The Second Commandment

You shall not make yourself a sculptured image, and you shall not bow down to them or serve them.

God is forbidding us from creating gods in our own image, including creating God in our own image.

"Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
(Deu 4:15-19)

The pagans made forms of gods and came up with magic formulas for the purpose of getting them to do our bidding. God forbids us from taking part in this madness, and this certainly includes making forms of Him for the purpose of getting Him to do our bidding. While we Americans don't rush to make forms of God or the gods, our bookstores are full of formulas for getting God or the gods to do our bidding. This includes the use of astrology and crystals, and even Christianized approaches to "move the hand of God".

We must be careful not to worship the forms or the formulas, and worship the one true God. We must also be committed to asking not what God can do for us, but asking what we can do for God.

All by His grace, and all for His glory,
Pastor B.