Hello again! As usual, I pray that all is well and all will be well in your lives.
This week we’ll kick off with the first set of the ten commandments. That is the part that deals with our relationship with God. I hope you took the time to read them for yourself 🙂 Remember, when Jesus was questioned about what is the greatest commandment, He summed this set up by saying:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NIV)
This summation is key to the new covenant and how we need to view the ten commandments.
Now, I really wanted to do all four in a single post, but what is written needs to be digested and dumping a bunch on your plate would not be good. Therefore, I will only do two or three at a time so that you can reflect on them as well as keep with the spirit of the site and not make the posts too lengthy.
So, let’s go to Exodus 20 and start talking about them.
(1) — “You shall have no other gods before a me.”
This is only one sentence and it seems to be straight to the point. Further, the Abrahamic faith is monotheistic, so it doesn’t seem like there is much to think about. However, notice what it does not say: God chose not to say here “I am the only God and all other gods are false”. He says that plenty of times in other parts of the bible, but the one time where He writes himself, He doesn’t say that. So why didn’t He assert it here? It has to do with what God defines as a god and not what man defines as a god.
When mankind thinks of a god, they think of a supernatural being or something with immense power. However, when God refers to a god, He looks at what people put before Him in their hearts. So, if anything in your life takes priority to God, then God is referring to that as your god. This includes putting children, spouses, family, work and money before God.
It’s fine to love and be dedicated to those things, but if they, or anything, are more important to you to the point you cannot serve God, then they are your god.
(2) — “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Again, the Abrahamic faith is monotheistic so naturally no one should make an idol to worship. Also, isn’t this kind of redundant to the first commandment? Like, if we are to have no other gods then it goes without saying don’t have idols? Well, don’t stop after the first sentence. This commandment has a relatively lengthy text to it. There are two parts to the commandment (1. don’t create idols and 2. don’t reverence them) and then the consequence for not keeping it.
Yet again, this is about where your heart is and how you view God relative to the world. The first commandment was about what you put before God, this one is about your thinking and views; literally your ideologies.
One of the definitions for idol is: “One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.”
While we may not make figurines, we definitely make people our idols, and that can even include people who are called of God. There is nothing wrong with having someone to look up to and/or inspire you, in fact that’s a good thing, but how far do you take it and are you doing it blindly? We’ve traded the pulpit for pod-casters and teachings of God for vain babblings from celebrities and influencers. When we put them on a pedestal and listen to them in contradiction to Gods teachings, we are bowing down to them.
Some people will criticize God for the last part of this commandment “punishing the children for the sin of the parents”.
There are other passages similar like this in the bible, but it’s not a direct punishment as you think. When you have a passage such as this one, or “the day of the lord” and even many of the judgments in Daniel and Revelations, these are prophetic sayings. No. God is not gonna zap someone because of what their great granddad did. However, the prophesy, that is the consequence of the choices that your great granddad made may impact your life.
Remember how in post #3 I said most people are religious because of tribalism? Children look up to their parents and the ideologies, views, practices and habits of the parents are generally passed down to the children. So, a child/descendant can either suffer or be blessed because of what their parents passed down to them.
My grandmother was Christian; she didn’t just say this is how we are so except it. She taught me how to present and go to God myself. As a result, I looked up to her, but I didn’t have to idolize her. I consider myself blessed because she loved God.
May God bless and keep all who read this.
May God bless and keep all brothers and sisters, new and old, in the faith in his name.
With his love and mine,
Chrom