Looking clearly at the 2nd Commandment...

Has anyone ever notice that some people and even churches try to skim over the 2nd Commandment that says we can't make carved images?? Ever since I REALLY started digging into The Bible this has bothered me. I am bothered because when we look at The Commandments God put the one about carved images at #2--which means it's really important. He also said A LOT about the details of this Commandment compared to many others! In Exodus 20, the Commandments start, and He begins the Laws starting in verses two and three with, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have not other gods before Me."

As we continue in Exodus to verses four through six we begin to read the Second Commandment which states:

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments."

When I first read this whole Commandment out of The Bible directly I tried to justify what I had been doing most of my life as a Christian; and especially my adult life while practicing Catholicism. I told myself that God didn't mean we can't honor religious items because I figured that is the same as honoring God. Wrong!!!! God has shown me in my daily readings and life experiences in the last few months how wrong that is. Not only should we not be praying to statues of Mary, but we shouldn't even be kneeling to, or wearing a crucifix with a mold of Jesus on it. God didn't say we can make carved images of Him either (that includes the Trinity). In fact, God says not to make Him, Jesus, or anyone else in Heaven when He says, we shall not make "any likeness of anything that is in heaven above." How did I never see this before the Holy Spirit (God) revealed it to me? I was fooled by the devil's tricks just like everybody else. Many of us have been "A" okay with these practices because they are so engrained in our culture as Christians especially; but most religions have similar practices. I challenge you to read Exodus 20 for yourself and consider why God wrote such a detailed explanation of what He meant by "carved image", and the consequences for not getting this Law right. Maybe it will open some more eyes to what this servant considers the truth. Let's remember The Word is the truth, and God is The Word.

AMEN

Second Commandment