WHO OR WHAT DO YOU WORSHIP?

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You 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. 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."

Exodus 20:4-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, we saw God giving His people the first commandment and it was straight to the point.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

The bottom line was that there was one true God and He expected to have His people’s full devotion and attention. This line of thought from the Lord segued nicely into the second command, one at the center of today’s message:

"You 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. You shall not bow down to them or worship them."

Ask yourself this:

Has anyone in the history of humankind ever seen God with the exception of Jesus?

The answer is a solid “no”.

It was true during the time of the Old Testament Israelites during and after their exodus from Egypt as they arrived at and took custody of Canaan, the land God had promised them.

And so if no one has ever seen God, how in the world could they ever develop anything in His likeness to worship?

The truth is that they couldn’t but they could create substitutes “in the form of” things in the world, and indeed they have.

You remember that while Moses was up on Mount Sinai getting these instructions, the Israelites were using what gold they had to fashion a calf and then were giving it their worship, much like what they had seen first-hand during their Egyptian captivity (Exodus 32).

As for present times, think about all the different “idols” that exist in the world, things or people that are adored by large numbers of people. These could include:

Professional athletes.

Television or movie stars.

Singers or other music performers (we even have a show on television called “American Idol”!).

Politicians.

Models.

And in some instances, even ministers, pastors, priests, and evangelists are revered so fervently, you would think they were God Himself 

You know, all this makes me start to wonder how God feels about us and the way we bow down and worship so many other things outside of Him but then I don’t have to wonder too long because I only need to take one look at His word and find out how He feels.

"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. 

Given this, why would anyone want to willingly inflame God’s wrath, not only upon themselves but generations thereafter?

And yet, countless people violate this command every day, freely extending worship toward idols while lifting other gods before the true God of all creation 

The point God is making is clear.

If you wish to be a person who lives in His favor, then uphold these first two commands and all others to follow, leaving behind the things of this world. Keep your full focus on God and God alone, giving Him all your glory, honor, and praise as you bow down before Him in respect 

Only a fool would do otherwise, intentionally wanting to end up on the bad side of God and placing generations of their loved ones at risk in the process.

In closing, I don’t know where you might stand today but as a reminder, these commandments of God haven’t expired. They are just as valid today as they were well over 2,000 years ago when they were first given to Moses and Israel. So I implore you to identify and do away with any idols that you might have in your life, exchanging them for the joy-filled experience that comes from being cherished by the one true God, the One who deserves our full attention both now and forever 

Amen.

In Christ 

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.