"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
From the Westminster Shorter Catechism:
Q. 49. Which is the second commandment?
A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or 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: 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 showing mercy unto thousands of them
that love me, and keep my commandments.
Q. 50. What is required in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and
entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his Word.
Q. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment?
A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images,128 or any other
way not appointed in his Word. Q. 52. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, his
propriety in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship.
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Recommended podcast:
How Church Worship Corrupted - Authentic Expression or God Speaking? by Pastor Kevin SwansonHere is an excerpt from Dr. Michael Horton's great book, A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship:
"An advertisement keeps popping up for a new paraphrase of the Bible. It's a full page color photograph of a woman who appears to be young, sophisticated, well educated, with a hint of cynicism. 'Pastor,' the caption reads, 'if you want to reach me, you better watch your language.'
The inside cover elaborates: 'Distracted by deadlines and bills, this is the only time she takes to nurture her spiritual life. You can't afford to lose her attention when you reference Bible passages that are too lofty and obscure.' Why can't a good pastor respond, 'No, this isn't about making things comfortable for you. If you are baptized, then this speech that the Bible uses is your language. You have to make an effort to understand it, to live in its world, and to breathe its air. If you are too distracted by deadlines and bills to take any time outside this one hour a week for your faith, then you'll pardon me for not losing the rest of my congregation to the world for you.'"
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Below is partial transcript of a sermon I heard in the early 1980s on this same passage, or more particularly, John 4:24, and Exodus 20:25:
John 4:24:
"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Exodus 20:25:
"And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it."
The minister who preached this sermon was Rev. Paul den Butter:
Exodus 20:25:
"And if thou wilt make an alter of stone unto me, thou shalt not make it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it." - Exodus 20:25
I think this sermon was preached around 1980. Anyway, that is around the time I wrote the following excerpts down in my diary:
"...they have to be very careful that they do not make it (an alter of stone) of hewn stone. And they may not use any tool, any hammer or axe or whatever. They may not use any tool to beautify those stones. They must take simply the rock, the unadorned stones.
"'Ah, but then the alter is not nice, Then the alter is not beautiful. Then it is simply a primitive thing.'
"Well, that's what it may be in our estimation, but it's God's will, is it not? Whether it is a primitive thing or not, it is God's will that the alter will be built of rough stones and that no tool will be used.
"'Ya, but those stones are going to be much nicer if you use some chisel, and if you make some ornaments, some adornments on those stones. The alter is much more beautiful and much more serviceable in your worship service.'
"Ah, but the principle is not what I like, not what I think that is nice and beautiful, not what adorns my worship service, but the principle is what God has said!
"Not my taste determines, but God's command. God has the right to determine what it should be like. And this is a principle nearly almost forgotten. It was perfectly understood by our Reformers. They did not look for innovations, They did not look for all sorts of adornments in the church. Why do people today look for all sorts of things that beautify the worship service and make it more attractive? Why do we see vestments in all sorts of colors?
"I'm convinced it is simply to fill the aching void of the absence of reality. When the Church of Christ was most vigorous in its spiritual life, it had the most simple form of worship. When God converted most people, and when God's children were edified in the worship service, and when the Lord was present in the worship services, it may have been in a barn or in an open field, the worship as such was as simple as simple can be.
"But what do we see today? That in direct proportion to the loss of true spiritual life there is an increase in forms and ceremonies. And the forms and ceremonies are meant to fill the vacancies of true spiritual life. And so Satan is using tools to adorn our alters, but in the meantime he is polluting it. He's corrupting the worship. And men are willing instruments in his hands."
