June 14, 2009 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
WORSHIP THE RIGHT GOD THE RIGHT WAY
Deuteronomy 5:8-10

“This is a time when we choose any religion that fits our personality, but deny the God who gave us one…We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values…We have fancier houses, but broken homes…Under the magnificence of a starry night, we applaud the design but ignore the Designer.” This is the essence of idolatry!

Turn with me now to read the second of the Ten Commandments, from Deuteronomy chapter 5.
[Deuteronomy 5:8-10, NLT]

While the first commandment forbids the worship of any god but the true God, the second commandment given by God forbids the worship of any representation of Him. Here is a call, not only not to worship any other god, but not to worship the true God in the wrong way. We are called to worship the right God in the right way!

To best understand this commandment, we first need to see it against the background of the world in which it was given, a world that believed that gods could reside in wood or stone images and that these gods could be controlled to work on behalf of those who worshiped them. Rituals were extremely important, because these rituals and repeated incantations were the means by which the worshiper controlled his god. And the God of Israel made it clear that He would not be contained in wood or stone or gold and that He could not be contained in any one location. Nor could He be controlled by rituals or words.

The word of God to the people of Israel through Moses was that they were to have but one God—the one truly living God—and that they were to worship Him alone and follow all His ways. On the other hand, Israel’s ancient neighbors believed there were many gods. They worshiped whatever god they felt was necessary at a given time. And the notion was that the objects they made to worship were actually the gods themselves. That’s why God’s Word to the Israelites forbids the making of such images to worship—because the images receive the worship that God jealously reserves for Himself—“applauding the design and ignoring the Designer.”

Idolatry in those ancient times took many forms. Perhaps the earliest reference in the Bible to idols is the “household idols” that Rachel stole from her father Laban (Gen. 31:34). The most noteworthy instance of idolatry was Aaron’s making of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai just before Moses descended with the Ten Commandments. Many years later, Joshua gave the impassionate plea to the people:
Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV)

While idolatry seemed to be held in check during David and Solomon’s time, it sprung up again like an unwanted weed later. And in the years that followed, invariably the sin of the people involved idolatry.

While there is virtually nothing mentioned about idolatry in the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament gives frequent warnings against idolatry. The Christians were living in a world filled with idols. Both the Romans and the Greeks used them. But it seems that the term “idolatry” began to be used as an intellectual concept. Idolatry became not just bowing down before a statue but the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper. To the Christians in Colosse, Paul warned, “Put to death…covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5). And I suppose that’s where we come from today in our challenge to be obedient to this Second Commandment, as we try to understand the vicious nature of idolatry. While we may not make or bow down to a statue, we must be constantly on guard that we are not allowing anything to come between us and God. Because if anything does come between us and God, that thing becomes an idol.

An idol is something we ourselves make into a god and it certainly doesn’t have to be a statue! It can be our houses or our cars or the things you might collect—it might be something someone else has (thus the reason why Paul called coveting something “idolatry”). It may be a hobby, a sport, or some form of recreation. Idols can also be popular heroes or those whom we love. It may be a habit that has an unhealthy grip on our lives—such as pornography or alcohol or drugs. Lots of drives or passions can become idols for us: like seeking notoriety, pride, our work, certain relationships and even actions done in the name of the Lord. It can be a position we hold—even in the church. We could make an idol out of this building—by refusing to use it as the Lord leads us because we take so much pride in what we’ve built! We can make a god out of our traditions—as fine as they might be—and even out of worship preferences, as much as we’re convinced that we are worshiping the “right way.”

We live in a visual age. Everywhere we go we see images on screens. That has an impact even in our worship—and it can be a powerful thing today! People are far more visual in communication now—and in communicating the Gospel we must be more visual than ever before. And yet we must be careful that we do not so focus on the image that it distracts us from hearing the Lord through His Word, for we can never adequately represent God through any image.

Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin! No wonder prophets preached boldly against it so often! The sin of idolatry can be so subtle and yet so insidious! It can be cloaked in that which is good—but if our commitment to it becomes in any way the center of our worship, then it has become an idol to us!

My heart goes out to persons who struggle with mental health issues. I think the challenging thing is that such health issues are so hard to define and so hard for people to understand. When we deal with most physical illnesses, the symptoms are much easier to see in some way—they’re far more tangible than mental health issues and it’s far more comfortable to talk about such things and thus for such persons to receive support and encouragement from others! And I suppose that in much the same way the idols of our day are more subtle than the tangible idols of wood or stone or gold worshiped in the Old Testament times. But please understand me clearly—they are no less dangerous to our well-being!

One clarification I might make is this: The Second Commandment was not meant to stifle artistic talent in any way—only to stay clearly away from the improper substitutes that might become the objects of our worship. You might recall the details God gave regarding the ornate decorations of the Temple. God has never been against art or craftsmanship—but He stands boldly opposed to any of those objects receiving our worship in any way, shape or form!

The problem with idolatry is that it creates a false image of God that is an inadequate representation of His deity and majesty! An idol makes
• The infinite God finite
• The invisible God visible
• The omnipotent God impotent
• The all-present God localized
• The living God dead
• And the spiritual God material.
In short, an idol makes God the exact opposite of what He actually is! An idol distorts the true image of God!

An older man lay in the hospital on the verge of death. As he floated on the edge of consciousness for two weeks, his faithful wife sat in a chair by him every moment. When he finally became lucid enough to speak, he whispered, “Honey, you have been with me through all the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When we lost the house, you never left my side. You were there when I lost the business, and when my health started failing.”

“Yes, dear,” she answered, smiling.

“You know what?” he said.

“What, dear?” she asked.

“You’re bad luck!”

