Exodus 20:4-6
~17 min read
TRANSCRIPT
The title of our message is "Thou shalt not make graven images," which is the second commandment, and our text is taken from Exodus 20, verses 4-6. Allow me to read for you: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 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; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
Whenever we have Roman Catholics visiting our church, one of the common things they would ask is, ‘Why is there no crucifix?’ Our answer would be: the cross is in our message and not something that is hanging on our walls. There's nothing wrong with the sign of the cross, but we have to be careful because it can easily become an object of worship and therefore violates the second commandment. And this is precisely what this passage is all about; we must not make any graven images.
Remember, in our preceding passage that we have considered last week, we have briefly discussed how the Roman Catholics and even the Lutherans will combine commandments one and two together, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me’ and ‘Thou shalt not make any graven images,’ and they would divide commandment number 10 into two to make it a total of 10 commandments. And the reason why they have combined the first and second commandments together is to enable the prohibition to make graven images only applies to the idol worship of other gods, not against the idol worship of the one living and true God.
Now this would raise the question: are we right to consider verse four as the beginning of a new commandment? The answer is yes. Having no other gods and making idols are two different things. The first commandment has to do with worshiping the right God, and the second commandment has to do with worshiping the right God in the right way. The first commandment forbids us to worship false gods. The second commandment forbids us to worship the true God falsely. It is as important to worship the right God as it is to worship Him in the right way. You and I must not worship God any way we like but only according to the way he has commanded us. That is why Westminster Shorter Catechism question 51 says: "The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images or any other way not appointed in His word."
A classic biblical example of breaking the second commandment is found in 2 Kings 10:28-29. Maybe you can turn with me to this passage. This is about King Jehu, who eliminated the worship of Baal from Israel, and he did that by putting Queen Jezebel to death. Queen Jezebel was a strong advocate for Baal's worship. King Jehu did the right thing, and the Bible said in verse 28, “Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.” So far so good. But notice the next verse, verse 29 says, “Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.” In other words, although King Jehu enforced the first commandment, but he allowed the people to break the second commandment. Golden calves' worship did not represent other gods; they were intended to represent the God of Israel. And this is precisely what the second commandment forbids.
The second commandment is the longest of all the ten commandments. When we carefully examine these three verses, we can see that they contain the command itself, the reason why we must keep it, the warning when we do not keep it, and the blessing when we do keep it. So, using these four words, they will form the points for our message. Let us first consider: The Command.
I. The Command
The command is very simple: ‘Thou shalt not make any graven image.’ An image, a graven image, is an idol crafted by an instrument, whether it is carved out of wood or chiseled out of stone or engraved in metal, it was something made by human hands. This does not mean that the Israelites were forbidden to use instruments to produce artistic works. Later on, when the time came for them to build the Tabernacle, the Israelites were commanded to make artistic designs out of wood, stone, gold, silver, and bronze, and they were engaged in all kinds of craftsmanship. This second commandment does not forbid making artistic works but making things to serve as objects of worship because verse 5 says, "Thou shalt not bow thyself to them, nor serve them." So, the purpose of making those graven images was for worship.
What about the use of the pictures of Jesus Christ? There's nothing wrong with the pictures of Christ used in children's books or videos to illustrate Him. Those pictures are only visual aids for teaching purposes. They were not meant as objects of worship. Having said that, some of us may have the pictures of Jesus Christ hanging on our walls. Although they may just be for decorative purposes and not for worship, but it is not encouraged. Why? Because no one knows what our Lord Jesus really looks like, and most of those pictures do not depict him accurately. Furthermore, it can be tempting to the Christians living in the house to think that they can receive some kind of protection or some kind of special blessing from these pictures. And whenever those people who worship idols visit the house, they would also think that the pictures you hang on your walls serve the same purpose of their idols in their own homes. So, if you have pictures of Jesus Christ hanging on your wall, it is highly recommended that you should remove them.
