Exodus 20:4: “You shall not make for yourself a carved 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. [5] You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (ESV)
If the first commandment is remarkable for its brevity, the second is for its length. Yahweh is at pains to make his people understand that, just as there is no place for gods in addition to him to worship, neither is there any room for a physical idol of any sort to receive worship.
The Second Commandment Then
What exactly is being prohibited here? On the face of it, it may appear that Yahweh is outlawing any artistic representations whatsoever. This would mean no carvings, drawings, sculptures, or moldings are allowed. But this is easily exposed as a flawed interpretation. There are multiple instances of likenesses prescribed for the Tabernacle and later the Temple. These exceptions push us to examine our text to determine the command's delimitations. How far does it extend? What kinds of likenesses are disallowed, and why?
The key becomes clear in verse 5 when Yahweh prohibits bowing down to and serving these likenesses. This means that no likeness may be made which is intended to serve as an object of worship. It must also mean that any likeness already made, perhaps for some other purpose, may not become an object of worship. This means, in effect, that no representation of God may be made to serve as the object of worship and also that no object whatsoever, for any reason, may be worshiped.
The contrast to cultures contemporaneous to the giving of this law is easy enough. Biblical history is replete with accounts and mentions of idols, carvings, images, statues, and the like. From early in the Old Testament through the end of the New Testament and everywhere in between, people from every background, people, and family experience the push toward serving and bowing down to images.
The Second Commandment Now
It is harder to see what the breaking of this commandment looks like today. It would appear that this commandment's punch has come to feel rather out of touch, irrelevant in a world where religious “nones” is a recognized category. There are plenty of people who claim to worship no god at all. Psalm 14:1 indicates that this concept existed in ancient times, however rare it may have been.
I think we make a mistake by believing we are keeping this commandment by not bowing down to images. Of course, there are modern controversies that could be discussed, such as the Catholic practice of veneration of saints and the use of icons. There is also the distinction that some have made between religious worship and civil worship.
Nevertheless, we should not be too quick to believe that we are never guilty of this ourselves. Human beings are image worshipers. Christians are image worshipers. This may sound surprising, but Christ, as the object of our worship, is the image of God and the exact imprint of his nature (2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 1:3).
It is common for children's bedroom walls to be filled with posters, images, of their heroes. It is not uncommon for adults to do similarly. Bumper stickers, plaques, posters, mugs, shirts, hats, framed jerseys, screensavers, ringtones, and other paraphernalia all can serve as representations, likenesses, images of those teams, ideas, groups, organizations, artists, etc., which we support with our time, attention, and money. How many of us treasure some likeness or image of one of those things that, upon closer analysis, represent something we might even be said to bow down to and serve? Perhaps we are not so far removed from the context of this commandment as might first appear.
Perhaps we are, after all, much the same as the Israelites at Mount Sinai. What reason is there for assuming that the passage of time has witnessed a change or evolution in human nature? The principle of idol worship in the human heart has not budged one inch from its place through the millennia. We have our own cultural expressions, which carry their own sophistication, much like the Israelites. But the variety of expression does not negate the common thread that weaves its way through all of us.
We may not literally bow down and serve things we call “idols", but the measure of worship is not so much the outward expression as the inner disposition. We may profess to honor God with our mouths, but our hearts may honor something different (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8). This focus on the inner disposition does not mean that the external forms of worship do not matter. This commandment is about external forms of worship.
The more significant mistake we make today is reducing obedience to this commandment to the mere omission of an image to bow down to and serve. The elaboration of the commandment makes all the difference. In prohibiting bowing down to and serving images, Yahweh is not content with no worship at all. God's people are clearly expected to bow down to and serve him. And why? Because Yahweh is a jealous God, visiting iniquity to sinners and showing steadfast love to those who love and obey him.
Yahweh cares how we worship. Yahweh cares about what we worship. If we are going to live for God through Christ, we must take seriously what God says about how he desires to be worshiped. And we do well to consider whether the representations of the things, institutions, teams, and groups we support indicate more than just a show of support. Our worship must be reserved for God alone, and our service to him may have no rival.