Islington Baptist Church
February 3, 2002
Exodus 20:4-6
Scripture reading: Exodus 32
Series: The 10 Commandments
How not to worship God
A few years ago I made a mistake. I was visiting an elderly Christian lady who happened to have a lamp, but no ordinary lamp. The lamp had a big fat Buddha as its base. This offended me as a Christian because I happened to know that the 10 Commandments and the scriptures restricts Christians from having idols in their possession. I am also convinced that a Christian having an idol or some other occult item in their house, even just as a “keepsake” or “souvenir” serves as an invitation to the Devil and evil spirits. Any ways, instead of bringing my concern to her immediate attention as I should have, I opted to tell a close Christian friend of hers—asking him to bring the issue up with her. The end result was that she got rid of the Buddha- like she should have- but was ticked off at me for a little while for my not directly talking to her about it.
2 points:
1. If you’ve got something to say to somebody, say it yourself.
2. If you have any idols in your house, being any representations of any of the people of this world’s gods, or any other occult items, get rid of them
Last week when we were together we considered the first of the 10 Commandments. The first commandment addresses the subject of WHO we are to worship. There is only one is worthy, the LORD God who made the heavens and the earth, He being the only and true God.
The second commandment raises the question of HOW we are to worship God (read Exodus 20:4-6)
While the question of How we are to worship God is raised by this commandment the literal words of this command deal with How one is NOT to worship God.
HOW NOT TO WORSHIP GOD: do not make an idol, a representation of God
As human being we are disposed to worship—its just part of us and our make up—the problem is the worship of the wrong things and the worship of God in the wrong way.
Thankfully, we have God’s word which tells us WHO to worship—being Him alone, and how not to worship Him.
In spite of the clarity of God in respect to how we are to worship to Him, people- at times even including us who are his followers - have persisted in trying to worship Him in their own ways—dreaming up ways of worship that they think will please Him but in fact anger Him.
The Bible is full of examples of people drawing near to God to worship in the wrong ways and paying the price for their disobedience.
For example: In Leviticus 10:1-3 it says “Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censor and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near ME I must be regarded as holy; and before all people I must be glorified.”
As our creator and the only LORD, God has every right to tell us how and how we are not to approach and worship Him.
In the second commandment God here says that we are not to make for ourselves any sort of image that is intended to represent Him.
This commandment is intensified and strengthened in nature by the fact that God lists examples of the sorts of images that we are not to try to make to represent Him***
In spite of this clear command examples abound of people making images that are intended to represent God.
As many of you know, Hinduism is a religion that features 1000’s upon 1000’s variously carved and crafted images.
Roman Catholicism is a major offender as well. Every statute of Mary, every crucifix with a depiction of Jesus upon it, every icon and statute in their buildings is but an idol and an abomination unto the Lord.--- for what is it that people do? They light candles before these images, they pray for these images, they cover these images with their kisses and tears—such is worship, but not worship that God has ordained or accepts as unto Him.
One of the cruelest of all ironies regarding this command, concerns the behavior of the Israelites at the very same moment God was giving this and the other commandments to Moses (which we read this morning Exodus 32).
WHY IS IT THAT IMAGES THAT ARE MEANT TO DEPICT HIM, SUCH A BIG DEAL AND OFFENSIVE TO GOD?
1. Because God is a spirit and hence invisible—so to depict him with a body of some sort is a perversion of Him and an attack upon Him”.
In Deuteronomy 4:15-16a “Take careful heed to yourselves , for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure…”
2. Because such images detract from his glory, majesty, and transcendence
In I Kings 8:27 it says “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you. How much less this temple which I have built!”
Reducing God, who is all powerful, all present, all knowing, robed in splendor, the creator of the universe to a carved object or cast image detracts from his glory, majesty, and transcendence
Indeed the scriptures mock those who make images for such images do not and cannot hear or act (Isaiah 44, etc)
3. Because idols are man’s way of putting God into a manageable box. They are the wicked man’s way of shrinking God down to fit into what their conception of God is or what they can understand God to be.
