Lesson Four

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT (I)

DO NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A CARVED IMAGE
Exo. 20:4-5; Isa.44:16-17; Psa. 135:15-18; Dan.3:1-30)

Burden to Impart:

Our God is jealous. The unique image and expression is the Lord Jesus. We should make no image to represent Him. We should make no image to bow down to in submission or to serve. We only belong to the Lord our God. We should serve Him alone, trust Him alone, and pray to Him alone (Isa. 4:16-17). All other statues or pictures that are supposed to represent God are false.

Memory Verse:

 		"You shall not make for yourself a carved image...you shall not bow down to them or serve them. (Exodus 20:4, 5)

Facts to Teach:

  1. The second thing that God commanded His people was to make no graven (carved) images of anything in heaven, on the earth, or in the water. Neither should they bow down to them or serve them. Al1 images are idols made by man's hands and are an insult to God.
  2. God is unique. He is only one. There is no God besides Him. He is the invisible God. His only image is the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 4:4). He alone is able to express the invisible and true God perfectly.
  3. The nations who lived around the children of Israel did not know the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. In their ignorance, the nations supposed that there were many gods. They thought there were good gods, such as the sun, the moon, the stars, the rein, etc. They also believed there were evil gods such as a storm god, a lightning god, etc.
  4. The nations would make images to represent these gods and would bow down to them to honor them, hoping to make them happy. They would pray to them and offer gifts to them so that the idols would do good to them. They also worshipped idols out of tear so that no harm would befall them.
  5. Psalm 135:15-18 tells us that although the idols have mouths, they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot sec; they have ears, but they cannot hear. They are only the work of men's hands. They cannot see our needs, they cannot hear our prayers, they cannot speak to our heart, they cannot help or save anyone.
  6. Although we cannot see the true God because He is invisible, yet He can see us. He hears us when we pray and saves us when we call upon Him. To Him alone should we how. And one day every knee will bow to Him (Phil. 2:9-10). Him alone should we serve because we belong to Him (Psa. 100:3; Acts 17:29).
  7. One day a king named Nebuchadnezzar had a great image (idol) set up (see Daniel ch. 3). He commanded everyone to bow before it or else be thrown into a Fiery furnace. Daniel's three friends refused to how to any image. no matter what happened. They were thrown into a fiery furnace, but they were not hurt. Not even a hair was singed. The Lord stood with them in the furnace and no harm befell them. Their God was the real and living God. He is the only on we should honor and serve at any cost, not a lifeless idol.