Distracted Worship
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. - Exodus 20:4-6
When the Lord commands, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image," He is not being unclear, vague, or slippery with His words (Exodus 20:4). There is no fine print. No hidden loophole. No invitation to play interpretive gymnastics. He speaks plainly and directly because He wants us to understand Him without confusion. When God says we are to make no image of Him—Father, Son, or Spirit—He means exactly what He says. It's straightforward. No carved image. No painting. No representation.
And if that wasn't clear enough, God Himself practices what He commands. Nowhere in the Bible do we find Him sanctioning or providing an image of the divine nature. No portraits of the Father. No etchings of the Spirit. Not even an artist's sketch of the Son while He walked this earth. Think about that: the same God who crafted the universe, who filled the heavens with stars, who formed man out of dust, and who conquered death itself—if He wanted an image of Himself, He could have easily given us one. He could have had a perfect, holy rendering commissioned for every age and eye. And yet, He did not.
Even in the first century, when Jesus lived in a world full of portraits and sculptures made to honor emperors, philosophers, and generals, we have not a single depiction of Him from life. The God-man, the most important person in human history, chose to live without leaving us a visual representation. Why? Because God does not want us to worship Him according to what we think is best. He wants us to worship Him according to what He has commanded.
Jesus Himself made it clear: "Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed" (John 20:29). He is the same God who withholds visual depictions so that we might learn to trust His Word alone. And yet, some of us might still think we can improve on God's design. That we can add a little creativity or "enhance" our worship with images of Christ. But if the Creator of the universe deliberately chose not to give us such aids, what right do we have to create them?
But hear me on this: the second commandment isn't merely about staying away from crafting statues or refraining from putting a face to Jesus in a children's Bible. No, it goes deeper. It's about not trying to capture the infinite and holy in a form that is finite and unworthy. It's about refusing to worship God on our terms. It's about laying down our desire to control or manipulate Him and instead worshiping Him in Spirit and truth, just as He instructed.
Friends, many of us have been guilty of breaking this command in ways we've never even realized. It's easy to think, "Well, I've never bowed before a golden calf. I've never kneeled before a shrine." But idolatry isn't just about tangible images; it's about worshiping God in ways He hasn't commanded. Every time we sit through a sermon and let our minds wander, playing with our phones during worship, or when we're treating His holy Word as just another TED Talk. When we neglect the reading of Scripture, we are choosing our own version of Christianity. And in doing so, we're crafting an idol—not with our hands, but with our hearts.
The Westminster Larger Catechism rightly teaches that we are guilty of breaking this commandment whenever we neglect, despise, or lightly esteem the Word of God. Think about that. Whenever we show up to church without prepared hearts or let the distractions of the world drown out the voice of the Spirit, we're doing more than being inattentive—we are despising the way God has chosen to reveal Himself. We're saying, "Lord, I want You to be on myterms. I want to see You as I want to see You."
So let's be honest. When was the last time you came to the Word—at home or in church—and treated it with the reverence and awe it deserves? How often do we take the preached Word for granted, thinking we can get to it later or not at all? How frequently do we mentally "check out," not realizing that every ignored sermon, skipped reading, and lukewarm worship service violates this commandment?
And when we do that—when we try to reduce the Holy One of Israel into something that fits neatly into our busy lives—we are crafting a God who doesn't demand obedience. A God who doesn't mind if we're half-hearted. A God who is just like us. And that is not who God is! He is holy, majestic, and worthy of our attention and adoration. When we reduce Him to something small, we commit a grave sin. That is why, beloved, we must repent.
But there is good news! Christ is not only the model of perfect obedience; He is also the atonement for all our failings. He is the one who honored every Word of God, who revered His Father's will, who submitted perfectly—even unto death. And He did this for us. For all of our distracted worship. For all of our self-made idols. For all of our ways of trying to fit God into a box.
So today, let us turn from our idolatry and look to the One who did everything right on our behalf. Jesus—who obeyed where we disobeyed. Jesus—who loved where we were apathetic. Jesus—who worshiped perfectly so that we, through His righteousness, might be able to approach the Father in Spirit and truth. Let us ask for His grace so that we might worship as He commands and, in doing so, delight the heart of our Father.
