Exodus 20:1-6
King James Version
20 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God,
which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 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.
5 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;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them
that love me,
and keep my commandments.
GOD hates idolatry.
You would obey His first commandment, if you really love, and honor God.
Why is it so difficult for many to understand this?
It is also the first great commandment, according to JESUS.
Matthew 22:36-38
King James Version
36 Master,
which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
But need we be surprised, considering the world is under the sway of the fallen one?
GOD is a LIVING God, in the person of JESUS.
Idols -- whether of gold, or silver -- cannot speak, and are of no use to the salvation of your soul.
They cannot heal you, save you, nor enrich you.
But obsession for them will destroy you.
Jeremiah 10:3-5
King James Version
3 For the customs of the people are vain:
for one cutteth a tree out of the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman,
with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold;
they fasten it with nails and with hammers,
that it move not.
5 They are upright as the palm tree,
but speak not:
they must needs be borne,
because they cannot go.
Be not afraid of them;
for they cannot do evil,
neither also is it in them to do good.
There are many forms of idolatry, too.
There is the inordinate love for people who represent "idols" in history, entertainment, sports, government, education, science, wealth, beauty, or intellect.
ANYTHING that distracts us from LOVING God, is a form of idolatry.
We get distracted from focusing on the WORD of GOD.
We are beholden to the things of the world, to the great delight of the prince of the world, who does everything in his delusional power, to distract us from WORSHIPING the ONE, TRUE GOD.
Well, there is only ONE GOD, and that is the LORD JESUS.
Hebrews 1:1-6
King James Version
1 God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person,
and upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
4 Being made so much better than the angels,
as he hath by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time,
Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten thee?
And again,
I will be to him a Father,
and he shall be to me a Son?
6 And again,
when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world,
he saith,
And let all the angels of God worship him.
JESUS is the only one worthy of our devotion, loyatly, and worship, for He is the IMAGE of GOD.
Colossians 1:12-15
King James Version
12 Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us
into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of every creature:
GOD is all that matters.
The CREATOR is the ONLY ONE who deserves our undivided adoration, and attention.
JESUS has shown us how to love the FATHER.
Jesus' WAY has been the ONLY WAY.
John 14:6 (KJV)
6 Jesus saith unto him,
I am the way,
the truth,
and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.
Idolatry belongs in the latrine.
Harsh words for a harsh sin.
For myself, I LOVE and HONOR the LORD JESUS alone.
Joshua 24:15 (KJV)
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
choose you this day whom ye will serve;
whether the gods which your fathers served
that were on the other side of the flood,
or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell:
but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord.
Updated 24 November 2022