Question 9 (February 26, 2023)
Q: What does God require in the first, second, and third commandments?
A: First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry and do not worship God improperly. Third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence, honoring also his Word and works.
MEMORY PASSAGE: Deuteronomy 6:13-14
It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you.
Family Teaching Guide
DAY 1:
Recite question and answer then read the memory passage.
The first three of the 10 commandments focus on our relationship to God. Describe the difference between vertical and horizontal. Explain that the 10 commandments (literally the 10 words) begin by addressing our vertical relationship to God. From that flows how we relate to one another (horizontal).
DISCUSS: The first commandment reminds us that there is only one true God and we are to know and worship and trust only him. Because God is God and created us, he alone is worthy of our worship and trust. There are many ideas in the world that promote different gods. In Egypt, where the Israelites were enslaved and from where they were eventually delivered, there were many man-made gods that were worshipped. The Greeks and Romans made up gods that had control over certain things like weather, the sea, war, and love. Some other beliefs hold that nature is god. Religions in the east claim there are thousands, even millions of gods. One of the things that makes Christianity unique is we are monotheists. That is a fancy word that means we worship one God not many. God has revealed himself in the Bible and we are to only love, worship, obey and trust the one true God that the Bible reveals. He is the only true and living God and because of that, he is worthy of our love, trust and worship.
Additional reading: Deut 6:4-5; Romans 3:30
DAY 2:
Recite question and answer then read memory passage.
The second commandment deals with the issue of idols and worship.
ASK: What is an idol? What is worship?
DISCUSS: Idols are simply man-made replacements for the one true God. We can make idols out of anything. Idolatry happens when we give our allegiance, trust and worship to anything or anyone besides God. John Calvin wrote that “The human heart is a factory of idols”. This means that our hearts are deceptive and we will naturally seek to find hope in and trust things or people other than God. Idols are not only carved images that we bow down to. They can be things that are even good and that we value above God. Things like money, family, jobs, opinions of others and friends can be really good things. They become idols when we treasure and trust them rather than God. Worship is a word that comes from worth-ship. It’s valuing. Treasuring. Esteeming. So worship is to place ultimate value or worth on something or someone. We are all made to worship. It’s built into us as human beings. We will always worship something or someone. So the second commandment tells us that only God should be worshiped. We are to worship him as he reveals himself in the Bible (not make God into someone he is not) and in the way he prescribes in the Bible (not make up how we are to worship him but look for instructions from his word on how he wants us to worship him)
ADDITIONAL READING: 1 Cor 8:4; 1 John 5:21; John 4:24; Psalm 95:6
DAY 3:
Recite question and answer then read memory passage.
The third commandment relates to how we speak of God, invoke his name, and how we treat him.
ASK: How does the way we talk about someone reveal how we view that person?
DISCUSS: God is holy, that is he is separate, weighty and perfect. Therefore we are to honor him and use reverence and respect when speaking about him. We are to honor God not only with our lips but our hearts and attitudes. We are to reflect a reverence and respect for God in our attitudes, speech and behavior. We are to speak about God in a way consistent with his word. Our speech should reflect that we value him, honor him and that he is worthy of our love and respect. In the same way, our attitude toward God should be one of respect. God is a loving Father to his children and so we have a familiarity with him but at the same time he is in authority over us. Our attitudes should not be one of rebellion, bitterness, attitude, or disrespect. Finally, we honor God’s name in our actions. We are made to reflect him and his character. We are to obey him out of trust and respect for him. Everything in our lives reflects our view of God because he made us in his image and we are to honor him with our whole self.
ADDITIONAL READING: Matt 6:9; Psalm 103:1; Psalm 105:3