Jeff Schreve - Idolatry and Divine Jealousy
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God says, «You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water under the earth». Hi, I’m Pastor Jeff Schreve, and we’re in my series, «Written in Stone,» learning what the second commandment says about how to identify the idols in our lives, in this message I’ve entitled, «Idolatry and Divine Jealousy».
Well, our series is entitled «Written in Stone» because that’s what God did with the Ten Commandments, written in stone, the Bible says, «by the finger of God». Nowhere else in scripture do we have anything that God himself wrote. We have Jesus who wrote on the ground in John chapter 8 when the woman was caught in adultery in the very act, but we don’t know what he wrote on the ground. But we know exactly what God wrote as He etched in stone his Ten Commandments. Now, they’re written in stone. They’re not penciled on paper. They’re not carved in the sand. If they’re penciled on paper, they’re subject to erasure. If they’re carved in the sand, they’re subject to erosion. These are written in stone. These are solid commandments that God gives to us, and he doesn’t give them to us willy-nilly, just haphazardly.
And the Lord appears on Mount Sinai to Moses and the people and says, «Well, let me think. Well, number one, let’s try this. Number two, let’s try this». There are not ten suggestions. There are ten commandments, and they’re given very carefully in order, systematically given, meticulously laid out. Now, they’re given for our benefit and for our welfare, for our blessing, for our good, and ultimately for God’s glory. So let’s look again Exodus chapter 20, «Then God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, '» I am Yahweh your Elohim, the Lord your God, «'who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.'»
No other gods alongside of me, no other gods rivaling me, no other gods before my face. That’s commandment number one. Commandment number two, «You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the sea. You shall not worship them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God,» Yahweh your Elohim, «am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments».
Now, commandment one and commandment two really fit together strongly because, in commandment one, we learn the God that we are to worship, and, in commandment two, we learn how we are to worship this God. They really fit together, and there’s a little bit of overlap in those as you’re going to see. But here’s our question. Well, what do we learn from the second commandment? Because there are some things in there that I just read that you might say, perk up your ears, God’s a jealous God, God visits the iniquity of fathers on children to the third and fourth generations. That doesn’t sound right. So we’re going to look a little deeper than just face value and see what the Lord is saying here.
So, two discoveries this morning from the second commandment. Discovery number one, God is not to be worshiped in a carved or created image. We don’t worship God in a carved or created image. Look at it again. «You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water or under the sea. You shall not worship them or serve them». Now, the people, they’re all from Egypt. They grew up in Egypt. All they saw was what was going on in Egypt. Egypt’s very pagan. Egypt has lots of gods, lots of idols, and they’re worshiping all these things. That’s what the people came out of. And so God is giving them something way, way different. Here’s the thing, God is not against images in worship, he’s against the worship of images. And that’s what he is saying. And the people came out of a background where they worshiped images, where they worshiped idols, and God says, «Don’t do that».
So, here’s the question, well, why? Why can’t we make an image of God and then worship through that image to worship God? I mean, we know that’s not really God, so we’re just worshiping through that image to God. Why does God not want us to do that? Three reasons. Number one, the presence of God cannot be localized in an image. You can’t say, well, this is God, you know, as they’re going to do in Exodus chapter 32 when Moses is up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, the people say to Aaron, Moses’s brother, «Hey, we don’t know what happened to Moses, so, Aaron, make for us a God that we may worship». And so they make the golden calf. Probably looked a lot like the golden calf in Egypt because they worship the bull in Egypt. They called that false god Apis, A-P-I-S, and so they say, «That is your God, behold your God, O Israel, that brought you up out of the house of slavery».
God can’t be localized like that. Reason number two, God, not only can he not be localized in an image, the glory of God cannot be depicted in an image. How are you going to depict God? You can’t. You don’t…God is spirit. So how can you depict a spirit? You can’t do that. And, when God appeared on the mountain, he didn’t show any kind of image. And the reason being is, how are you going to create some image that could express the glory of God? Man cannot do that. But in the New Testament, when the Word becomes flesh, «And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he has explained him». And so we see the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. But here’s the point that God is making. Don’t make a likeness of me because there’s no way that you can capture my glory in a likeness of me.
So that’s the second reason. Not only is the presence of God impossible to localize in an image, but the glory of God can’t be depicted in an image. And, thirdly, the worship of God must be in Spirit and truth with words. In Spirit and truth with words. Now, we know about the Spirit and truth from John chapter 4, Jesus with his experience with the woman at the well. And she begins to talk to him about worship. And he says to her, «An hour is coming and now is when the true worshiper shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth for such people the Father seeks to be his worshipers». God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth. So we worship the Lord in Spirit and truth with words.
