Worshiping Idols

Taking the First and Second Commandments together, we learn who we are to worship and how we are not to worship. Yahweh alone is to be worshiped and he specifically says that images are not to be worshiped when we worship. Does the Second Commandment forbid the making of images altogether? It does not. In truth, God enjoys images. He is the one who made all that there is and, as the apostle teaches, “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” The issue is not images. The issue is idolatry, and specifically, the use of images (or idols) by which we worship. Please notice that last preposition. By which we worship is not the same thing as in our worship, nor is it the same as the use of images when we are not worshiping. 

Though it has often been the case that in Reformed circles depicting God has been frowned upon, if not downright prohibited, the Second Commandment says nothing about it. Wisdom might teach that depicting God could lead someone astray, either by encouraging worship of the depiction, or by creating a misleading image in people’s perception of what God is like. But the fact that God created men and women “in his image,” and that he fully took on our existence in the incarnation, suggests that he is not opposed to being depicted in very concrete ways. Some might counter that the two instances I mention involve his acting to reveal himself. That is true, but again, the Second Commandment involves worshiping images, not making them, even of God.

So, if something is clearly proscribed when it comes to worship, is there a guideline as to what is permitted? The best rule is twofold: keep God as the primary audience of worship throughout, and include only those elements that have biblical warrant. Following this rule, the liturgy (all churches follow a liturgy) might be complex or simple. It might feature an orchestra, or a small ensemble (that it can involve both music and musicians most certainly has biblical warrant). It might include written or extemporaneous prayers (but it should include prayer). It definitely should involve Scripture with its exposition. And celebrating the Lord’s Table when the faithful are gathered also has biblical precedent. 

There are other elements that could be considered, but whatever is included should direct the congregation’s faith and devotion to the one, true, living and redeeming God. Anything else is worship of the creature and not the Creator, which is what is specifically prohibited by the First and Second Commandments.

No Other Gods

The first command of ten says that Israel is to have no other gods before Yahweh. It's important to understand the first as the foundation for the remaining nine. Having Yahweh alone as their God means that his precepts and laws, his desire for them as a people, their purpose in history, is what Israel needs to know and attend to. Loyalty to him is mandatory.

But when we consider the prior reminder of his grace: “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” then knowing and attending to God’s will is more than perfunctory obedience. It is an expression of gratitude and love. He is the one who created, preserved, protected, and provided for them. No other gods? Absolutely! How could any other god match that display of divine power and grace?

But is Israel alone to have no other gods but Yahweh? No, for the prohibition extends to all humanity, for the God of the Bible is the God of the whole earth. He made and upholds everything; he showers rain and sun on the just and unjust; he is the one before whom all will have to stand to give an account. This is the reality of things despite the multitude of gods, philosophies, and humanistic rationales that have been conjured up by fallen humanity. As Paul teaches, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:22, 23). As a result, humanity is “storing up wrath for . . . the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed” (Romans 2:5).

On that Day, the substance of the prosecution will be, “How did you express your loyalty, love, devotion and gratitude to the One who made you and provided you with all things, including his only begotten Son to bear the cross on your behalf? What ought you to have done, and did you do it?” No one on that day, including any Israelite or Christian, will be able to claim, by their own merit, a perfect record in that regard. Only in Christ will a defendant be found to be righteous, for He alone lived as we are meant to live.

The life we live flows out of the God we worship. To live righteously we must be united to the One who is true and righteous.

15 Years Hence

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11 I observed things I never thought I would see in my bohemian, politically left-leaning, decidedly humanist neighborhood — spontaneous altars. At lampposts and street corners, candles and bouquets of flowers would be laid. They appeared like votive offerings “to the unknown God” of Athens fame. It signaled to me that my neighbors wanted to believe that there was something, someone, that sat outside of the realities of the tragedy that could bring sense, comfort, even peace in the face of the assault. This impulse was echoed across the city in the numerous “interfaith” services that were organized. Did the attack make people realize that they needed something other than themselves to believe in? Perhaps, but only for a while. 

