Imagine if All Kept the 2nd Commandment!

Imagine a world where everyone adhered to the Second Commandment.

Last week, we explored the implications of following the First Commandment, which instructs us to have no other gods before the One True God. The Second Commandment builds upon this foundation.

In Exodus 20:4, the Second Commandment states: "You shall not make for yourself a carved image--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; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

It's crucial to understand the entire command: it forbids creating images to be bowed down to or served. In ancient cultures such as those in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, people crafted images to represent their gods and worshiped them.

God's prohibition is not just against worshiping false gods but also against creating images to represent Him. Such images limit our understanding of God, who is an eternal, spirit being beyond human imagination. Any attempt to depict God restricts the truth of God and who He is.

The Apostle Paul addresses the consequences of breaking the Second Commandment in Romans 1:21-25: "21 Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (NKJV)

Paul illustrates that creating images of God leads to deception and a distorted understanding of Him.

Reflecting on the Second Commandment, imagine a world where it is fully observed. Churches would not display images or symbols of Jesus Christ, such as stained glass, paintings, or statues. It is not by accident the Scriptures do not describe Jesus' physical appearance, and attempts to create images of Him often limit and distort our understanding. While some portray Christ as a baby in a manger or on the cross, these representations offer an incomplete knowledge of Christ.

Revelation 1:14-16 gives a powerful description of Christ: "14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength." (NKJV)

This description of Christ is often overshadowed by more common images, limiting understanding of who Christ is and the plan of God.

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, He revealed how God desires to be worshiped: "23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24, NKJV)

Creating images to aid in worship diminishes the truth of who God is, confining Him to human limitations.

As we observe the weekly rest of God's Sabbath, let us remember the significance of the Second Commandment. May this Sabbath bring us peace and rest from our daily responsibilities.

W.M. Bradford - Beloit, Chicago and NWI

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