“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. I will lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations[1] on those who love me and obey my commands.” (Exodus 20:4-6, NLT)
The starter commandment was not to have any other gods. God, knowing the human heart, immediately closes the most obvious loophole and says don’t make any god, either. God created us, made us creative beings, and gave us imagination. Creation itself is so grand that we tend to worship creation.[2] We can marvel at an evening sky, take in the fresh air and grandeur of mountain ranges, and the vast power of the ocean.
High culture in Western Civilization has been adorned with the arts, music through opera and symphonies, and great literature emerged in the era of the novel, revealing the best and worst of human life and subsequently being portrayed on stage and in cinema. We so romanticized life that we created those who acted the parts and called them movie stars.
“God, knowing the human heart, immediately closes the most obvious loophole and says don’t make any god, either.”
A mistake we can make is to view the biblical stories as about primitive people in pre-modern times. In other words, very different people from us. They were different in many ways, but do not be deceived, in the most important ways, we are exactly the same. But before we put them on a psychiatrist’s couch and criticize their simple minds and garish ways, we should start with the basics. The Israelites were inclined to build altars and copy the latest new thing. The figures of pagan gods adorned their jewelry, and pagan statuary filled public places.
It was common for even these good people who pledged not to make any images to create the mother of all idols, the Golden Calf. This was not very far into their future; they got a bit bored when Moses stayed too long on the mountain with God. Aaron, Moses’ brother, a sometimes baffled and weaker man, made it for them. Enough said.[3]
The human heart’s creative ability rivals that of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo when it comes to worship of heavenly bodies, planets, stars, and constellations of idols. At various periods in Israel’s history, the land was dotted with gods and high places for the gods, from Dagon and Molech to Baal and Ashtoreth. Essentially, these were periodic and supplementary to Israel’s primary religion, which remained their historic God. Some believe that supplementing God is harmless and even inevitable in any culture, such as lighting candles in a church, or praying to an icon—no harm, no foul. But one dissenting voice to this laissez-faire attitude is God himself, Yahweh, the great I AM. There are several dynamics to idolatry and to the making of idols. But essentially, it is a matter of the heart.
“The human heart’s creative ability rivals that of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo when it comes to worship of heavenly bodies, planets, stars, and constellations of idols.”
God is jealous
“I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”
The biblical depiction of God as a jealous being has created a great deal of heartburn in the world of Christian apologetics. Apologetics is the defending of the faith against those who attack it. Polemics are Christians taking the offensive posture and pointing out the weakness of the arguments that oppose the Christian faith. God, as a jealous God, has almost always been used to attack the Old Testament version of God, who is the warrior God. And more than that, a cruel, megalomaniacal being that sponsored crimes against humanity. For example, ordering the killing of every living being in a defeated city, even the livestock.[4]
Jealousy in this context is presented as the source of anger that leads to the jealous lover who murders. However, God’s jealousy is not tainted or controlled by unrighteous anger. Man’s anger is often uncontrolled and employed in horrid directions; to fill in the blanks would be both coarse and unnecessary. God’s anger is measured and perfect, entirely set against sin and for the long-term benefit of his people.
“God’s anger is measured and perfect, entirely set against sin and for the long-term benefit of his people.”
The jealousy of a lover
God’s jealousy is the jealousy of a lover. What does a young woman feel when two men fight over her? Perhaps she is horrified by the violence; sometimes she feigns offense, even if she is not smiling on the outside, she is definitely delighted on the inside. She feels loved and special. The jealousy a man feels for his wife or vice versa is what God is saying about himself regarding the good of his people. Just as a spouse wants and expects to have no rivals, God wants the same for his people. It is what is best for the relationship and what he is willing to fight for. This is why the text in Exodus says it right out loud, “…I will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.” That is the standard, that is where the joy is, exclusiveness, possession, no exceptions.
There is no room with God for the “I’m spiritual but not religious” crowd. I use this hackneyed 21st-century colloquialism to explain our contemporary way of making idols. It means I get to write my own ticket to the afterlife, not connected to any religion or church. It means my own version of god, a designer god, one to my liking, made in my own image, a mere projection of my desires. It is a truly decadent process that God will have no part in; he’s not only not going to participate in it, he wants to destroy it.
