Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Deuteronomy 5:8-10 “Do Not Make Idols”
New Covenant Church
February 11, 2018
This is my second sermon on the Ten Commandments. The words “Ten Commandments” appears three times in the Bible. In Exodus 34:28 we read, “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.” In Deuteronomy 4 we read beginning in the 12th verse, “Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.” And in Deuteronomy 10:4, “The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me.”
The word “commandment” does not appear in the original Hebrew. Rather the Hebrew says that God gave Moses ten “words”. These are not really commandments. These are words or principles for how we can live a good life. God will bless us if we obey them. But, God does not curse us if we disobey. We disobey them at our own peril because we would be ignoring the principles that lead to a good life and would end up living something less than a good life.
Last week we heard the principle in Deuteronomy 5:7 “You shall have no other gods before me. We learned that the God we are to worship is the same God who delivered his people from slavery in Egypt. And the principles given to us in the Ten Commandments teach us how to remain free. If we worship anything other than the Creator God we will be enslaved to that which we worship. But if we worship God and obey his commands we will remain free.
Today we will look at a warning that we must never worship what we make with our own hands. We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.
“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)
Deuteronomy 5:1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
God created us in his image. This means that we too have the ability to create. This is a wonderful gift that fills us with enjoyment. But as with all gifts, this gift of creation can be misused. We can create whatever we want to make our lives better and our world more beautiful. But there is one thing we must never make, something to worship.
In the ancient world, people worship many gods. And it was thought that to worship a god you must first have an image of that god. So craftsmen would fashion an image out of wood or stone or metal to represent a god. Worshipers believed that their god inhabited the image. They could talk with their god by talking to the image. They could hold their god by holding the image. They could love their god by loving the image.
The people of Israel wanted images to worship too. Sometimes the images they worshiped represented the true God. This happened when golden calves were made by Moses’ brother Aaron and by King Jeroboam of Israel. Sometimes the images they worshiped were of other gods like the fertility goddess, Asherah or the weather god, Baal. It didn’t really matter what the image represented. The Bible is clear, you do not worship images because this would be a misuse of your gift of creativity.
The prophet Isaiah ridiculed people for worshiping images. Here is what he had to say.
Isaiah 44:9 All who make idols are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to their own shame.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to their own shame.
10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol,
which can profit nothing?
11 People who do that will be put to shame;
such craftsmen are only human beings.
which can profit nothing?
11 People who do that will be put to shame;
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.
they will be brought down to terror and shame.
12The blacksmith takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.
13The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,
human form in all its glory,
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.
13The carpenter measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.
14 He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
20Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
20Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
21“Remember these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.
22I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
for you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel, I will not forget you.
22I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
Of course, worshiping a man-made image of a god is wrong. Something made of wood or metal or stone cannot deliver you from slavery or assure you of eternal life. They are not gods at all. They are inanimate objects.
But is worshiping an image of God, our creator, also wrong? The answer here is yes, absolutely. The God who created us reveals himself to us not through an image but through spoken words. That’s why we don’t have pictures or statues of God here in church. These would be inappropriate. We worship not an image of God. We worship the word of God spoken to us from the Bible.
Take a look at the new banners being produced by our Arts Ministry. There is no image of God or of Jesus anywhere in these banners. There is what looks like a face in the first banner. But notice what it says, “Then God Said”. So the banner emphasizes that it is the word of God not the image of God that we worship.
Today idol production is not a major industry. Christians, Jews and Muslims all respect the 2nd Commandment and refrain from creating an image of God. There does seem to be a healthy business in images of Buddha, and you should avoid these. No good can come from an idol.
So it seems that we have nothing to worry about with the 2nd command. We don’t have idols in our homes. But there is something we must pay attention to. We make lots of stuff with wood, stone, and metal. And we have to be careful not to worship these things. We must never make something that we make with our hands the most important thing in our lives. But sadly, many people do just that.
People build houses of wood. For some people, their house is the most important thing in their lives. They spend money on it. They care for it. They show it off to others. They are proud of it. If they lost it they would be devastated. A house made of wood can become an idol.
People also build automobiles of metal. For some people, their car is the most important thing in their lives. They love it. They shine it. They are filled with pride as they drive down the street. They want everyone to see their car. A car of metal can become an idol.
And people wear stones. They wear diamonds around their necks, in their ears, and on their fingers. They love jewelry. They love how it looks. They love how it sparkles. A diamond can become an idol too.
Many people worship things rather than the God who created them. They mistakenly think that things will lead them to a good life. But things can’t do this. They are just things. Only the true God, the Creator God can bless you with a good life. So worship God rather than things. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege of worshiping you as our creator and being able to make things we enjoy. But sometimes we begin to worship the things we make rather than the creator who made us. Forgive us and help us to make you the most important thing in our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
