Idols of Our Own – The Second Commandment

Idols of Our Own

Exodus 20:4, 5

“You shall not make for yourself a carved 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. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God…”

What God demands of His people can be summed up in two words: bow and serve. The act of bowing symbolizes reverence, fear, acknowledgement of status and relationship, and commitment of one’s person to the service of the one to whom we bow. God demands that we bow only to Him. Whether in our hearts and minds or in outward practice, we are not to have anything in our lives that captures our affections, occupies our devotion, and commands our obedience except God. We must guard against things like work or possessions or relationships or avocations and diversions becoming the focal point of our fondest desires and highest priorities. For this is idolatry as sure as if we were to prostrate ourselves before some gold or silver image in a shrine.

What does it mean to “bow” to God? How do other things try to get us to give to them what God demands exclusively for Himself? How do they work on our minds and affections to turn our souls away from the Lord as the primary focus of our “bowing”?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.