Molded Images

Isreal has been freed from Egypt.  God has met wth Moses and given him what we call the Ten Commandments.  While he’s gone, the Isrealites go back to what they know – remember they’ve spent 400 years in Egypt where there were gods-o-plenty and graven images everywhere.  They have Aaron make a golden calf and start worshipping it as if it was God.  Moses comes down after convincing the LORD not to destroy them all and breaks the stone tables God had written in. Here we see the LORD renewing his covenant with Isreal where he makes the following statement:

Ex 34:17 (NKJV) “You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.”

Exodus 20:3 – one of the ten commandments – commands Israel to have no other gods before the LORD.  Perhaps they were just making an image of what they would call the LORD so they could see it and worship it.  This time the LORD is a bit more specific.  He didn’t want them to make ANY image – of him or otherwise – to bow down to and worship.

Why?

The Lord put in my heart when I read this passage that He doesn’t want any image of him, because he doesn’t want you or me or Israel to put him in a box.  When I define God by the finite things I know, I limit Him in what I can receive from him or what He wants to do either IN me or THROUGH me.  He wants to remain “undefined” (sort of) in that I cannot imagine his form or ability.  He wants me to understand his nature and his character because he wants me to trust him and know that He loves me and is for me, even though I can’t get the my feeble, finite mind around his unlimited, unimaginable, unconceivable-by-the-human-mind essence and power.

So Papa I repent of every imagination and conception I have of you.  Forgive me for trying to define who you are and what you will do.  Open my eyes to see your hand at work in my life and in the lives of those around me and enlargen my faith to walk more obediently to your beckoning.  I believe Lord, help my unbelief.  I don’t want to serve a God I can understand.  I want to worship the God who AWES me with his mighty, miraculous works and displays of greatness that are “exceedingly abundantly more than I can think or imagine.”  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Running After Papa…

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