New York is a remarkable place. Its mettle has been proved in not being undone by having a target painted on its chest (a target that every New Yorker knows remains in place). The city has long gone back to its famous hustle and bustle. This place is an astonishing and persuasive example of God’s common grace. But common grace is not saving grace. Those relative few moments of self-awareness (if that’s what it can be called) did not spark an awakening. 

There are signs, however, that fallen humanity, no matter how determined, will not have the last word. The church responded well post 9/11, serving sacrificially with time and materials, and in the years that have followed, the church has continued to respond as God has drawn an unprecedented number of young men to move themselves and their families to New York to plant churches. Perhaps our God who shines light into darkness and overcomes evil with good used the attack to bring our great city onto the radar screen of these Gospel entrepreneurs. In the end we might just discover that what the islamists meant for evil God meant for good. I think it possible. 

Godliness with Contentment

It has been said that the first and last commandments of the Decalogue complement each other. The first declares that we are to have no other God than the God who delivered us from bondage. The tenth says that we shall not covet. How are these prohibitions complementary? The first intimates that we are to trust that the God who rescued us will not forsake us. He alone is the one to whom we must turn for all that we need. Faith in him and him alone is fundamental to our relationship with him. To covet, on the other hand, is to be discontent with what God has provided. When we desire the things of our neighbor to the point of complaining about our lack, we profess that our God is not as kind or as generous as theirs. Such adoration for a another god is nothing less than idolatry.

Jesus uses the parable of the rich fool to say as much (Luke 12:13-21). With it he warns against wealth’s power to captivate and deceive us into thinking that we are in control of everything around us, even our future. Whether we possess the riches, or just wish that we did, we are instructed that our first priority should be pursuing wealth toward God. Our hope, our confidence, our contentment should derive from our knowledge of him and his salvation, and not from an imaginary existence that we believe will satisfy. To rest in wealth, real or imagined, is to place our hopes in the hands of an idol.

Confidence in the true God, in his promises, wisdom, power, and love, breeds contentment. Coveting that which is our neighbor's, whether it be his home, wife, job, or status, breeds discontentment. The former is the fruit of the gospel working in our life. The latter, the fruit of giving rein to unsanctified yearning. 

With the Spirit’s help we can experience contentment. He can develop in us a godly response to earthly riches (material or otherwise) so that we can pursue and enjoy them free of the striving that marks a covetous soul. The key is understanding that we are stewards of all that God allows us to possess. To be rich toward God is to use the riches he bestows to his glory. This was the wealthy man’s folly. God had given him much but he decided it was for him to use as he pleased — he would “relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” There will be scant mirth for such a one when called to give an account. Truly, “better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it” (Proverbs 15:16).

Heaven on Earth?

Have your read Psalm 72? If you haven't, please do. If you have, read it again. It's a prayer that God would give the king (the royal son) righteousness and justice so that he might rule righteously and justly. As the prayer unfolds, the existence under his righteous and just reign is longingly expressed: the oppressor is crushed, the poor and needy are defended, and even the land produces in abundance under his stewardship. His rule would be "like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth." All authority would be yielded to him as "all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him." And why? For "he delivers the needy when he calls, / the poor and him who has no helper. / He has pity on the weak and the needy, / and saves the lives of the needy. / From oppression and violence he redeems their life, / and precious is their blood in his sight."

The psalm is attributed to Solomon, David's son. He clearly had a vision for what it would mean to have a righteous ruler on the throne. Unfortunately, it was not realized in is reign. In truth, his idolatry led him far away from this ideal and after his death it was acknowledged that his vanity had put a "heavy yoke" upon those he ruled. Solomon's successor was counseled to "be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever" (1 Kings 12:7). That advice was a fitting summary of the psalm that Solomon had penned. Alas, Solomon did not follow it. Nor did his successor, Rehoboam.

I think it safe to say that no ruler has ever fulfilled this vision. Whether monarch, dictator, president, or prime minister, no one has ever succeeded in engineering heaven on earth, no matter how noble his or her intentions. There is only one king that has ever graced the Earth who is capable of achieving this longed-for existence. He is the one who confronts us on Palm Sunday. He it is who ushers in the Kingdom of Heaven with his humble entrance into Jerusalem. 

But it must be noted that the full realization of a perfect human existence under the rule of our benevolent King awaits the consummation of the age. Only when the new heaven and earth are manifested will we completely experience the promised peaceable kingdom. Till then, we await him and pray with the faithful, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

Preservation, Purification, Protection

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, concerning the church, that God "has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation" (v. 9). This is the gospel stated in its most succinct form. Those who are in union with Christ are saved from the dreadful day of judgment. And as is evident in God's dealings with Israel, he keeps his word. He preserves for himself a people who will experience the fullness of his mercy. But as is also evident in his dealings with Israel, the blissful destination doesn't guarantee a blissful journey. A lot of divine effort goes into protecting and preserving God's elect. The closing verses of Micah 5 give insight into the process, a process that's focused on fulfilling the 1st command, "You shall have no other gods before me," a process that roots out the enemy within and defeats the enemies without. 

First he attacks "horses," "chariots" and "strongholds." These were entities in which Israel trusted to keep the enemies at bay and their future secure. Then he purposes to "cut off sorceries," false sources of discernment and insight. Next he intends to destroy "carved images . . . pillars . . . cities," objects and centers of idolatry. All of these work to undermine the singular devotion and trust that God's people should have in him as the one who redeemed them from slavery and made of them a kingdom of priests. 

His protection also includes dealing with the external enemies of his people. The people of God have always been under threat. As I write, there is significant persecution being perpetrated against the elect in parts of the world. Nevertheless, God will not allow any nation to have the final say about their destiny. He states that "in anger and wrath" he will "execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey." Dictators may flex their nationalistic muscles or pious murderers may wield their sacred swords, but they will not prevail over God's intention to have for himself a people who will enjoy his presence eternally. 

Of course, the one shepherding this process is the Bethlehem-born Messiah who stands "in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God." And because of the protection he affords, "they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth" (5:4). 

As Paul urges, let's "encourage one another and build one another up" as we consider Yahweh's gracious goal for his people (1 Thess. 5:11).

Advent 2014: And He Shall Be Called . . . Jesus

The name of Jesus is an ordinary name. It was in wide use during the first century AD. To the Christian, however, it is an extraordinary name. It means “Yahweh saves.” It is the name that the angel told Joseph he should name the child that would be born to Mary, his betrothed: “. . . you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus is an extraordinary name for it has within it the problem that plagues humanity, the purpose for which Jesus was sent, and the promise that his purpose would be fulfilled.

All people are plagued by the same problem, they are sinners. This is because all human beings have inherited the penchant for defining their existence apart from God. This makes all human beings, in one way or the other, idolators, and idolatry is the root of sin. Idolatry places all human beings under the judgment of God. No one, therefore, escapes the need of a savior; and Jesus came to save his people from their sins.

The merciful reality is that the baby to be born will be named Jesus on purpose. Through his life, death, and resurrection he would accomplish all that was necessary to save his people from the consequences of their idolatry. He would take upon himself our need to fulfill all righteousness, and he would take upon himself the penalty due for our having not fulfilled all righteousness. He is, therefore, aptly named Jesus, “Yahweh saves,” for the purpose for which his heavenly Father sent him was to save his people from their sins.

Lastly, the name of Jesus holds within it a promise. The angel speaks with certainty of the completion of the purpose for which Jesus in named: “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Read that statement again. He does not say, “may save,” or “might save,” or “possibly save.” He says Jesus “will save.” The angel can speak with confidence because what is unfolding in the lives of Joseph and Mary is a plan of salvation that was established in the will of God before the universe was even created (see Ephesians 1:3-14).

The name of Jesus is an extraordinary name. Indeed, it is “the name that is above every name,” and the only name “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Philippians 2:9; Acts 4:12).

The Priviledge of Persecution

Our Christian brothers and sisters in the 1st century had a very different perspective on persecution than we 21st century western Christians. For them it was a privilege (see Acts 5:41; Philippians 1:29), for us it is something to be avoided, almost at all costs. But can it be avoided? If Jesus and the apostles are any measure, it cannot. The scriptures clearly attest that persecution follows proclamation.

Why is this so? The message of the Kingdom of God runs smack up against the prevailing powers of the kingdom of this world making conflict inevitable. And because the gospel offers a stern critique of the nature of human beings and the works we produce, when a person embraces the gospel as true it necessarily aligns that one with that assessment, provoking persecution. The demand to the believer in the face of this inevitable enmity, notes Glenn Penner, the late director of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada, “is not so much a willingness to die for Christ but a readiness to die due to one’s unconditional obedience to the Crucified One.” If persecution is part and parcel with proclaiming and living the gospel, we must accept that we are “destined for this” and “not be moved by these afflictions” (1 Thessalonians 3:3).

But suffering for the sake of Christ is not an end in itself. Jesus spoke of his redemptive suffering when he taught, ““The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:23-24). Each disciple of Jesus is a product of the redeeming death to which he alludes. For this we are grateful. The startling news, however, is that he also envisions our own sacrificial fruit bearing when he explains, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (v. 25). Our participation in the redeeming work of Christ through suffering for the sake of his name, has a redemptive purpose, not for ourselves but for others.

The power of the followers of Jesus united in the face of persecution offers a much needed testimony to the truth of the gospel. Ed Clowney notes: "“The very threats to the existence of the church in the twenty-first century show again our need of the church. The courage to stand apart, to be unashamed of Christ’s claims, is nurtured in the community of those who are baptized into his name. The church may not apply for a union card in a pluralistic establishment by signing away its right to proclaim the only Saviour of the world. Together we must make clear that it is to Christ and not to ourselves that we witness. In that witness we are not only individual points of light in the world, but a city set on a hill. In the ethnic hostility that ravages Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the church must show the bond of Christ’s love that unites former enemies as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Only so can the church be a sign of his kingdom: the kingdom that will come when Christ comes, and that is already present through his Spirit” (The Church. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995. 15-16).

As our Savior was persecuted because he stood against the prevailing selfishness and cruelty of a sin-racked, idolatrous world, so will his church. Persecution is something to which we have been called and for which we must give thanks. 

Honoring God

Eli, the high priest in the days of Samuel, heard this terrifying pronouncement from God: “I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” Eli and his family had been cut off – forever -- from the grace of God. What had provoked God’s anger?

Eli had enjoyed much favor from God: 1) He was of the people of Israel, the nation that had been chosen by God and delivered from the bondage of Pharaoh; 2), he was of the line of Aaron, the ones whom God set apart to serve at the altar, to mediate between God and God’s people; and 3) as the one serving as priest, God had promised he would forever provide for Eli and his descendants from the sacrifices that the people of God brought for him to administer. Eli, however, had scorned God’s grace. By allowing his wicked sons to make a mockery of the priesthood, he honored them more than the Lord. As a result, the Lord said he would cut him and his family off for, “those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

What does it mean to honor God? I offered the following quote from J. Stuart Holden: “To honor God does not necessarily imply doing great things for Him. It is rather the consistently maintained attitude of the heart which refers every choice to His judgment, measures every value by His standard, and endeavors to make every incident of life contribute towards the glorifying of His Name.” Read through that quote again. It is wonderfully concise and enormously helpful. This is the kind of whole-life devotion that God deserves. When we consider that he “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” and from that we can have confidence that he will “also with him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32), we should honor God by keeping his person and purposes preeminent in our lives, something Eli had forgotten to do.