Deuteronomy 4:15-31
Today's Passage: Deuteronomy 4:15-31
Our passage should cause us to be reminded of the second commandment in the Ten
Commandments: you shall not make for yourself a carved image… (Exodus 20:4-6).
Kevin DeYoung in his book on the Ten Commandments give 5 reasons why God forbids image worship:
God is alone worthy of worship. Idols cannot compare to Him. The sad part, Moses prophesied the people’s rebellion and idol worship (v. 25-28). But, he also reminded them God was a covenant-keeping God and He would restore them if they repented (v. 29-31). What Moses prophesied would come true – just read the rest of the Old Testament.
For us, is there anything you have been worshiping besides God? How might understanding the “5 reasons why God forbids image worship” be helpful to forsake idol worship?
Written By: Brice Stockton
Our passage should cause us to be reminded of the second commandment in the Ten
Commandments: you shall not make for yourself a carved image… (Exodus 20:4-6).
Kevin DeYoung in his book on the Ten Commandments give 5 reasons why God forbids image worship:
1. God is free. “Once you have something to represent God or worship as if it were God,
you undermine God’s freedom.” God is not limited, whereas idols are.
2. God is jealous. “No image will capture God’s glory.” There is no way for us to capture His glory in the magnitude it deserves. Also, carved images will never compare to the glory of God. It would be foolish to worship anything created by human hands (yet, we all – even Israel – have done it.)
3. Believing sight comes by sound. In multiple places in Scripture, God tells us, faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:17, Habakkuk 2:4). Carved images tries to make the worship of something tangible – God is not tangible. If God wanted to reveal His image, He would have made a way.
4. God provides His own mediators. God had spoken to Abraham, Moses, and all the
prophets. He was showing Himself through His mediators.
5. We don’t need to create images of God because He has already created them. Humans are the image bearers of God – created in His likeness. “Idolatry diminishes God and diminishes us.”
God is alone worthy of worship. Idols cannot compare to Him. The sad part, Moses prophesied the people’s rebellion and idol worship (v. 25-28). But, he also reminded them God was a covenant-keeping God and He would restore them if they repented (v. 29-31). What Moses prophesied would come true – just read the rest of the Old Testament.
For us, is there anything you have been worshiping besides God? How might understanding the “5 reasons why God forbids image worship” be helpful to forsake idol worship?
Written By: Brice Stockton
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