
Hopefully, we are familiar with the Second Commandment, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Ex. 20:4). Furthermore, in our Reformed circles, we understand that we have a more robust understanding of this commandment than most other traditions, especially when we consider what this commandment requires and forbids. It is not only that we are not to make any modern-day "golden calves" to worship (Ex. 32), but the Second Commandment commands us to only worship God in the ways prescribed in his Word. This is commonly called the regulative principle of worship.
The Westminster Larger Catechism, question 109, states, “The sins forbidden in the Second Commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself.”
In considering the duties commanded and the sins forbidden in the Second Commandment, though, we would also do well to note the promise accompanying the command.
Consider Exodus 20:5-6: “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." There’s a promise of both judgment and grace.
We often struggle with this commandment, especially the promise of judgment, because it seems unfair. Notice that four generations are visited with the iniquity of their fathers. And yet, despite our discomfort, we must admit that we have seen its reality play out. Some of you have seen this in your own families, or maybe in families of your relatives or neighbors, where patterns of rebellion crop up, generation after generation. This commandment reveals the heart issue behind this generational sin – false worship.
When we read this command, we should feel a healthy fear and trembling. Consider the prospect: What happens if I play fast and loose with God, with who He is? What happens if I disregard His Word and, rather than trying to bring my life into conformity with His Word, try to accommodate God to my preferences?
It reminds me of Voltaire’s famous quote, “In the beginning, God created man in His own image, and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since." John Calvin writes that our “hearts are a perpetual idol factory.” We all worship, but the Second Commandment instructs us to only worship God by how he desires to be worshipped.
To worship falsely is dangerous, and the Second Commandment helps us see that the danger is not just for our souls but for our household and generations to come.
This is where parenting demands to be mentioned. What will the inheritance be that you leave to your children? Will we love God and love him the way he has instructed? Will our children see us praising Christ, confessing sin, repenting for our failed ways, and striving to follow him in the newness of life…or will they not?
Be sure to complete the application, especially for fathers. As the spiritual head of your house, note the warning. Your worship, whether God-centered, biblically regulated, or idol worship, will have generational implications.
Dads, it is our task to pursue the hearts of our children—will we teach them the truth and point them to Christ? Will we model godliness and faithfulness for them? Will we pray with and for them? Will we ensure that we are with them in that place God has ordained, Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day, to hear His Word proclaimed? Will we strive to have them in a household of faith that worships God in the ways that he has prescribed? This is our great calling.
Men, this application is not only for those dads who are raising young children. As a grandfather, you still greatly influence your family and the generations after you. Even if you are a single man in the church, you are still a father figure to the covenant children in the congregation. You vowed at these children’s baptism to assist their parents in rearing them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The covenant children look up to you.
I am so thankful for how other men have modeled love for Christ to my own children. I love to hear my kiddos talk about people in our church who aren’t related to us. “Dad, you should have heard Mr. Jones praying today. It was great. Dad, did you see Mr. Lane singing in worship today? You could tell he loved it.”
Brothers, you are real fathers in the faith to our covenant children, even if they are not your blood relation. Model the worship of Christ to the children in the congregation. The young dads in your church will love you for it. They need help in leaving a legacy of faith to a thousand generations by loving God and keeping his commands.
Sean Morris serves as the associate minister of Covenant Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge Tennessee.
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