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The Worship of the High Places
When we read in Scripture about the worship in the “high places,” some of us may automatically assume that this is a reference to pagan worship. That assumption is not fully justified. Although the people of Israel were not commanded to worship God in “high places,” nevertheless it seems that they did. The first clear…
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Baal vs. Golden Calves – Part 3
In two previous posts (post 1 – post 2) I have advocated for the idea that the golden calves represent a deficient worship of the LORD (one that like Roman worship purports to worship the living God through dead images) not Baal worship or the worship of an equivalent non-existent pagan deity. There’s at least…
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Distinguishing Baal-Worship from Jeroboamic Idolatry
There are at least two additional passages (beyond those we last discussed) that provide us with further evidence of the distinction between Baal-worship and the institution of the golden calves of Jeroboam, which were intended in service to the God who brought Israel up out of Egypt. 1 Kings 22:51-53 Ahaziah the son of Ahab…
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Ahab vs. Jeroboam | 1st Command vs. 2nd Commandment
Not all sins are equally heinous in God’s eyes. The sin of Jeroboam was to set up a rival worship of God according to his own imagination, with his own priests, and images, namely golden calves. He set up one of those in Dan and the other in Bethel. 1 Kings 12:28 Whereupon the king…
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Sins of the Fathers Upon the Children – The Case of Abijah
1 Kings 14 provides a very sad story of Jeroboam and his family: 1 Kings 14:1-18 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh:…
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Further Response to Mr. Albrecht Regarding Debate on Veneration of Images
In a new video (audio + slideshow only), Mr. Albrecht has responded to the comments in my post (link to post) regarding the debate. This is in addition to the comments he submitted to me by email, and which are already addressed in the original post via an update to that post. I’ve provided the…
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Veneration of Images Debate with William Albrecht
On December 2, 2010, William Albrecht and I debated the topic: “Is the Veneration of Images Sinful?” I took the affirmative position and Mr. Albrecht took the negative position. Below I’ve provided the Youtube version and mp3 of the debate, as well as some very important notes. (link to mp3 for the debate) I relied…
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James Gall on the Second Commandment
The following is excerpted from “A Key to the Shorter Catechism” by James Gall. Q. 49. Which is the second commandment ? A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or…
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Thomas Ridgley on the Second Commandment
The following is an excerpt from Thomas Ridgley’s, “A Body of Divinity, wherein the doctrines of the Christian religion are explained and defended: being the substance of several lectures on the Assembly’s Larger catechism” (pp. 328-335 of Volume 2 of the 1855 edition) THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. Question CVII. Which is the second commandment? Answer. The…
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Jonathan Cross on the Second Commandment
Jonathan Cross’ “Illustrations of the Shorter Catechism” has a section on the 2nd commandment (link to work). These illustrations are anecdotes. Presently, Google is permitting this book to be downloaded in pdf and epub format, so this might be something to download to place on your child’s Kindle or other book-reading device. To God be…