Deuteronomy 5:8-10 Part of the Ten Commandments - this one is: you shall not make any graven image of anything in Heaven, on Earth, or in the waters. You shall not bow down before them and serve them. For God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate him, but showing steadfast love to those who love him and keep his commandments. 

We love to make idols, and God knows it. It seems to me, almost all of the problems in the Old Testament are a result of us worshiping incorrectly, that is worshiping something as a higher good than God. I do this all the time, although I don't realize it. We may no longer make as many "graven images" as they did in the past, but we definitely make and "worship" idol after idol. The pandemic has taught me to see these idols in my own life, and to give them up and turn only to God. He loves us, and will care for us when we turn entirely to him. Usually, my idols are good things, like family unity, but if I am giving everything to keep them, I am putting them before God. When I put him first, the other things fall into place. Sometimes I have to give up the good thing for a while (I do not have family unity right now!!), but I know and trust that he will show his steadfast love for all of us (he already has), and will bring all things to good.

I am also struck by how this seems like the second commandment, and what I know as the 8th and 9th commandments are actually combined as one (you shall not covet your neighbor's wife nor house nor anything that belongs to your neighbor). I wonder why the Church has kind of combined this commandment into number one and left it off the "official list"? Maybe because after Jesus took human form, it is okay to make images of him and holy people as long as we don't worship the image? I'm going to try to look into this.