The first and second commandments are often mixed up or combined and made the same and wrongfully so. The first has to do with the being of God and our trust in Him. No other gods. The second has to do with His church and covenant and the worship of Him. There is a temptation to worship God through the worldly idols (against the first commandment.) God chooses to reveal Himself in the face of Christ and our worship ought to be unto our and that God of our salvation in Spirit and in truth!

Idolatry is always the first commandment. No graven image or likeness of Me. We may not make anything to worship God worship Him through anything. We worship Him as He has revealed to us in His word and as He has given us guidance to in His Word. This was also told to Israel in the Old Testament. Oh what a commentary to the church world at large today who want to worship God as THEY see fit....as we see fit.

Anything we think or comprehend of God is earthly and is a LIE. The danger is always there as we would like a conceptual image of God. That cannot be done because God is a Spirit, is transcendent, and there is nothing or no one like Him! Period! The virtues we have are reflections of Christ within us and to have a likeness of God is not only impossible, but an INSULT! Nothing can be likened to God and He is to be worshipped in His incomprehensible virtues. We know God through His revelation of Himself to us in our Lord Jesus Christ (as Israel of old did.) It is through the scripture and everything we know of God is ALWAYS in our Lord Jesus Christ! You don't bow to an image or draw a likeness of God. But with bended knee approach Him as "Our Father in heaven" and "Our Father for Jesus' sake" in deep concepts (love for us as one example) that have to do with our salvation and that speak to our faith! No man will ever lay eyes on the living God, but in Christ we will see His reflection...as our salvation which is to KNOW God in our Lord Jesus Christ! Let God so be preached so that we may KNOW HIM!

So much weight is this command of worshipping Him properly that God visits iniquity in generations. When we don't preach who God is correctly then generations cannot properly worship God, understand Him, or even know Him. But when we do worship Him as He has commanded and shown us, He will show us mercy in continued generations as we worship Him and keep His commandments.