Deu 5:8-9 | KingComments | STEP | For His people He is the exclusive, only God. It means that all areas of life are under His authority. We know God as the One Who has revealed Himself in the Lord Jesus. This is why we know Him so much more gloriously than Israel knows Him. He who loves Him will keep His commandments and worship Him. Then there is no room for other gods. But God sees the danger that the hearts of His people are always inclined to deviate from Him. For us, that danger is no different. John speaks in his first letter about the blessing of eternal life in the believer. He ends his letter with the warning: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” ( ). Anything that interferes between us and God to tempt us to give it any honor is idolatry. As soon as we indulge in that temptation, we lose the enjoyment of the blessing of eternal life, which is Christ Himself: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” ( ). God is a spirit and cannot be represented by anything. Each image can only be a caricature of Him Who cannot be portrayed by human hands. Then God would be in the hand of man, who takes something from creation and shapes it according to his own fantasy. Those who know Him by faith as Father may worship Him in spirit and truth. The Father seeks such people ( ). The only image we have of God is the Lord Jesus ( ). He can say: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” ( ). Except for the Lord Jesus, nothing is known of God or is a blasphemous representation of Him. Every view of God according to his own thoughts is a graven image. God does not share His honor with anything or anyone. Whoever wants to make anything of Him visible, will bear the iniquity thereof, even into the fourth generation, which with the taking over of idolatry will also suffer the anger of God. On the other hand, we see God’s mercy in the lives of those who love Him and honor Him and serve Him as the only God. In effect, loving God carries much further: “to thousands”, than hating Him: “on the third and fourth” generations. Love far exceeds hatred.

‏ Deuteronomy 5:8-9

First and Second Commandment

For His people He is the exclusive, only God. It means that all areas of life are under His authority. We know God as the One Who has revealed Himself in the Lord Jesus. This is why we know Him so much more gloriously than Israel knows Him. He who loves Him will keep His commandments and worship Him. Then there is no room for other gods. But God sees the danger that the hearts of His people are always inclined to deviate from Him.

For us, that danger is no different. John speaks in his first letter about the blessing of eternal life in the believer. He ends his letter with the warning: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1Jn 5:21). Anything that interferes between us and God to tempt us to give it any honor is idolatry. As soon as we indulge in that temptation, we lose the enjoyment of the blessing of eternal life, which is Christ Himself: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1Jn 5:20).

God is a spirit and cannot be represented by anything. Each image can only be a caricature of Him Who cannot be portrayed by human hands. Then God would be in the hand of man, who takes something from creation and shapes it according to his own fantasy. Those who know Him by faith as Father may worship Him in spirit and truth. The Father seeks such people (Jn 4:23-24).

The only image we have of God is the Lord Jesus (Col 1:15). He can say: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). Except for the Lord Jesus, nothing is known of God or is a blasphemous representation of Him. Every view of God according to his own thoughts is a graven image.

God does not share His honor with anything or anyone. Whoever wants to make anything of Him visible, will bear the iniquity thereof, even into the fourth generation, which with the taking over of idolatry will also suffer the anger of God. On the other hand, we see God’s mercy in the lives of those who love Him and honor Him and serve Him as the only God. In effect, loving God carries much further: “to thousands”, than hating Him: “on the third and fourth” generations. Love far exceeds hatred.