Along with having no other gods besides Yahweh, Israel is not to make any idols. Of course, if the people obey the first commandment and worship only Yahweh, they would not make idols anyway. Toys, statues, and images are not always idols. What makes these items idols is our service to them as if they were manifestations or representations of God or gods. So, not every depiction of Jesus is a Second Commandment violation. Icons, rosaries, and crucifixes are made idols by a great many people today. Statues of animals and tools used to communicate with the dead or even apparent ghosts themselves are idols to many. Idols, even ‘Christian’ idols, have no power. In fact, God has made Himself available to people. He is jealous when we focus only on the images—or on images at all.
When Fathers worship idols or turn to anything other than God Himself, God visits the iniquities of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate him. Idol worship is equivalent to hating God. We have ignored Him in favor of things we make—worshipping the creature rather than the creator. I don’t think God is spiteful toward the children. Instead, I think He is being very gracious when He visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children. Because the fathers hate God, they are affected by their fathers’ sins and drawn to God even though their fathers have failed to lead them. The next generation is not always doomed to repeat the sins of their fathers because God gives them a reason to change, to worship Him.
To thousands, to those who love God and keep His commandments, He shows His lovingkindness—a promise even for the children of fathers who hate God.
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