"THE SECOND COMMANDMENT" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 5/27/25

“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.” (Exodus 20:4-6)

The Second Commandment openly forbids all graven images or bowing down to the likeness of anything in heaven. We saw that the First Commandment forbids the worship of any false god, and in the Second, worshipping the true God in any false manner is forbidden. This is the setting up of an image for religious use or worship. All ideas, pictures, shapes, or images of God are expressly forbidden in this command. This is because God is to be adored in the heart, not painted to the eye. The intent of making images and pictures of God is to worship them. As an example, no sooner was Nebuchadnezzar's golden image set up than all the people fell and worshipped it in Daniel Chapter 3. Because of this, God forbids bowing before an idol, even one of Him.

This command prohibits image-worship, or the setting up of any image to represent God. It is a debasing of Him. What greater disparagement to our Heavenly Father than to represent the infinite God by that which is finite; the Maker of all, by a thing which is made? To make an actual image of God is impossible. God is a spiritual essence, and, being a Spirit, is invisible. So, how can any paint the Deity? Can they make an image of that which they never saw? We will never be able to paint God with an image because He is an infinite, uncreated Spirit.

To worship God by an image is both absurd and unlawful - it would be like pledging service to the presidential portrait in the National Portrait Gallery in DC, when the President is right there. It is even more asinine to bow down to an image of God when God Himself is everywhere. Image-worship is expressly against the letter of scripture: Leviticus 26:1 says, "Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image…neither shall ye set up any image of stone…to bow down unto it...”

The command also directly reproves and condemns any religion that makes images of God. It is against the very letter of this commandment, and therefore, they sacrilegiously blot out and refuse to teach the Second Commandment. Some people say they don’t worship the image but only use it as a medium to better glorify God, as if that’s something true Christians would ever need. Others say they only use an image to put them in the right headspace or frame of mind to bow to the Lord. It’s as if a woman should say that she keeps company with another man to put her in mind of her husband. Both offences are an abuse of God.

We all need to take heed of idolatry and image-worship in our lives. In Isaiah 42:8, God says, "…my glory will I not give to another…" God hates idolatry in any form because it steals the attention and honor that belong only to God. In many nations today, carved gods and goddesses still blatantly violate this commandment. The sin of idolatry is ultimately a sin of the heart. An idol is anything we depend upon to meet the deep needs of the heart - love, security, worth, or significance. When we seek to find identity and security in something besides God, we have made it an idol. When we give ourselves to pursuing manmade gods or emotionally rely on anything other than our relationship with the Lord to validate us, we break the Second Commandment.