Previously we considered a few implications of the first commandment, “
You shall have no other gods before Me” (literally, “in my face”) and the results of breaking that commandment. We referenced the fact that once the first commandment is broken, the second is near at hand, “
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 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, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)
We should be unsurprised to hear man’s squeaky voice lift not-quite beyond his uplifted fist toward the clouds, exclaiming to his creator, “I don’t need you! I can do this by myself!” then as he lowers his fist begins to seek out the help of gods of his own making and the demonic spirits to empower them. “Idolatry is perhaps the greatest of all sins because it opens the door to unrestrained evil. It gives sinner license not only to tolerate sin, but to sanction it, fanned by demonic influence. If you make a god in your image, one you feel comfortable with, you can then create your own moral standard to go along with him . . . or her.” One cannot keep the first commandment while breaking the second as the one follows the other.
What kinds of gods do men prefer? Basically, the god that likes what his worshipper likes and hates what his worshipper hates. This is why it is hard to say that idolatry appeals to the secular mind because fundamentally, everything is spiritual. Removing God drives no wedge between “sacred” and “secular.” Removing God is replacing God; hence, “sacred” becomes “unsacred” or “profane.” The rational becomes irrational.
I firmly believe that every person is a theologian, having knowledge of God and some sort of response to Him. That response will be to either accept God as He is, thus allowing him to keep the 1st commandment and having no need for the 2nd commandment; or, reject God as He is, thus breaking the 1st commandment and the 2nd commandment. Either way, one remains a theologian.
What is the god of an idolater like? The home-grown god is not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient; rather, it is useless and brings no profit. They know nothing and are not ashamed of their ignorance. The idol is made in the strength of its maker (who often gets tired and hungry and must stop and rest—until he is finished, the idol is incomplete).
I heard the story once of a wood-carver who was revered in his community for his work. He was hired to make an idol of wood for someone and someone else who liked his work commissioned the same item. Over the course of time, many requisitions came in for this idol, so he made more. One day he realized his artistic ability had been locked into carving this same form over and over again, and the freedoms he once enjoyed as an artist were hindered. So he made one little change in the idol, then another, then another until finally, he was creating unique items again . . . and the worshippers did not recognize their own god.
In the western world we do not have this problem, but the principle of the problem stays the same. If I worship God and you worship God, do we worship the same God? Here’s a test: Is the God of the Bible the same as the God of the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Wiccans, Episcopals, (pick a group)?
Would your “God” send people to hell? If not, then you have created a god in your own image, according to your own desires, and have broken the second commandment. God of the Bible takes great pains to discuss the reasons and reality of Hell. Read Matthew 25, for example.
Is your God merciful, gracious, all-loving and not a God of wrath? If so, then you have created a god in your own image, according to your own desires, and have broken the second commandment. Read Exodus 34:5-7.
“When man creates gods in his own image, these gods are merely an extension of himself (Ps. 115:8; 135:18). Consequently, directly or indirectly, man is only worshipping himself. . . . When man worships himself, he starts seeking to satisfy his animal appetites. This inevitable leads to all kinds of perversion. First, man will totally disregard the sanctity of sexuality (Ro 1:26-27). Sexual perversion condoned and practiced leads to moral corruption, which is reflected in all of life. When the sacredness of sex is removed, there are no absolutes in other areas of life.”
An old proverb says, “It is man who counts. I call upon gold and it answers not. It is man who counts. I call upon cloth and it answers not. It is man who counts.”
So just how do we conceive of God and all things divine? The Bible? Imagination? Magic Mushrooms? Chocolate?
Willie Wonka and
John Lennon make some surprisingly similar statements, both equally absurd.
Wanna see something really interesting?
| # | ”Protestant” Command | “Catholic” Command |
| 1 | You shall have no other gods but me. | I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me. |
| 2 | You shall not make unto you any graven images | You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain |
| 3 | You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain | Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day |
| 4 | You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy | Honor your father and your mother |
| 5 | Honor your mother and father | You shall not kill |
| 6 | You shall not murder | You shall not commit adultery |
| 7 | You shall not commit adultery | You shall not steal |
| 8 | You shall not steal | You shall not bear false witness |
| 9 | You shall not bear false witness | You shall not covet your neighbor's wife |
| 10 | You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor | You shall not covet your neighbor's goods |
Did you see the difference? If not, go back and compare the 2nd commandment in both lists. Change just one feature that makes one feel less offended, and everything changes. What problems does this introduce into the realm of Christian worship?
If we have to change our “language” and concepts in order to reach this culture, would’nt we in fact be creating new idols?
Think about this:
Does God ever change? Why would we expect culture to understand God if we change the way we talk about Him, if man has never sought God (as it is written)?
Does Jesus ever change? If He is “I Am” and He changes, that makes Him, “I was”, right?
Does the gospel ever change? Has man’s problem suddenly become too much for the cross that it must be integrated and made better? Why did Jesus preach “repent” if we should not do it now?
Oh, and one more thing. You know that last part of the verse about God visiting the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation? This simply means that if the father passes down to his children the wrong conception of God, his sin of unbelief and idolatry will become the sins of his children. But if a man believes God and wraps his mind around the true and living God, thus keeping the first two commandments, his legacy will be known to many generations beyond the third and fourth.