“God’s jealousy is the jealousy of a lover.”
You can seek God on your own, but you will not find him; he is not there. The streets of Western culture are packed with self-made “Christians” whose mantra is, “god is whatever you make of him, her, or them.” The truth is that you can only find God where he has told you he is.
What about the kids?
God promises that if we insist on making our own way, i.e., making our own gods, it will be bad for our children, for the entire family, and negatively affect them for about a hundred years. Everyone has a story about this. Some families seem especially blessed, and others cursed. We must be careful here, because results can be misleading. Sometimes the appearance of a blessing can be economically based.
In America, we could look at the John F. Kennedy family and think of Camelot.[5] But, it isn’t the John F. Kennedy Family, it is the Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. family. He was a womanizing bootlegger, businessman, and politician who was ambitious for his sons to be President of the United States. He taught his sons to be just as much of a scallywag as he was. History has revealed a family cursed by tragic deaths, diseases, corruption, and bad behavior. Other obscure families, without money or fame, have flourished, and the lives of children have been blessed.
You may have a story of your larger family and how some members followed God and were serious disciples, where God’s blessing was multiplied through their children.
“You may have a story of your larger family and how some members followed God and were serious disciples, where God’s blessing was multiplied through their children.”
One family that stands out to me is the Manning family. They are known for football and good behavior, going back to their father, Archie, a great collegiate player who made good decisions. Archie’s sons are Cooper, Peyton, and Eli. Archie was good enough to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame if he had been on a better team. Peyton and Eli are both members of the Hall of Fame. What strikes a person about the Mannings is not that they are perfect, or even highly spiritual, but they clearly have benefited from the good character of Archie and Olivia Manning. The children and grandchildren are the recipients of that character.
Families also pass on imperfections and pathologies. My family, like most, has both. From my mother’s side of the family came my Christian spiritual formation. My Grandparents took my sister and me to church. They modeled that religious tradition every day. My mother was not a believer at that point, but my sister took to the Christian faith, and regardless of my outward appearance or conduct, I couldn’t forget their faith. That affected my choice of a wife, and our Christian values have been passed to our children and grandchildren.
From my father’s side of the family came the opposite. His side brought multiple marriages and the sort of behavior that accompanies philandering. That lineage also brought gambling, impulsive behavior, alcoholism, and its related pathologies. He served honorably for ten years in the Army and fought in the Korean War. He was a bartender, which is not the route I have taken.
“Families also pass on imperfections and pathologies.”
The sins of my father and his father were visited upon our family through divorce, and the way it negatively affected our lives, particularly my mother’s life. The beauty of the story is that first my sister, then I, and finally my mother committed our lives to Christ. And that broke the chains; they fell off of us, and we have lived in the service and the joy of Christ for many, many years. My mother was one of the most joyous Christians I have ever known.
Families are the primary building blocks of society and are the most powerful means of passing on values, both good and evil. That is why there is such an assault on the family by the enemies of what is passed on from generation to generation. The attack on parental rights has been akin to a war on the foundational morals that make a society good or bad.
Take, for instance, telling the truth, treating others with kindness and fairness. Learning basic manners, knowing your place, understanding authority, the list goes on. When these basics are abused, the opposites are taught, civility is lost, and so is the capacity to pass on and reproduce the kind of character that makes lives flourish.
“When these basics are abused, the opposites are taught, civility is lost, and so is the capacity to pass on and reproduce the kind of character that makes lives flourish.”
God’s promise to us is that if we put him first and give him exclusive possession of our souls, he will lavish his unfailing love for a thousand generations to come—that is like forever and ever—it means never ending. It is for all of us, those who love him and prove it by obeying him. So, the bottom line is, don’t make gods, make disciples, and let the flourishing begin.
[1] A thousand generations would be 25,000 years.
[2] Romans 1:18-25
[3] Exodus 32:1-35
[4] Deuteronomy 20:16-18.
[5] Camelot was a legendary castle and court of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It was a romantic legend that represented chivalry, justice, and flourishing. It was ascribed to the Kennedys during John F. Kennedy’s presidency. If you watch the movie, you will get the idea. It did not end well.
From Bill Hull’s ‘No Longer a Bystander.’ Used with permission.