We laugh, because such a conclusion is ridiculous! Such a thought makes this dear, faithful wife the exact opposite of what she truly is. And in much the same way, an idol makes God the exact opposite of what He actually is. The whole idea of idolatry rests on the absurdity of human beings trying to make a true image of God. An idol is not the truth. An idol is a lie. It is a god who cannot see, know, act, love or save.

If we do not stay fully devoted to God alone, we find ourselves fashioning God in our image. We reshape God until he is safely under our control—because we like being in control, don’t we?! I know some of us are control freaks, but the human tendency apart from God is to want to be in control!

We make an idol whenever we turn God into something that we can manipulate. That was the whole point of pagan idolatry. And people are always looking for a more user-friendly god, a god who can be adapted to suit their purposes. They say, “If I do this, then God will do that.” “If I fulfill my vow, then God will make me rich.” “If I say the right prayer every day, He’ll have to bless me in the way I want Him to.” That approach to God is always guided by the determination to get what we want—but God will not be manipulated!
When He commands us not to make idols, He is saying that He “will not be captured, contained, assigned or managed by anyone or anything, for any purpose” (Walter Brueggemann).
God wants us to trust Him and obey Him—not use Him!

We’re making an idol whenever we choose to worship God for some of His attributes but not others, when we emphasize the things about God that we like and minimize the rest, when we advocate a deity who thinks more the way we do, a god who fits into our manner of thinking and into our social value system—as opposed to one who challenges our manner of thinking and who challenges our social value system. Such theologies are really forms of idolatry. When people say, “I like to think of God as…” they are remaking God the way they want Him to me! And we too are tempted to worship God the way we want Him to be, rather than the way he actually is.

How can we worship God the right way? What can save us from our own private idolatries? The answer is simple: Rather than remaking God into our image, we need to be remade into His image. God does that by bringing us into a personal saving relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.

There’s a deep mystery here. As we think about this matter of the image of God, has it hit you that when God first created the world, He made men and women “in his image” (Gen 1:26-27). We were made to be like God, to reflect His glory. We are created according God’s image. God has intended that His likeness appear in us—though certainly not for the sake of worshiping ourselves! We are not allowed to make God’s image, but only to be God’s image.

But sin in our lives has damaged God’s image in us, hasn’t it? The image of God in us has been defaced, like graffiti written all over a wall. And in our sinful selves, we are not reflecting God’s glory at all! But God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to repair His image in us. Jesus is the true image of the invisible God, the exact imprint of His nature. That’s why Jesus could say that anyone who sees Him has seen God. In order to come to God in true worship, we don’t need to make some kind of idol—all we need to do is come to Him through Jesus Christ. And when we come to Him through Jesus Christ, then God lives in us through His Holy Spirit and he works in us to repair His image so that our lives somehow point to the glory of God.

It wouldn’t be good for us to study this commandment if we ignored the strong word attached to this commandment about the consequences of disobeying it or the blessing of obeying it—and how future generations will be impacted by how we live. We do well to hear this strong word from the Lord—so that the generations that follow us will be blessed by the choices we make!

God said,
I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations. (Deut. 5:9-10)
Surely this does not mean that innocent, unborn generations are going to be punished for the sins of their fathers! The doctrine of individual responsibility is stated too many times throughout the Old and New Testaments for that to be the intended meaning! However, it does mean that future generations will suffer the consequences of their predecessors or they will be blessed by the godliness of their predecessors. Alcoholism affects not only the ones who are drinking but also their families and even beyond their families. Immoral behavior works the same way. It doesn’t end with itself. It spreads out to invade the lives of those within its circle. Not only does it invade, it oftentimes destroys or at least maims, bringing sorrow and sadness and pain.

None of us dare think that we can do whatever we want because our sin won’t hurt anyone else. It simply doesn’t work that way. Sin always impacts others. Sin is like the pebble thrown into a lake, rippling it with concentric circles that move out to affect more and more of the surface of the lake.

But the blessings upon our kids and countless generations that will follow work the same way—in fact the reach of generations blessed by the godliness of a parent or grandparent far exceeds the reach of generations hurt by the sin of another. The influence and the blessing of persons committed to God continues for countless generations!

What a powerful word to us—to guard the influence we have upon those who follow us by guarding our own lives! Parents, may I remind you that your life—and specifically your commitment to follow the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength—has the capacity to bless many generations that will follow you! But you also need to know that, if you disregard God’s ways, future generations will be impacted in a negative way. Be fully aware that how you live your life will determine the legacy you leave behind—and that legacy is shaped by
• How you treat other people
• The kind of steward you are of money and the value you place in material things
• The words that come out of your mouth
• Your daily priorities
• The purity of your heart and mind—or the lack thereof as evidenced in your habits and lifestyle
• The place that God and His mission have in your life.
All these things will determine the legacy you leave for future generations!

I suppose that God’s warning in this Second Commandment might seem discouraging to someone who comes from a family that doesn’t honor God. But I want you to know that God’s blessing triumphs over the curse—and God often powerfully intervenes in the history of a family to turn their hearts toward Him. And the words aren’t so much for generations already passed as generations now living who have the opportunity to shape their response to the commandments of God—like each of you do today!

I am today reaping the blessing of the godliness of Eldon and Ada Britton and A.E. and Dorothy Pusey—my grandparents. I’m even reaping the blessing of the godliness of some of their parents, my great-grandparents—the young couple by the name of Jacob and Maggie Gookin who helped start the Nazarene church in Chariton, Iowa and a lady with the funny first name of “Fanny”—Fanny Eaton—who in Lancaster, Ohio became a woman of deep faith. And I want to leave such a legacy to my children and their children and even their grandchildren.

And that challenge brings to my mind again the words Joshua declared to the people of Israel, the words I now leave with you—
Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV)