2.3 Make no idols

God commands us to find Him and Him alone all-sufficient for our needs, and thus to focus all our worship and devotion on Him, and to give none to idols.

Exodus 20.23

“You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.”

During her many dalliances with false gods and pagan forms of worship, the people of Israel never completely abandoned the God of their redemption. They simply added other deities “with” the Lord and created other forms and venues of worship besides those which God had ordained.

Many contemporary Christians are clinging to the gods of this world – work, wealth, pleasure, ease – while, at the same time, faithfully participating in the worship of the one true God. They may not even recognize that these worldly items are as important to them as anything that has to do with their faith. Yet the “god which consists of this world” (2 Cor. 4.4, my translation) can blind an unguarded believer just as surely as it blinds those who do not know the Lord.

Examine yourself: Are you harboring other gods, looking to things other than God Himself for the hope, joy, peace, meaning, and significance you require?

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.