Exodus 20:1-6 (NIV)

1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Reflection:

God is pretty clear that the only thing that will bring life and satisfy our desires is Himself. That is why He introduces these first commandments. The problem in the time of Isaiah was that people had grown fond of their own ways and desires…their own ‘recordings and songs.’ Idolatry was the rhythm of the generation, and God had been drowned out by music of selfishness and sin. John Calvin once said, ‘the human heart is a perpetual idol-factory.’ And it’s true. This is the struggle of all humanity, and the frustration that Christians face as these old ‘factory-made’ habits tempt and pull at us.

The reality is that we have been given a new heart in Christ from which new songs and ways of worship/life happen. Isaiah invites us to once again look deep into the heart, to see that God reached deeply in and saved us.

Response:

Let’s throw out the false worship and ways, even the idols we have of God as we want Him to be, and once again follow the Servant as He is and fully experience the passion He has placed in our heart. Let’s turn to the Lord and express our desire to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.