No Idols

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. 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. (Exodus 20)

This second command seems quite similar to the first. However, there is a nuance within. The first commandment is that we should put no one in the place of or in front of God – we should not worship, devote ourselves, or ascribe worth to anyone or anything above God. In this command, images (some translations say idols) are not to be made.

In the time this was given, there was an influence from those who believed in other gods, and the Israelites were influenced. While other nations were creating images to “facilitate” their worship of their man-made gods, the true God made it clear that His children were not to create anything. Even if they believed they were erecting an image of God, that was forbidden. Their God – our God – was unimaginable. No image of Him would be accurate and therefore would serve as a hindrance to true worship. Matthew Henry further makes the point that “our religious worship should be governed by the power of faith, not by the power of imagination”.

We have the amazing privilege of coming directly to the God of the universe…the One we worship…the one who loves us immutably. We worship Him truly when unhindered by objects of our own creation.

John 4:24 (GW) - God is a spirit. Those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.