Our problem is entirely in the other direction: We think this Commandment is the most irrelevant of the 10. That one point should tip us off to pay special attention because (as we shall see) the threat of idolatry is still with us today. It is repeated in various ways over and over and over again in the Old Testament because idolatry was a continuing problem for the people of God. In one we are told that our focus must be on God alone in the other we are told that we must not use accept any spiritual substitutes.ДЄs we begin thinking about the Second Commandment, perhaps it will be helpful to know that of the 10 Commandments, this is the one most often repeated in the Bible. The 1st Commandment tells us who we worship the Second Commandment tells us how we worship. WhatвЂ™s the difference between the First and the Second Commandments? We might state the difference this way. Our response must be complete obedience. The spiritual results must be catastrophic.

Idolatry must be a recurring temptation. Even a brief reading leads to the following conclusions: We want to do anything but face God on the issue of personal allegiance. We want to do what this Com-mandment forbids. 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 fathers 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.вЂќ LetвЂ™s begin by getting this Commandment in clear focus: вЂњYou shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. That leads me to say that anyone reading these words might be an idolator-and if you are, you almost certainly donвЂ™t recognize it. If the proper answer is yes to all those questions, then idolatry can pop up anywhere in life, even in places we usually donвЂ™t associate with religion. Is it possible to love sexual fulfillment too much? Is it possible to love the praise of others too much? Is it possible to love success too much? Is it possible to love your house or your car too much? Is it possible to love another person too much?

At what point does вЂњloving deeplyвЂќ cross the line into idolatrous worship? We all understand that liking something is not the same as worshiping something. Obviously there is a huge difference between # 1 and # 3. Pushing onward, we discover that вЂњadoreвЂќ has three different meanings: If adoration is the issue, then perhaps idolatry is closer than we think. The second part reads вЂњone that is adored.вЂќ Hmmmm.

At least most of us donвЂ™t.Д«ut thatвЂ™s not the only definition. WeвЂ™re far beyond that вЂ¦ arenвЂ™t we? We donвЂ™t use On that ground most modern Americans can claim innocence. What is an idol anyway? The dictionary offers this definition: вЂњan image used as an object of worship.вЂќ That sounds like those pictures weвЂ™ve seen in National Geographic of squatting Buddhas surrounded by candles. вЂњThe only thing I worship is my brand-new car.вЂќ вЂњMe? An idol-worshiper? What do you take me for? A pagan?вЂќ вЂњThatвЂ™s what they have in Africa, right?вЂќ

Graven images