Ten Commandments Part 6
Commandment 1 Parts 3
– 4
Parts 3 – 4
correspond to Protestant’s commandment 2.
It deals with idols. Catholics
and Lutherans consider these two parts to be a continuation of the first
commandment, following St Augustine’s numbering.
Commandment 1 Part 3
(Protestants: commandment 2) “You shall not make for yourself a graven image”
This commandment speaks to the
temptation to have something tangible to worship. It is easy for us to discount
it since we don’t physically worship idols.
In the ancient world, an idol was a representation of the god it
represented. It was as though the god
himself was there in the image – the image effectively becoming a god. This commandment speaks to several different
concerns. It prohibits the worship of
other gods. It also prohibits worshiping
the true God in a false manner.
The roots
of sin begin in the mind. This is where
sinful actions begin. It is also where
idolatry begins. Idols are gods with all of God taken out of them so we can
continue to be our own gods. They often
begin with an idea. We create them out
of our norms of behavior, our possessions, our social status and our
addictions. They are things which we
either consider to have a higher value than God or place alongside of Him as an
additional god. They are things which we
either try to control or which control us. We know we have made an idol when
the possible loss of something or someone creates an inappropriately dramatic
reaction in us”[1]
When things cause us great anger, stress, paralyzing anxiety, etc., we are
likely dealing with idols in some manner.
Fear can be caused by the idol Insecurity. It carries the belief that God is not strong
enough to provide for us.
“Idolatry is
always the perversion of something good.”[2] Greed (worshipping the appetites and what they
feed on) is the perversion of the God-given instinct to enjoy his good
creation. Idols always end up
controlling us. They consume our lives
to the point that we can’t get along without them. Oftentimes these are things we value and
refuse to let go of to the point we become obsessed with them. The seven deadly sins all have idolatry
behind them. The sin of pride begins
with the worship of self, the sin of envy with the worship of status or
possessions. The sin of gluttony begins
with an obsession with food and drink, the sin of lust with sex. The sin of anger begins with an excessive
desire for control, the sin of greed with security and wealth, and the sin of
sloth with a desire for comfort. All of
these are excessive behaviors which began with some form of idolatry. St Paul warns “Do not let sin reign in your
mortal body so that you should obey its passions.” (Romans 6:12). The Greek
word for “passion” implies a desire that completely overwhelms.[3] The New International
Version translates this word as lust.
The latest
technological toy, the newest model car, money, or a status job can all become
idols. Almost anything can become one. I
knew a man who told me, years after his divorce, that he had married his wife
for her beauty to be known as someone with a beautiful wife. She became his idol. “We
know we have made an idol when the possible loss of something or someone
creates an inappropriately dramatic reaction in us”[4]
Commandment 1 Part 4 (Protestants: commandment 2) “You shall not bow
down to them or serve them
Every four years
we are tempted to worship a particular political candidate, under the guise of
“if so and so is elected we’ll be saved.”
In effect we are worshipping these leaders. It is wise to remember that all idols have
feet of clay. They will eventually
crumble. When we worship an idol we lose
track of who God is. This commandment
speaks to addiction. Addictions enslave
us, becoming all consuming.
There is another
side to this commandment that we often don’t think of. We can put God in a box. When we do, we limit him. J D Phillips in his book Your God is too Small describes
the danger of having a god who is a
resident policeman, parent, grand old man, meek and mild, negative god, etc.[5] We effectively put shackles on him, telling
him what he can and can’t do. It can be
expressed in the statement “I can’t believe in a God who . . . .”
Exodus 20:5-6
describes the consequences of our choice to either love God or hate Him. God shows mercy to those who love him and keep
his commandments. But God will pay
attention to those who hate Him, who embrace iniquity. The “3rd and 4th
generation” is a Semitic idiom expressing continuity. In other words, the children tend to follow
in their parents footsteps.
In summary, Our
God is telling us, you don’t have to constantly chase after others or things. I
will be your God, I will sustain and fulfill you. He desires that we worship Him as he is, not
as we contrive him to be.
“You
wanted to show me the truth, Lord. But I
haven’t paid attention to the word which you gave me. There was always something I considered more
authentic than you: my own doubts and prejudices, or the stupid street talk, or
the bloody teachings of the dictators of my time. Now I’m so confused that I don’t know what is
true and what is false any longer; and I live among people for whom it is just
the same. And the confusion gets greater and greater! We deserve it, Lord, that you should let us
perish in our self-disception and that we should lose you for all
eternity. We cannot help ourselves,
Lord, but be merciful and let us know the truth again[6]
Food for thought
1.
What
idols might be hiding beneath the surface of my dramatic reactions to things?
2.
What
idols am I tempted to worship?
3.
Are
there any boxes I am tempted to put God into?
[1]
Robert J Wicks, Everyday Simplicity: A
Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth (Notre Dame: Sorin Books, 2000) p 46
[2] N
T Wright, Surprised by Hope (New
York: Harper One, 2008), 212
[3] J
D Greear, “Dismantling Your Heart’s Idols” https://www.patheos.com/blogs/evangelicalpulpit/2016/01/dismantling-your-heart-idols/
(Accessed 2/10/19)
[4]
Robert J Wicks, Everyday Simplicity: A
Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth (Notre Dame: Sorin Books, 2000) p 46
[5] J
B Phillips, Your God is too Small London:
Epworth Press, 1962)
[6] Ernst
Lange, Ten Great Freedoms (Downers
Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1970),, p 25
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