Exodus 20: 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Listening, the Israelites are likely shocked! “What’s wrong with idols?” they think. An internet search tells us: Ancient Egyptians worshipped a vast number of deities, with estimates ranging from several hundred to over 2,000 idols. This polytheistic belief system included gods and goddesses who represented various aspects of life, nature, and the cosmos. The exact number is difficult to determine due to the evolving nature of their religious practices and the many local variations in worship.
Not only are the Israelites used to the Egyptian pantheon of gods and goddesses, but they undoubtedly have all kinds of gold and silver shrines, amulets, idols, and jewelry their terrified Egyptian neighbors have given them as they have fled Egypt. Many Israelites are probably still worshiping some of the Egyptian gods, figuring “Why not? What’s wrong with a little extra protection?” Problem is, these folks don’t realize they are paying homage to demons, and demons never bring peace, only confusion and despair.
5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Of course, this statement is true, but why does God connect idol worship with ancestral curses going on for generations? Children copy their parents. When parents worship idols, they naturally dedicate their children to those same idols, with terrible consequences. Once so dedicated, those children will have to repeatedly struggle to gain their freedom. While there is more power in one drop of the Blood of Jesus than in all the forces of hell, such spiritual battles must be fought persistently. Those children will never know peace until they have been freed from the curses brought on by idol worship.
We knew a man in Ghana whose name meant “second.” While this man appeared to be a harmless charming businessman, he was actually a fetish worshiper involved in a very evil cult. We were forced to live on the ground floor of his house for several months. At around 2 AM, we would feel an evil presence descending through our ceiling from this man’s rooms. We would have to get up, pray, and play praise music about the blood of Jesus to drive away the evil. Eventually, we learned that this man’s mother had wanted a second son, so she had promised the fetish priest that if the fetish would grant her a son, she would dedicate that boy to the fetish from the womb. This man was our landlord, and the poor fellow had been dedicated to demons before his birth. Incidentally, the demons would only manifest themselves at certain times; fellow missionaries refused to believe our stories about this man, assuming that he was sweet and innocent.
We have another Ghanaian friend whose family name was that of a traditional fetish. This man was from a royal family, indicating that his ancestors were traditional chiefs. Chieftaincy requires those becoming chiefs to swear loyalty to a variety of fetishes. Despite this evil heritage, our friend is a vibrant Christian, a pastor, and the founder of a Christian school that has educated thousands of children for twenty-six years. This friend’s story demonstrates that freedom in Christ is possible. This man’s family and his students are blessed by his dedication to Jesus Christ.
God makes His truth clear: worship Him and bless your family for a thousand generations. Refuse to worship Him and bring curses on those same descendants.
Now those Israelites are standing in a crowd, listening to the Word of God that Moses has brought to them. Too bad, many of them are already modifying it or rejecting it mentally, assuming that what they learned back in Egypt is going to get them through.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to worship You only, truly and whole-heartedly, having no other gods before You, for then we shall have peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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