Live 5 Command 2 Make No Idols. (513)

we are once again live in the studio, as well as on life truth radio. We returned to our countdown of the 10 Commandments. Below are my notes, complete was plenty of Scripture references.

Command 2

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
(NASB)

Exodus 20:4!

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
KJV

Notes:
make no idols;
nothing, nothing, nothing.
nothing in the heaven, nothing on earth, nothing under the earth.

The people immediately disobeyed and demanded an idol. Moses complained to God about their behavior, and Aaron made excuses over his part with the Golden calf. Exodus 32:1, 8, 23. Forms of the command are repeated several times in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Including, Cursed is the man who makes an idol.

Later, kings of Israel were no help. Rehoboam (son of Solomon) misleads the people by taking bad advice. He was disobedient to political advice, as well as religious advice. Manasseh (son of Hezekiah, the last good king) puts idols directly in the temple. 1 Kings 12:28; 2 Chronicles 33:7.

Idols are useless, and those worshiping them are shameful. Psalms 97:7 Psalms 135:15-18; Isaiah 40:18-20;

Elsewhere, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel going to great depths painting the image of the futility of idols as well as those who create and worship them. Still, the draw and power of an idol can be strong. The book of acts records a riot that broke out when Paul preached against the idols in Ephesus.

Idols are silly, stupid and no one would worship them today, right? Romans tells of the human nature that desires serving idols, and Revelation indicates that right up to the last days people will refuse to give up their idols.

Romans 1:23 (ESV)
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Revelation 9:20 (ESV)
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

Revelation 13:14-15 (ESV)
14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.

Exodus 20:5

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

notes:

again, several prohibitions exist against bowing to idols. As found in Exodus, Leviticus and Joshua. The Israelites were warned: Don’t mix with the ungodly in the land, or risk facing God’s anger. Joshua 23:16.

This worked out well, right?

Judges 2:19 (ESV)
19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

It was only under the judges that they failed keeping this commandment, right? It surely went better once they had a king, right? Besides the earlier reference to Rehoboam and Manasa, we have this word about Amaziah:

2 Chronicles 25:14 (ESV)
14 After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them.

It’s a good thing that Jesus wasn’t tempted by idolatry. Or maybe he was.

Matthew 4:9 (ESV)
9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

God is a jealous God and his vengeance against those who worship idols can be deadly. He demands holiness. Deuteronomy 6:15; Deuteronomy 32:21; Joshua 24:19; Psalms 78:58.

If a man can experience jealousy, frustration and wrath, how much worse is God’s 20 focuses that attention on the idol worshiper? Proverbs 6:34-35; Nahum 1:2.

God is patient, kind and forgiving to those who are obedient to him.

Exodus 34:7 (ESV)
7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Numbers 14:18 (ESV)
18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

this forgiveness depends on our obedience. As long as we reject him, we risk facing his eternal wrath. When he judges, we can be sure that we will be found guilty to the final degree. Not any worse than we deserve, but not missing anything to go unpunished.

Deuteronomy 7:10 (ESV)
10 and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face.

Deuteronomy 32:41 (ESV)
41 if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.

Proverbs 8:36 (ESV)
36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”

for the obedient believers, for the Christian, who can find the assurance that we are not being hated. The world hates Christ who was living in us.

John 7:7 (ESV)
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

John 15:18, 23-24 (ESV)
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
23 Whoever hates me hates my father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my father.

Romans 8:7 (ESV)
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

James 4:4 (ESV)
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Exodus 20:6

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
KJV

God would rather show mercy than wrath. It requires that we are obedient. He is always faithful to us; we should be faithful to him.

Deuteronomy 5:29 (ESV)
29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Deuteronomy 7:9 (ESV)
9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

Jeremiah 32:39-40 (ESV)
39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

Acts 2:39 (ESV)
39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

this obedience is as simple as showing love.

John 14:15, 21 (ESV)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

1 John 4:19 (ESV)
19 We love because he first loved us.

2 John 1:6 (ESV)
6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:02 — 42.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | Podchaser | RSS | More