Then God moved on to give a list of the kind of idols he forbids: 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. In other words, it covers everything, anything that is in the universe, to the earth, to anything beneath the earth: all the stars, sun, moon, and planets in the galaxy, all the animals, mountains, rivers, including human beings living on the earth, and all the creatures in the deep waters. Nothing must be used as objects of worship.
Have you ever asked why would people want to make graven images? There are several reasons why people want to make graven images. Firstly, it is for convenience. They want to relate to a god who is confined to a form and reduced to a visible object so that they can carry in their pockets and bring him around wherever they go. Secondly, it is for control. They want to control God in the sense to make Him look according to what they want. In the Philippines, they have this baby Jesus or the image of a man, powerless, hanging on the cross which looks so weak and less intimidating to the worshipper because that is what they want their god to be projected. They want to be strong, and they want to have a god who is meek, who is weak, less intimidating, and they can control. Thirdly, it is for craving. Sinful men cannot believe God is amongst them unless God shows some external signs of His presence so they crave for an image of Him. But God emphatically commands us not to do that, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images."
II. The Reason
Why? Well, God gave the reason, which is our second point, “For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.” There are many reasons why God would forbid idolatry, but allow me to give you two examples: one is implicit, and the other is explicit.
Firstly, any representation of God apart from His revealed word is a misrepresentation. To make an image of God is to misrepresent His freedom. Like an idol, we walk around on a leash, so to speak. God cannot be restricted, confined, and controlled. To make an image of God is a misrepresentation of His majesty. Can you imagine people bowing down to what their own fingers have fashioned out of a piece of wood, which also is used for fuel to burn in the fire? That is to degrade God's majesty. To make an image of God is to misrepresent who He is. He is the creator, not a created being. Men do not make God. God made us. We do not give life to God. God gave us life. This is the root problem of idolatry. It creates a false image of God that is unworthy of His freedom, majesty, a misrepresentation of His nature, of who He actually is. To carve God out of a piece of wood or stone is to deny His attributes and characteristics. An idol makes the infinite God finite. It makes the invisible God visible. It makes the omnipotent God impotent. It makes the living God dead. It makes the spiritual God material. In essence, it makes Him the exact opposite of who He actually is. The whole idea of idolatry is the foolishness of human beings trying to make an image out of this awesome, almighty God.
Now back to our text here God explicitly mentions His love. You may be wondering where in this verse does it mention His love, but notice God says, "I am a jealous God." Often, we tend to look at the word jealous with a negative connotation, like the feeling of envy or the desire of getting something that does not belong to you. However, if something really does belong to you and it is your rightful possession and it is very precious to you, surely you will guard and protect it at all costs, right? Like the example of the love between a husband and wife. No husband who truly loves his wife can endure seeing his wife being embraced in the arms of another man. It will cause him to be intensely jealous, and he has the right to feel that way. In a similar fashion, God loves His children. He will not share the love of His children with anyone or anything else. So, this word jealous speaks of His zeal, His burning passion to guard and protect this love. God is jealous because He loves you and me so much, and He is not willing for this love to be dedicated to an object. God is so jealous that He gives a serious warning to anyone who breaks this second commandment.
III. The Warning
This is our third point: The Warning. Look at the second part of verse 5, “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” The word "iniquity," sometimes translated as sin, refers to something twisted. Idolatry is a kind of perversion, a turning against God. Some people think it is religious to worship idols. You take a look at those people who worship idols. Are they religious? Are they devoted and pious? Most certainly, but it is a twisted perversion because God hates idolatry, and so it is a twisted way of showing their hatred of him.
Now, this verse has caused some people to wonder, ‘How can God judge the children for their father's sins?’ It is not fair. Indeed, God holds each one of us accountable for our own sins, not the sins of others. Ezekiel 18:20 says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son.” Those people who struggle with this verse would often think of the children as innocent. But look carefully, it was not only the fathers who hate, but also the children. The Bible says, “Unto the third and fourth generation of them” - the children - “that hate me.” So, the children were not innocent, and they hated God as much as their fathers did. So, that is why it is both fair and just for God to punish those who sin.
