of God. That is the wisdom of this second commandment. Read Exodus 20:4 with me.

Exodus 20:4 NIV

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

Shortly after this event at Mt. Sinai, the people began begging Aaron, the high priest, for a god to worship. So they gathered all of their gold - gold plundered from the Egyptian enemies - put it to the fire, and crafted a golden calf to worship.

The psalmist recounts this event in Psalm 106:19-20

Psalm 106:19–20 NLT

19 The people made a calf at Mount Sinai; they bowed before an image made of gold. 20 They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.

That’s a pretty bad trade; however, they were doing what every other nation had been doing since the beginning of time - bowing down to idols in hopes that their wishes would come true. It was easy, convenient, and logical. You don’t have to change your life if all that is required is a sacrifice to appease the gods. You don’t have to change your life if the god you worship is accessible through idols.

For example, from the books of history in the Old Testament - Ancient Israel may have had a personal god, Dagon, a family god, Baal, and Yahweh as the national God. Every Israelite would’ve said they believed in Yahweh, regardless of their immersion to idols; but their day to day worship often would’ve been directed toward the various gods/idols of the day.

But are we any different? Time after time, we replace God with statues of our own creation. We continue to struggle just as those at Mt Sinai struggled. Anything in our world can be hammered into an idol, and therefore be a false god.

Maybe you have a lot of worry or anxiety in your life lately. And you are sitting here thinking, “I love Jesus. I don't have any issues with idolatry. My problem is that I just tend to worry too much.”

But if we stopped an examined the heart for a few moments, what would we find? It could be that we would find a deep need for control - every i is dotted and t is crossed. You don’t like surprises, and you want your life to going according to the script you created.

There is no law against that, right? Employers love people like you. Responsible, good with details. But still you encounter restless nights and a lack of peace.

The need for control is a relentless god that has taken ground in your heart.

Maybe you are a workaholic - motivations could be money, drive for more and more. It could also be perfectionism. Are you never happy with the results? Are you always thinking it should be done better?

The need for perfection is a relentless god that has taken ground in your heart.

What about the god of power? Seeking as much authority and control as possible because power is important.

The need for power/perfection/ comfort/control/etc. is a relentless god that has taken ground in your heart.

Remember the invitation of Jesus - Matthew 16:24

Matthew 16:24 NIV

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

It’s hard to carry a cross when power, perfection, comfort, or control is your god - when you are your god. God has called you into a new kind of life through Jesus Christ. A life that is loyal to him, who is above all others.

The LORD your God, is a jealous God

A story from Michael Jordan’s book Driven from Within tells a wild story about a visit he made to a friends home.

The two of them were getting ready to go out to dinner with Jordan asked, “It’s cold out. Can I borrow one of your jackets?” Whitfield, the friend, agreed and pointed him down the hall to the closet where he kept his coats.

Moments later, Jordan reappeared, carrying an armful of branded athletic jackets, shirts, shoes, and other gear. He dumped the whole pile on the floor and disappeared to gather more.

Jordan’s friend took a look at the pile and noticed all the items were made by Puma, a rival of Nike. Jordan and the Jordan brand are closely associated with Nike.

As Whitfield waited to see what Jordan was doing, Michael walks out of the kitchen with a butcher knife and begins to murder the pile of gear on the floor into shreds.

When Jordan had thoroughly destroyed the athletic gear, he gathered it all up again and carried it to a dumpster for disposal. Upon returning from the dumpster Jordan said, “Hey, call my Nike rep tomorrow and have them replace everything I destroyed. But don’t ever let me see you again in anything other than Nike. You cannot ride the fence.”

I can’t imagine myself ever pulling what Michael Jordan did at anyone’s home - particularly if I want to impact the lives of those I minister to and the friends I have made. But this is the kind of radical commitment God longs for from his people.

The only relationship God is interested in is one that is exclusive and completely commited. God is not interested in an “open relationship” with you.

Exodus 20:5-6 tell us this

Exodus 20:5–6 NIV

5 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 parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Our God is often known by his character qualities. King of Kings, Deliverer, Provider, Protector, Healer, Redeemer - this list could go on for a while, but out of all the names for God, there is one that is out of place. “The Lord your God, is a jealous God”

Jealous? That doesn’t seem very godly. Everything already belongs to him! What could he be jealous of?

God is jealous for your heart, not because he is insecure, but because he loves you.

Paul Copan describes God’s jealously this way. He says people are like the dog who drinks from the toilet bowl and believe, “It doesn’t get much better than this!” However, in reality we could be enjoying the living water that only Christ can offer. It grieves God to see the choices we make in ignorance and it makes him jealous, in the most righteous and loving way.

Copan continues on about how a spouse that doesn’t get angry or jealous when their significant other is looking for love outside of the relationship is not fully commited to the marriage relationship.

“We should be amazed that the Creator of the universe would so deeply connect himself to human beings that he would open himself to sorrow and anguish in the face of human rejection and betrayal.”

It’s overwhelming to realize that God loves us this way, but we cannot understand the seriousness of idolatry without understanding the jealously of God.

Idolatry is a struggle for us, but even in this struggle Christ died for you. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for you. And he has not stopped jealously seeking after your heart.

Love and Hate

This jealous God - our God - who seeks fervently for your heart says something else in Exodus 20:5-6 that needs to be addressed.

Exodus 20:5–6 NIV

5 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 parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

This does not represent an assertion that God actually punishes an innocent generation for sins of a predecessor generation - rather this speaks of God’s determination to punish successive generations for committing the same sins they learned from their parents.

God will indeed punish generation after generation if they continue doing the same sorts of sins that prior generations did.

But the great contrast of this is God’s real wish - to show “love” or “covenant loyalty” to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

This is the greatest numerical contrast in scripture (3//4 to thousands). God’s desire is for his people to remain loyal forever so that he might in turn show them the rich blessings of his resulting loyalty to them.

If you pledge your allegiance to the Kingdom of God, repent of your sins, be baptized, and reject your idols, then God will richly bless you with his loyalty. The loyalty he has shown to people for 2,000 years that abundant life is found only in and through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For me and my house...

In the first two commandments we have direction to have no other gods beside Yahweh and not to make, worship, or bow down to any idols. We are called to make a choice this day who we will worship.

I am reminded of Joshua’s farewell address to Israel before his death. In Joshua 24:14-15 he says,

Joshua 24:14–15 NIV

14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

He doesn’t tiptoe around what he wants to say. He throws down a challenge and its time to make a choice. You will make a choice.

Friends - Brothers and Sisters - Christian, what is your choice this day? One thing I love about the 10 commandments is that they are clearly not focused individually - they are ways for the community to live. So, in a moment, there will be a slide on the screen and if you choose to agree, then as a faith community we will speak aloud together our commitment to follow God, the one who has freed you from slavery of sin, lack of hope, and endless despair.

Preacher: The Lord has said “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Congregation: We will do everything the LORD has said

Preacher: The LORD has said, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or 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”

Congregation: We will do everything the LORD has said

Preacher: Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Congregation: Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.

Friends, our God is a jealous God who shows loving kindness to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. This is a struggle for us, but trust in Him, commit your life to Him, and find forgiveness in Him. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Commit yourselves to the LORD. Will you pray with me.