Now in Deuteronomy, what is the book of Deuteronomy? It’s Moses’s last three sermons to the people before they go into the promised land. Moses didn’t get to go into the promised land. God told him that, «I’m not going to let you go in. You can see it, but you can’t go in because you disobeyed me, and you treated me as common among the people, and that was a grave, grave sin». Moses, if you want to be real technical, Moses committed the sin unto death that’s talked about in 1 John chapter 5. And so Moses, his strength was not abated nor his eyes dim, the scripture says, when he died. He was still able to go. But God says, you’re retired, and I’m not going to let you into the land.
Well, this is what he says in one of his three sermons given to the people before they go into the promised land. He says, «Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form, only a voice. So watch yourselves carefully since you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb,» which is another name for Mount Sinai, «from the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth». Don’t do it.
Remember, when God came to you on Mount Sinai, you didn’t see him. You heard his voice. Could God have revealed himself to them in a different way? He could, but he didn’t. They just heard a voice. And, when people would see God, because it goes on to say that some of the elders of Israel saw the Lord, they saw his glory. What did he look like? Fire. He’s a consuming fire. The only God we see in Scripture that we can actually see is Jesus. And sometimes in the Old Testament you have a pre-incarnate visitation of the Lord, and He comes in bodily form. It’s a pre-incarnate visitation from the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean who walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day? Did they walk with a spirit? No, I think they walked with the pre incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. But now God the Father, the Bible says no man has seen God at any time. No man has seen God the Father at any time. And so we worship with words in spirit and truth.
«In the beginning was the Word,» the Scripture says. It doesn’t say in the beginning was the picture, in the beginning was the image. No, in the beginning was the word. And this is interesting, in Revelation chapter 4 where John the apostle is called up into heaven, he says this in Revelation 4: «Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and one sitting on the throne». Oh, tell us, John, what does he look like? «And he who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne like an emerald in appearance. And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder».
Well, how would you make that in an image? I mean, it’s just metaphors that he uses, and it’s just God is awesome, but he’s never described in terms of of things that we can see. Now, in heaven, the Bible says that, Revelation 21 and 22, that we see his face. God says to Moses when Moses said, «Lord, show me your glory,» Exodus 34. He said, «I can’t show you my face, Moses. No man can see my face and live». So what did he show Moses? Remember he hid him in the cleft of the rock and covered him with his hands. He said, «Moses, I’m going to make all my glory pass by you, and you’re going to see just the backside of my glory, the edges of my glory. You can’t see my face and live».
And so, God is saying here, «Hey, don’t make an image of me. Don’t make any representation of me in some kind of a created image that you would worship because that would be sin, and you are not to do that. You can’t capture my glory, and my presence can’t be localized, and you are to worship me in spirit and in truth with words». So God is not to be worshiped in a carved or created image. Discovery number two, God is to be worshiped for who he is, not for who you want him to be, for who he is. Look at it again. «You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the sea. You shall not worship them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children on the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing loving kindness to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments».
What do we learn about God in the second commandment? Well, we learn about how we’re to worship him, not with idols, not with anything we make with our hands, not with any images, carved images, graven images. And we need to worship God the way God is, for who he is. Now here’s the thing that God tells us about himself in the second commandment. God is a jealous God. You say, «Well, man, that’s terrible. Why would God, God’s a jealous God? Well, he doesn’t want me to be jealous. It says in Galatians chapter 5 that the deeds of the flesh, one of the deeds of the flesh are jealousy. And so God says he’s jealous, and he tells me not to be jealous. What’s the deal? Maybe I’m reading that wrong».
Well, if you’re reading it wrong, let’s go to Exodus 34:14 where the Lord says this, «'For you shall not worship any other God, for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous God.'» Just in case you didn’t get it the first time, the Lord has a special name. His name is jealous. That’s what God says. He’s jealous for us because he loves us, and what he wants is you, what he wants is me, what he wants is our devotion to him, your exclusive devotion to him, just like a husband and wife. When they stand at the altar, one of the vows is, and leaving all others, I will be to you a true and faithful husband, a true and faithful wife, as long as we both shall live. And that is the thing about marriage. We share our spouses with other people in terms of socially, in terms of their profession, in terms of conversation and things like that. But, when it comes to the intimate part of life, we don’t share that with anybody else. That’s just for the husband and wife alone.