Most Bible scholars would explain that the father's sins have consequences that can affect many generations. The children would imitate the parents. Sin tends to run in a family. One generation will set the spiritual tone for the next. If the father is a worshipper of idols, there is a high possibility the children will follow suit. As the saying goes, ‘Like father, like son.’ But there's something more important than that, and it has to do with the word ‘covenant.’
You see, the Israelites were in a covenant relationship with God, and God dealt with them in a covenantal way. So, when the covenant head of the family sinned against God, the whole family would be affected. This is a reminder to all of us that as believers, we are in a covenant relationship with God, and as His covenant people, He deals with us in a covenantal way. When the father or mother is ungodly, when the parents are not worshipping God or are not faithful to God, surely the children will be affected, and it will affect many generations to come. So, this is a serious warning to anyone who breaks this second commandment.
IV. The Blessing
But God also promised to bless those who love him and will keep this commandment. This brings us to our fourth and final point: The Blessing. Look at verse six, “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Notice, in the preceding verse 5, it says, “Unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,” and here it says, “Unto thousands of them that love me.” In other words, the word "generation" is also referred to or connected to the word "thousands." So, it is not just a reference to thousands of people, but rather thousands of generations.
So, this promise is more powerful than the warning because the blessing will not just last for three or four generations; it will last for thousands of generations. In other words, it will last forever. This was God's promise going all the way back to Abraham in Genesis 17:7, “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” But this promise is not some kind of automatic guarantee because our children may turn against God because of us. This promise has to be received by faith, and this faith has to be articulated through a love for God and an obedience to his commandment.
Dear friend, do you want God to bless your family, to bless your children? If you want God to bless your children, there is this awesome responsibility for you to demonstrate your faith before your children by loving God and by obeying His commandments. Do you think our children do not know if we have broken the second commandment? We may not have any physical idols in our homes, but what about our hearts? When we put our financial portfolios as the number one focus in our lives, when we allow our careers, our aspirations, our houses, our children's education to take the place of God in our lives, those things have become our idols. Our sin will affect our children. Our children will imitate our value systems, and then they, in turn, will affect their children, and the cycle goes on and on and on. May the Lord have mercy.
But on the other hand, if we love God supremely and He is always number one in our lives, everything else pales in comparison to Him, and we love Him, worship, and honour Him with everything we have, whether it be our strength or our resources, the blessing of God will rest upon our families. Our children have this godly pattern, and then they will also subsequently teach their children, and the cycle goes on and on and on, by God's mercy.
What kind of life are you living? What kind of worship are you offering? What kind of legacy will you leave behind? May the Lord have mercy to remind us that there is this awesome responsibility for you and I to leave behind a legacy, always articulating our faith, loving God, and keeping His commandments. If our children do not remember anything about us, at least they remember, ‘My dad, my mum loves God and keeps His commandment.’
This second commandment is one of the most neglected commandments, especially amongst Christians living in the Western world. Why? Because we do not see many idols around us. Perhaps the only place we are likely to see an idol is when we visit the mission stations in one of the third world countries. But an idol is not only something that we can see and touch. Just like the rest of the Ten Commandments, the second commandment is spiritual, and if it is spiritual, it must apply to the heart.
John Calvin rightly said, ‘The human heart is the perpetual factory of idols.’ In other words, our hearts are always busy manufacturing God according to our own whims and fancies. Let me give you some subtle examples of worshipping an idol which some of us may not realise, but we must be extremely careful; otherwise, we may fall into this sin today.
Today we live in a visual age, and on a daily basis, our eyes are fixed on the images set before us, as in the computer screen. Some people think that preaching the plain gospel is not good enough; the church needs to adapt to a more visual presentation of the Gospel. Instead of just talking about God, we need to show something to the people. So today, the church is slowly moving from a Bible-centred preaching of the Gospel to an image-centred presentation of the Gospel. But what the image is doing is to distract the people from hearing the word of God. Instead of listening to what the Bible says, the people will be drawn to focus on the pictures, the images, the crucifix, the icons, the actors, the drama, and the songs. Dear friend, we must be careful whenever we employ visual aids, and we must use the visual aids carefully and effectively to point the people to the word of God, not to draw them away from it.
