In the first commandment, Yahweh makes it very clear, that he alone is the only God and Lord. He alone is the object and focus of worship. So what is an idol? It is anything that is the focus of our worship. We are natural-born worshippers. Humans have this genetic compulsion and need to worship something. The question becomes what are we worshipping?
Modern people don't really understand the Ancient Near Eastern Idol worship. We believe that this commandment means we cannot have any image or pictures that depict God or heaven realms. That is not the literally or intended meaning of this commandment. Because God even requests that we create an ark and a tabernacle to localise his presence for the people. However, it was never to be understood that we worship the ark or the Tabernacle, but we worship Yahweh alone, who cannot be contained.
ANE Idol worship was the norm for the Israelites and their surrounding cultures, it was easy for them to revert back to this mode of thinking. However, Yahweh radically imposes a covenant and a will upon than that is quite different than the norm of their surrounding society. Yahweh shows them that he wants them to be set apart from the world--Holy.
It is easy to lose focus that God is the provider and the sustainer of all life. It is easy to lose focus and forget that God is presence. It is easy to worship at the alter of normalcy, money, and the desires of my self. Lord help me to remember that you are Emmanuel (God with Us), and that you have a will for us and a desire for me to be set apart. Help me not to be normal, but radically different for you.
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