Well, God says, «Listen, you are mine. I bought you with a price, and so I don’t want you going out on me». The Bible says that the love of the world, If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. What does it mean to love the world? It means you’re a spiritual adulterer when you love the world. Well, that doesn’t sound good. You’re stepping out on God spiritually. You’re a spiritual adulterer. Now, in the Old Testament, we read in the New American Standard about people playing the harlot. Israel would play the harlot after other gods. That’s what you’re doing spiritually when you start to worship other gods. «I’m a jealous God,» he says. «I want you exclusively for myself because I am what you need».
Well, you say, «Well, Jeff, you know, that’s, a long time ago. That’s Old Testament stuff where they bowed down and worshiped and made these idols and stuff like that. We don’t have that today». New Testament, «Little children,» last verse in 1 John chapter 5. «Little children, guard yourself from idols». John Calvin said, «The human heart is an idol factory». We were made for worship, and, if you don’t worship the one true God, you will worship a false God. And, if you try and worship the one true God but you do it your own way, as Cain did, then that’s disqualified, too. And so God wants your exclusive devotion and mine also. So God is a jealous God. Secondly, God is a just God.
So, what does it say about the justice of God? He visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children on the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. The justice of God, you reap what you sow. And, if you sow to the flesh, you from the flesh reap corruption and rottenness, but, if you sow to the Spirit, you will from the Spirit reap eternal life. That is just built into this world because God is a just God. You say, «Wait a minute, time out. It sounds like the children are getting penalized for the sins of the parents». But that’s not what God means here. Look what he says in Ezekiel 18.20, «The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself».
You know, I’m not going to pay for the sins of my father. That’s not what God means, but here’s the thing that we can’t get around. Children are clearly affected by their parents. The actions of their parents affect the kids. And your kids will be influenced by the way you act. I love this parenting advice. I think I got this from Jan Amayo. She said, «When you have children, your number one job, mom and dad, is to behave». Behave. Hey, you want your kids to turn out right, you want your kids to be honest and hardworking, and worship God in the right way and love the Lord and walk with the Lord? How does that happen? You be the person you want your child to become. You model that before them. This is how you walk with God. This is what it means to be a believer. This is what it means to honor God and please God in everything you do. You just follow me.
That’s what Paul said, «Follow me as I follow Christ. Hey, I’m going in the right direction. If you follow after me, you’re going to be following after Jesus because I’m following after Jesus». God is a just God. Now, here’s the good news. See, on the negative side, you reap what you sow. If you sow to the flesh, you’ll from the flesh reap corruption and rottenness. But, if you sow to the Spirit, what do you reap? You reap from the Spirit eternal life. You reap good things, and you see that in your family as they say, «I want to have a marriage like mom and dad. I want to follow in the footsteps of mom and dad». God is a just God. And, thirdly, God is a good and loving God. So he says, «visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments».
When I was in seminary, the first, one of the first classes I took at fall semester, I took a summer class, but then the real fall semester I took Old Testament Survey, Dr. Stephen Andrews. And I remember him saying this so vividly; he said, «God,» he read from that passage, and he said, «Okay he visits the iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations, but he shows loving-kindness to thousands, to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments». He said, «God is skewed to the good». God is skewed to the good. And we say, «Well, we want a God that we can create, a God that we form out of our own mind, out of our own imagination. We want the God to be like we want him to be».
God is not who you want him to be. He is who he is. I am who I am, he says. But who God is is so much better and so much greater and so much more glorious than your mind can fully comprehend because God is good and loving. Psalm 86 verse 5, David said, «For you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon you». Now, one other thing, and we’ll be done. What does the Lord say in verse 5: «You shall not worship them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God».
You know what comes first in the Christian life? Worship. What is God looking for? God is looking for worshipers to worship him in spirit and truth. There is worship, true worship; you worship the true God his way. And then there’s service. You worship him and then you serve him. Some people say, «Well, I don’t really want to worship, I just want to serve». Uh-uh, it doesn’t work like that. You worship God, and then you serve God. You spend time with God, and then you do what he says. That is critical. Scripture says we love because he first loved us. Do you love God? How do you know if you love God? Because you keep his commandments. That’s how you know.
John says, «For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome». Do you look at the commands of God and say, Oh man, «God says I can’t have sex until after I get married. That is so restrictive». No, it’s not. His commandments are not burdensome. His commandments are there to protect you, to help you, to safeguard you. You do it God’s way, and you’ll be blessed. You do it your way, and you’ll suffer ruin. It’s like that every single time. God really does love you and me, and God’s ways are right concerning everything, and the sooner we get in line with him, the sooner we experience his blessings.