Secondly, we can be tempted to make God into something we can manipulate. That is the whole point of idolatry: to make the people believe that God actually lives in those idols, and if they were to do something, then they can control Him, manipulate Him. For example, some people may think, “If I do this, then God will do that,’ or ‘If I fulfill my vow, then God will make me rich,’ or “If I follow the right parenting method, then my children will be blessed,’ or ‘If I make the right prayers every day, then I will have the key to unlock God's blessing.’ As long as we approach God in a particular way, we can get what we want. Dear friend, God cannot be manipulated. When God says, "Thou shall not make unto thee any graven images," He's saying, ‘I will not be captured, I will not be contained or managed by anything or anyone for any purposes." God wants you and I to love him, trust Him, worship and honour Him, not to use Him.
Thirdly, we can be tempted to make an idol whenever we choose to worship God for some of His attributes but not the rest. What do we mean? Have you ever encountered someone who says to you, ‘My God is a God of love,’ and that person would only focus on God's love and rejects all the other teachings about His judgments, His chastisements? ‘My God is only a God of love, nothing else.’ In essence, they want to worship God according to what they perceive Him to be and not according to the Bible.
Dear friend, we must never do that. God has given us the command, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images." He has given us the reason: any representation of Him apart from his revealed word is a misrepresentation. He has given to us His warning. He dealt with us in a covenantal way. When we allow anyone or anything to take the place of Him in our lives, that thing becomes our idol, and it will affect our children and our children's children and for many generations to come.
God has given us the promise of blessing those who faithfully demonstrate their faith by loving Him and by obeying His commandments. When we do that, our children will have a godly pattern to follow, and by God's mercy, they follow, and they teach their children, and the subsequent generation, and they will be blessed forever. How wonderful! Will you keep this second commandment? May the Lord teach us not just to have the understanding but the heart and through the empowerment of His Spirit to live out this second commandment in our lives to His glory.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, indeed oftentimes this second commandment has been overlooked, perhaps the most neglected one amongst the 10 commandments because as Christians many would think that they do not have any physical idols in their homes. But an idol is more than something physical; it is something that takes the place of God in our lives. The second commandment, just as all the other 10 commandments, is spiritual, and if it is spiritual, it must apply to the heart. Indeed, the human heart is so sinful, and we often are manufacturing God according to our own whims and fancies. May thou forgive us, help us to be careful, help us not to fall into this sin of making graven images of Thee. Any representation of Thee apart from Thy revealed word is a misrepresentation. Nothing in this world can ever represent Thee. Thou art the creator, the giver of life, and the sustainer of life. Who can ever create something or use something to represent Thee? God forbids, and Thou hast taught us that there is a serious warning to those who will break this second commandment. Thou deals with us in a covenantal way, and as thy covenantal people, we must understand that our sins, the sins of the parents, will affect their children and the subsequent generation, and it can become a vicious cycle to go on and on and on. Oh Lord, be gracious, be merciful, let not this sin happen to any one of us. We want to love Thee supremely; we want to love Thee because Thou first love us. And when we articulate our faith, when we demonstrate before our children what it means to love Thee, what it means to keep Thy commandments, our children will have this godly pattern to follow, and they, in turn, will teach their children to follow likewise. And as Thou hast promised, this cycle will go on and on as long as our Lord Jesus will tarry in His return, and the blessing they will receive is forever. Oh Lord, we want Thy blessing to be upon our families, upon our church, upon each and every one of our individual lives. So we want to obey this second commandment. Help us. May the spirit of God remind us, teach us, for we always forget. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
The Veil That SeparatesThe Veil That SeparatesExodus 26:1-37
A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandA Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandExodus 27:1-19
Who Can Represent Us Before God?Who Can Represent Us Before God?Exodus 27:20-28:14
How Can We Know God’s Will?How Can We Know God’s Will?Exodus 28:15-30
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
