God’s Image Study • Commandment 2: Idols and Images
Our examination of images must also reach inward. We can question a religious object while leaving our own attachments untouched.
Ezekiel describes elders of Israel coming to sit before him. Outwardly, they are approaching a prophet. Yet YHWH (יהוה) identifies something their approach does not resolve:
“these men have set up their idols in their hearts”
— Ezekiel 14:3, LSB, excerpt
Notice that they are still coming to inquire. Their religious activity exists alongside an allegiance that separates them from God.
Verses 4–5 connect their idols with estrangement from Him. Verse 6 calls them to repent and turn away. The required response reaches beyond appearing before a prophet: they must relinquish what has drawn their hearts away. Read Ezekiel 14:1–8, LSB.
This brings a question directly to me: am I seeking God’s instruction while protecting something I have already decided He cannot ask me to surrender?
I may ask for guidance while accepting only the answer that preserves my preference. I may welcome correction until it touches a cherished belief, a relationship, my reputation, or the approval of people I depend upon.
That is where examination becomes personal.
Paul gives an explicit example of idolatry beyond a carved object when he identifies greed as idolatry in Colossians 3:5. The surrounding instructions concern desires and conduct that must be put away. Later, he describes compassion, humility, patience, forgiveness, and love as qualities to put on. The examination therefore includes both what governs our desires and how we treat others. Read Colossians 3:5–14, LSB.
Consider how this can appear in ordinary decisions:
Do I excuse wrongdoing in someone I love while condemning the same conduct in someone else?
Do I defend a teacher’s statement because of that person’s position before examining whether it is true?
Do I protect my place in a group by remaining silent about something I know needs examination?
Do I hold a belief beyond question because changing it would require admitting I was mistaken?
These are questions for self-examination. They help us identify where an attachment may be competing with obedience.
Family deserves particular care here. Jesus explicitly addresses loving father, mother, son, or daughter more than him, placing the cost of discipleship within even our closest relationships. His words require us to examine the priority we give those relationships when following him brings conflict. Read Matthew 10:34–39, LSB.
Putting God first should shape how faithfully we love our families. It cannot become an excuse for neglect or cruelty. But love also cannot require us to call wrongdoing right, bear false witness for someone, or make their wishes the final authority over our obedience.
James brings another part of this into view. His example concerns favorable treatment given to a richly dressed person while a poor person is dishonored. He then connects love of neighbor with the condemnation of partiality. Applying that examination to our own loyalties means asking whether affection, status, or belonging changes the standard we use for people. Read James 2:1–9, LSB.
A warm manner can exist alongside an unjust decision. We therefore need to examine what we do, including whose voice we dismiss and whose conduct we excuse.
The same examination can reach music, a religious atmosphere, possessions, or a familiar practice. What place have I given it? Am I willing to examine its message and its influence, even when it brings comfort?
I must also examine the image I protect of myself: the knowledgeable person, the faithful person, the person who has already understood.
If preserving that image makes correction unbearable, what am I defending?
Threads to Follow
Becoming like what we trust: What connection does Psalm 115:4–8 make between idols and those who rely on them?
Hearing without doing: How does Ezekiel 33:30–33 describe people who enjoy hearing a message while leaving their conduct unchanged?
Love directing obedience: How does Matthew 22:37–40 keep love for God and love for our neighbor together?
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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