10 Commandments / The Second Commandment
The mountains melt like wax before … the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols — worship him, all you gods!
(Ps.97:5-8)
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
(I Cor.5:11)
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
(I Cor.10:14)
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.
(Rev.21:8)
Idolatry is clearly a significant issue throughout the Scriptures. Talk of idolatry covers two different – but often connected - spiritual errors: the worship of an entirely false god (Ps.115:1-8) and, the making of an image to represent the true God and Father of Jesus Christ. Both are prohibited in the 10 Commandments, but it might be helpful to see the former as forbidden by the first commandment; so that this second commandment is focussing more on the idea of worshipping the true God in a false way, by means of images ostensibly made of Him, but which are in fact based on aspects of creation (so Rom.1:25). The distinction is perhaps best illustrated in the summary of Jehu’s life (II Kings 10:28-29, where he obeyed the first, but violated the second; see I Kings 12:25-29 for the back story!). There is some overlap, but this is likely where the centres of gravity lie.
We may think this is fairly innocuous in today’s Christian world – especially the evangelical part of it! But this Second Commandment may have more to say than we anticipate. It was Calvin who famously wrote that the human heart is ‘a perpetual factory of idols’. We create and carry images of God in our hearts and minds and it is crucial to the authenticity of our worship that such images are not false! Here our relationship with Scripture comes to the fore…
The Second Commandment is actually not against an image of God per se. It rather seeks to protect us from false and inadequate images of God. The point is: God has already provided a true and faithful Image of Himself in Christ. ‘The Son is the image of the invisible God’ (Col.1:15, also Heb.1:3). And we encounter Christ and all that He reveals to us about God (Matt.11:27, Jn.1:18) in Scripture, where the Father holds forth the portrait of His Son by the Spirit. Hence the importance of our relationship with Scripture. And why it is so dangerous to be selective about what parts of the Image of God revealed in Scripture we accept or reject. Our tendency to stand over Scripture and to determine what in it consider valid, or relevant, or realistic is an expression of our tendency to idolatry. We follow our own thinking, and so worship an ‘image’ we have created, or worse, an image created in our own image. We end up worshipping ourselves. If the end point of such a process is not a false god, it is certainly a distorted vision of the true God, even the living God revealed through Christ. We carry an image ‘inadequate of His deity and unworthy of His glory’ (Hodge).
Centuries ago Athanasius taught us that ‘where Christ is proclaimed idolatry is destroyed, and the fraud of evil spirits is exposed’ (De Inc.5:30). This is in both sense of the word ‘idolatry’. In evangelism the power of false gods is broken as people repent and confess Christ as Lord, but in the ongoing pastoral and preaching ministry of the Church, our misconceptions of Christ are corrected as the full counsel of God is consistently held out to the people of God. As our vision of the image of God is refined, so our worship becomes more pleasing to God and edifying to the Church.
Thus the pursuit of a faithful vision of Christ is of the highest importance for Christians. Paul cautions us to ‘flee…’ and John likewise reaches the climax of his First Epistle with the plea: ‘Dear children, keep yourselves from idols’. This has been the clarion call of the Church throughout the ages. One of the longest homilies in Church of England’s foundational documents is a ‘Sermon against the perils of Idolatry’, in which we are reminded that ‘images and image-worshipping were … abhorred and detested, as abominable and contrary to true Christian religion’. We would do well to heed the ancient wisdom of the Church.
Questions
Why is ‘sincerity’ not adequate to legitimise Christian worship? Do you think we should only include in worship what can be shown from the Scriptures?
Humanity is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen.1:27). How does this fit into our discussion about images and idols?
Ps.115:4-8 & Ps.135:15-18 teach that we become like what we worship. What do you think this means? How does it lend urgency to our discussion?
Read Deut.5:8-10 & Is.40:10-26
Do you think the Second Commandment is a prohibition against all use of art / images in worship? What do you think would constitute a legitimate use?
Why is the issue of God’s ‘jealousy’ brought to the forefront in the Second Commandment? What is He jealous over? How do you feel about worshipping a jealous God?
What does it mean to say that God will punish the children for the sin of the parents (i.e. specifically idolatry) to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me? How would you reconcile this with e.g. Ezek.18? Do you think the Lord is just and fair?
Do you feel as uncomfortable with the promise to show love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands? What do you think this promise means?
How does Deut.5:10 fit with the idea of God’s unconditional love? How does this verse affect your thinking about God’s love?
Read Is.40:10-26. What is the Voice’s (see v.6) argument against image-making? How does it compare and contrast with Deut.5:8-10?
Catechism:
275. What does the second commandment mean?
God’s people are neither to worship man-made images of God or of other gods nor to make such images for the purpose of worshiping them. (Ex.20:23; 34:17; Lev.26:1; Deut.4:15–20; 27:15; Ps.97:6–9; Acts 17:22–29; 2 Cor.6:16–18)
276. How did Israel break the first two commandments?
Israel neglected God’s Law, worshiped the gods of the nations around them, and brought images of these gods (idols) into God’s temple, thus corrupting his worship. (Ex.32; Jdg.10:6; 1 Kgs.12:28–33; 2 Kgs.21:1–9; Ps.106:19–43; 1 Cor.10:1–14)
277. Why did the nations make such images?
Israel’s neighbours worshiped and served false gods by means of idols, believing they could manipulate these counterfeit gods for their own benefit. (Ps.115:2–8; Is.44:9–20; Jer.10:2–15; Hab.2:18–19; Rev.2:18–29)
278. Are all images wrong?
No. God forbade the making of idols and the worship of images, yet commanded carvings and pictures for the tabernacle depicting creation. Christians are free to make images—including images of Jesus and the saints—as long as they do not worship them or use them superstitiously. (Ex.37:1–9; Num.21:4–9; 1 Kgs.6:23–35; 7:23–26; Jn.3:9–15)
279. Are idols always images?
No. Anything can become an idol if I look to it for salvation from my sin or comfort amid my circumstances. If I place my ultimate hope in anything but God, it is an idol. (1 Sam.15:23; Ezek.14:3–5; Eph.5:5; Col.3:5)
280. What does the second commandment teach you about hope?
It teaches me that my ultimate hope is in God alone, for he alone is God and he made me. I must not look for salvation and fulfilment in myself, another person, my wealth or occupation or status, or any created thing. Only in God will I find perfect love and fulfilment. (Ps.62; Is.45:20–25; Matt.6:19–24; 1 Thess.1:9–10)
281. How was Jesus tempted to break the first two commandments?
Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him, promising him an earthly kingdom without the pain of the Cross. Instead, Jesus served and worshiped God faithfully and perfectly all his life, and calls us to do the same. (Matt.4:1–11; 16:24; Luke 22:41–44; Phil.2:8)
282. How will idolatry affect you?
If I worship and serve idols, I will become like them, empty and alienated from God, who alone can make me whole. (Ps.115:4–8; Jer.2:11–19; Jon.2:7–9; Rom.1:18–25)
