THOU SHALT NOT MAKE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE

This second commandment is a necessary advance on the first, for men crave a visible object of worship. From earliest times they speculated about the appearance of a God who is spirit, John 4. 24, and this was expressed in carvings and mouldings that relegated God to the level of His creatures, Rom. 1. 20-23. Consequently, ‘God gave them up’, and this resulted in reckless and shameless behaviour. Historically, every excess and perver­sion has been linked with the worship of idols. Satan took advantage of this ancient trend and so demonic activity has always been connected to idolatry. To sacrifice to idols is to sacrifice to demons, Deut. 32.17,1 Cor. 10.19-20. This devilish influence explains the bizarre happenings associated with idol temples, witchcraft and the black arts. The ‘jealous’ God of Israel was now prohibiting images by law. Defiance would have dire consequences for His people and their descendants. Love for Him, expressed in obedience, ensured the enjoyment of His mercy. Tragically, within a few weeks, they had breached the command, by worshipping the golden calf, Exod. 32. 1-6. It was the first of many violations: their history is littered with religious infidelity, Judg. 2.11-23. It goes without saying that Christianity and idolatry are incompatible. At Thessalonica, turning to the ‘living and true God’ involved the rejection of idols, 1 Thess. 1. 9. In light of that it is strange that large sections of the professing church give prominence to statues, icons and relics. The worship of the invis­ible God does not require such visible support: it is a spiritual exercise, John 4. 24, Phil. 3. 3. Even genuine believers are warned against idolatry, 1 John 5. 21. We are told to guard ourselves from it as with a ring of sentries. Displacing God with any rival interest is tantamount to idolatry: it creates an alternative object of devotion. To rele­gate Him to the fringe of our lives by being absorbed with other things is to imitate rebellious Israel. The world’s ‘idols’ of sport and entertainment have devotees whose reckless behav­iour very often matches that of the ancient pagan. Don’t be like them. ‘Little children, keep yourselves from idols’.