The second commandment essentially says, “Don’t worship idols.” An idol is a statue that people worship as a god, but it can also be anything at all that comes between us and God.
Douglas got a new video game that’s really fun. It’s sort of like paintball, and it’s super messy and colorful, and he wanted to play it all the time. He started noticing that he was spending all of his free time playing this game. He’d play before school, he’d play when he got home, he’d play after dinner, and in the morning he’d start all over again. Douglas wanted to read his Bible every day this year, but there were MANY times where he decided to play the game instead of read. The worst came one Sunday morning when Douglas didn’t feel like going to church—he just wanted to play his game. So he lied to his parents and told them he was sick. They trusted him and went to church without him, and as he sat down to play, he thought, “WHAT AM I DOING?” At that moment, he realized that this silly game was coming between him and God; this game was BECOMING his god. After his parents came home, he told them what he had done. He got in trouble, but besides the punishment his parents gave him, he decided for himself that he wasn’t going to play that game for a whole month. He didn’t want it to come between him and the One True God anymore.
Idols can be anything that comes between us and God, and sometimes it’s actual idols, as in statues of false gods. We should be careful to not worship them, certainly, but even to keep them out of our houses, like statues of Buddha or other false gods. Is there anything in your life that you are letting come between you and God? Let’s all do our best to follow the second commandment!
Bible Verses About the Second Commandment:
- Exodus 20:4-6 | The second commandment
- 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 | Keep away from idols
- 1 John 2:15 | Do not love the world
- Colossians 3:1-2 | Set your minds on things above
- Romans 1:18-23 | People are without excuse
- Psalm 115:4-8 | Idols are useless
- 1 John 5:21 | Dear children, keep yourselves from idols
Family Time Questions About the Second Commandment:
• What is the second of the Ten Commandments?
• What is an idol?
• What are some examples of things that can come between us and God?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for being the one true God. Help me to always follow you with my whole heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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