Recently I’ve felt compelled to write about the Ten Commandments. I’m not sure exactly why. I have been focused on the second and fifth especially recently, but I think part of the reason is simply to put forth my current view and interpretation before I begin my MA in Biblical Studies program in early 2027.

Let’s dive into the second commandment.

You Shall Not Make For Yourself an Idol or Worship or Serve One

When I think of idols, images of golden statues, reminiscent of the golden calf in Exodus, totem poles, and Buddha statues fill my mind. All of these are objects used in some way in worship. It’s pretty obvious this commandment applies to these kinds of things. Aaron learned that the hard way.

The Second Commandment speaks directly about making and worshiping idols. But the rest of Scripture makes clear that idolatry reaches far beyond carved images.

Over the years I’ve come to appreciate just how broad idolatry can become. An idol can be anything that begins to receive the devotion, trust, dependence, identity, or priority that rightly belongs to God.

That means almost anything can become an idol: sports teams, exercise, work, hobbies, money, even alcohol.

I’ve written before about why I stopped drinking alcohol over three years ago. One of the things I eventually realized was that drinking was taking me away from a relationship with God. I could rationalize drinking because alcohol itself is not an idol to everyone. I didn’t realize, though, that it had become one for me. I turned to alcohol to decompress under stress when I should have turned to God.

That’s an idol.

I was an active private pilot for a season in my life. I owned a Cessna 172 that was almost as old as I was for close to a decade. Often I would opt to fly Sunday mornings because of favorable weather. It was difficult to fly during the week because of work, and if Saturday weather was not favorable, then Sunday remained the only day to fly. Since mornings were usually the best time of day to fly, especially in the summer before convective heating created mild bumps and sometimes thunderstorms, I often chose flying over church.

That’s an idol.

Some weekends, Saturday night services conflicted with a desired college football game, and Sunday services could interfere with getting settled in for football. Often it became easier to sleep in, read the Sunday paper (remember those?), and ease into a day of Sunday football rather than rush to get showered and dressed in the morning, drive 45 minutes to our church, then get home barely in time for kickoff.

That’s an idol.

Even things that appear healthy can become idols. Working out is good. Taking care of the body God has given us is good. But even there, motivation matters. Are we caring for our bodies responsibly, or has appearance, performance, or vanity become central to our identity?

There’s nothing inherently wrong with drinking alcohol, pursuing hobbies, following sports, or exercising. You can’t automatically identify an object or activity as an idol. The question is what place it occupies in your life. If it begins to receive the devotion, dependence, or priority that belongs to God, it has become something more.

Idols in Scripture could represent false gods, or even become an improper attempt to represent and approach the true God. The golden calf itself is a fascinating example. After the calf was made, Aaron proclaimed, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” At the very least, Aaron’s declaration suggests they were not simply forgetting Yahweh altogether. They were attempting to incorporate the calf into worship that Aaron associated with the LORD, something God had expressly forbidden.

That makes the Second Commandment more challenging than simply saying, “Don’t worship statues.”

I think it’s easy for us as Christians to read the Second Commandment and stop at its most obvious meaning: don’t bow before a carved image.

But idolatry can be much more subtle and much more personal.

That leads to a remarkable truth, and part of what I mean when I sometimes say I’m “not really religious.” Christianity is not ultimately about performing religious rituals or checking boxes. At its center is reconciliation and relationship with God.

We enjoyed unbroken fellowship with God in Eden and lost it in the Fall. From Genesis 3 onward, Scripture tells the story of God’s work to redeem and restore what sin shattered, ultimately through Christ.

The Second Commandment protects that relationship by warning us not to replace God, distort Him, or give to something created the devotion that belongs to the Creator.

God calls us to Himself. He does not desire divided allegiance. He calls us to turn toward Him, trust Him, and receive what He offers. I believe we are genuinely able to respond to that call, and genuinely able to reject it.

And that means the question of idolatry is not ancient history. It is personal.

What gets my time, attention, devotion, and loyalty?

What, if anything, am I allowing to stand between God and me?

Once we begin to see the Bible not simply as a collection of ancient books and stories, but as the story of creation, rebellion, redemption, and restoration, something changes.

This isn’t merely the story of Israel, or of people who lived thousands of years ago.

It is us.

Image by Grok

Earlier this year I announced the launch of the Weekly Bible Wrap Up podcast, where I go over the previous week’s Bible readings following a one-year Bible reading plan. I wasn’t sure of my “why” for doing it, only that I got the message that God wanted me to do it. When God asks, the best response is “Yes”!

I had no expectations, only to follow what I was commanded to do. Thus, every week, usually on time but occasionally a day (or as in this week, three days) late, I basically read my notes from the readings. I am sure I miss the mark sometimes, and sometimes I am lost to the meaning of some verses. Reading King James doesn’t help the matter either. But I plug on. Here are a few lessons I have learned along the way:

1. This is an exercise in faithfulness.
2. Because of number 1, listener count is not a goal.
3. However, for each listener I feel a sense of responsibility to continue.
4. I have felt like quitting many times, but see numbers 1 and 3.
5. Using Anchor by Spotify and my phone makes production easy.
6. I have become a more intentional Bible reader.
7. Because of number 6, I understand the Bible more.

Today I also had an epiphany. As I stated on the episode I recorded a few hours ago, I occasionally revisit my pain from my failed first marriage. Even though that happened 30 years ago, the pain never fades; I just learn to deal with it by submerging it in my being. But somewhat like the Vulcans and the imbalance caused by Ponn-Far, it seems that I periodically need to revisit that pain intensely to purge it. It reminds me of a saying from my college years – “you need to go crazy some of the time, otherwise you’ll go crazy all of the time”. Last night I intentionally revisited that pain, though I didn’t know why, only that I have the feeing that God leads me to a message or revelation when this happens.

I found the why this morning. I had to catch up on two days of readings before recording, which meant beginning Hosea. There I was reminded of the premise of God comparing His relationship with Israel to Hosea’s with his unfaithful wife Gomer, and therefore the reason last night of revisiting my pain. By doing so, I more acutely understood, even felt God’s pain with Israel’s unfaithfulness through Hosea.

Experiences like that continue to teach me to seek and follow God’s plan for me, not just long term but this day, this hour, and this minute. I hope you too constantly look for God’s plan for your life, and don’t save those thoughts only for Sunday.