4. Because such images lead not to His worship but to the worship of false gods and in fact the worship of Satan and the demons
I Corinthians 10:14-22—concerning avoiding idol feasts
So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I am speaking to thoughtful people. Consider what I say. Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread. Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? No, I mean that what people sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?
When a person bows down before an image, praying to it, weeping at its feet, kissing it, etc. God declares that He is not being worshipped, but rather demons.
THE RESPONSE OF GOD TO IDOLATROUS BEHAVIOR
He is provoked to wrath. Note v.5 “I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing….”
God’s expectation of us is exclusive and devoted worship. He will not share his glory and the honor due to Him. When we or his people are unfaithful to Him he responds as a jealous lover—His goal ultimately being our exclusive attention and affection.
That the consequences for unfaithfulness or faithfulness to this command are spelled out further indicates to us the seriousness and importance of this command.
A familiar principle of the scriptures is this “obedience brings blessing, disobedience to God brings punishment”
One interesting thing to note about disobedience and obedience
-disobedience to God is framed and understood as being hatred of Him
-obedience to God is framed and understood as being an act of love towards Him
We don’t often think of obedience and disobedience to God in such terms. But that’s what the scriptures say.
To love God is to obey Him and worship Him on his terms and as a by product to be blessed.
To hate God is to disobey Him and try to worship Him or approach Him on our own terms. The byproduct of hating God is to be punished by Him.
Special comment on the meaning of v.5-6
Woe to those children who are born to idol worshippers
Because of their parents wickedness they are led into evil and so by their acts bring the judgment of God down on their own heads….
Ezek 18 “The soul who sins is the one who shall die”
Blessed are the children of those who are born to godly parents who worship God according to the ways the Bible prescribes
Because their parents are godly they do all they can to teach their children to worship and adore God in ways in which He has ordained.
Because of godly parents children experience the “run off” blessings of God in their lives
ONE EVIL RATIONALIZATION THAT MUST BE DISPELLED
When it comes to rationalizing our wicked behavior we are all experts. Many people, in possession of idols, images, and icons froth at the mouth when you suggest to them that they cast aside their idol and worship the true God as he commands.
Such people are insistent that the images that they have are not idols but are rather aids in their worship of God. They are not, so they say, “worshipping the object” but merely using it as their way of connecting with God.
That’s not the way God sees it. In fact, as we are learning today He strictly forbids such things, citing them as a reason for the pouring out of his wrath.
“When a person says they are helped to get nearer to God in such ways it is nearness to a false god, not to the true God.”
“People that truly know God, who live in daily communion with him, do not need a picture or image of Him to help them pray.”
CONCLUSION
1. Just because you and I, and I trust you don’t, have any idols, images, or icons, in our homes doesn’t necessarily mean that we are free and clear of idolatry.
In Colossians 3:5 the sin of covetousness (which is all about greed and wanting what others have) is branded as idolatry
When obsessions develop in our lives the sin of idolatry is close at hand, for no longer is God our true and proper focus. Rather our attention, our affection, our delight is in…
What is an obsession?
-when money becomes your obsession then idolatry on our parts is close at hand
-when a person becomes
-when a sport ….
-when power and achievement then idolatry is close at hand
2. The command of v.4 in its immediate sense centers on How NOT to worship God. On the positive side of things the command to not worship God by means of images leads us to ask “How indeed are we to worship Him?”
In John 3:23 Jesus says “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
Our worship needs to be Jesus centered. It all got to be about Him because it is by and through the Lord Jesus Christ that we have been reconciled to God.
Proper worship includes and involves
-being deliberate in our seeking the face of God
-being fully surrendered and willing to be obedient to every call and command of Jesus Christ
-precedes effective service—“one does not have to be forced to serve the one they worship”
-the contemplation of Jesus Christ- his person, his work, his attributes
-the goal of being an imitator of Jesus Christ.
-being reverential
-the whole of our being-attitudes and actions
-celebration and adoration
-the leading of the Holy Spirit—for God indeed does come calling (explain the sense of His calling that I sometimes feel)
Close: Holy, Holy, Holy
