Article April 19, 1947 Issue

Teaching the Second Commandment

"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 that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me. and keep my commandments." (Ex. 20:4, 5. 6.)

Occasionally a Sunday School teacher finds some difficulty in explaining the latter part of the second commandment to the children, and some teachers are inclined to give but little attention to this portion of the lessons. Considered in the light of the teachings of our beloved Leader. Mary Baker Eddy, the commandment in its entirety has an important place in the Decalogue, following as it does the great Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3). Christian Science teaches that God is Spirit. Therefore the second commandment calls upon us to renounce everything unlike Spirit, to give up all belief in materiality, for not otherwise can we render sole allegiance to the one true God. The commandment also points out the evil effects of belief in materiality, as well as the good which comes from accepting as real and true only Spirit and Spirit's creation. The second commandment emphasizes the necessity of observing all the commandments.

Perhaps the teacher experiences some difficulty with the word "jealous" as used in the commandment. The word "jealousy" as commonly used today conveys nothing of the qualities of God. but rather points to that which is the very opposite of God. However. Webster's dictionary gives as the first definition of jealousy "exacting exclusive devotion." and this definition, applied to God. coincides with the First Commandment. A little boy in the Sunday School of a branch church grasped the meaning of the word as herein used when he said, "God is a jealous God because He wants all the affection you can give."

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