NO GRAVEN IMAGES

Exodus 20:4 to 6 reads, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." (NKJV).

This is a command that all of us keep without question. We don't have any stone or wooden idols adorning our homes, cars, or persons, and that's a good thing. However, our understanding of this passage may or may not jive with what it truly says. The prohibition is not directed at other so called gods; that seems to be covered well by the previous commandment of having no other gods period. The prohibition is against making any physical representation of any god, Jehovah included.

I have had the opportunity to deal with several "Idolatrous" churches in my time in the ministry. The idols or graven images they set up were not pictures, statues, or altars. Their idols were representations of Jehovah to the community. their idols were treated as sacred and holy. Their idols were the buildings where they met for corporate worship and Christian education (among many other less religious events). I can remember that as a child we lived in a neighborhood where there was a small, cinder block Church of God. As children in the neighborhood we naturally thought as children in the neighborhood. to us that was "God's House". It represented God to us and everyone else. Consequently, when you entered the church yard you couldn't cuss let alone get into any kind of fight. Now you could go into the vacant lot behind the church and beat the snot out of one another, and call each other anything under the sun. (PLEASE NOTE: I NEVER PARTICIPATED IN ANY ACTIVITY EVEN REMOTELY RELATED TO THE ABOVE BEHAVIORS)

In the ministry I have dealt with churches where the building literally superseded the ministry to the community. One church was built in the 1930's and had approximately 15 steps leading up to the entrance. Even the members of the church were having difficulty entering the building. The building also boasted a beautiful facade with very ornate stained glass windows. A ramp would have been easy to install, and very cost effective. It would have greatly aided in reaching out to a community that was steadily growing older. However, it would have marred the appearance of the building and its surroundings. To this day there is no ramp, and the church continues to dwindle away. Another congregation had a need for Sunday School space. A plan was devised to remove the pews from the sanctuary and turn the area into a multi-purpose room. this would ave increased the amount and quality of education space, and would have added a large amount of seating to the auditorium. One person, who had been instrumental in selecting the pews and constructing the building some 25 years earlier, rejected the notion and let her objection be noted very loudly. Consequently, the church continues to struggle in its stagnate situation some 20 years later. These churches were worshipping a dead graven image of brick and mortar rather that the living Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The first commandment dealt with worshipping other gods. Jehovah knew he would have competition for the peoples' attention, love, and devotion. Satan provided a variety of alternative temptations, and man took the bait. This command dealt with worshipping a physical representation of even Jehovah Himself. God knew it was man's tendency to do so. It was a common practice of many of the neighboring cultures. II Kings 17:32 to 41 says, " So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence. Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day." (KJV). In the New Testament, even with the example of God's wrath on Israel, man would not listen. Romans 1:18 to 23 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." (KJV). Romans 1:32 adds, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." (KJV).

How then should God be worshiped? Perhaps a better place to start is with a definition of worship itself. Worship is not some ritual or ceremony conducted often out of habit and routine. Worship is an attitude to be carried within; an attitude of giving worth-ship to our God.

Worship is to be felt, not just seen or heard. Deuteronomy 6: 4 to 6 reads, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart;" (NKJV).

Worship is to be personal, not purchased. Micah 6:6 to 8 says, " With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (NKJV).

Worship is being in God's presence regardless of our physical location. john 4:20 to 24 says, " "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.'' Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 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. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (NKJV).

How then should God be represented to the people of this world and this age? It's by the worship and honor accorded Him, not by a piles of bricks and mortar. If we do what is described above, people will see God around us, on us, and in us.

Dr. O