I'm a movie guy, and one of my all-time favorites is Raiders of the Lost Ark. The boulder scene, the fistfight around the Nazi bomber, the car chase where Indy climbs underneath a moving truck. … I could go on and on. But there is an early scene in Raiders that seems weird every time I watch it:

An army of South American natives surrounds Indiana Jones. Belloq (the bad guy) takes a small golden idol from Indy's hand and thrusts it into the air. Immediately, all the natives bow down.

I know it's just a movie, but I can't help thinking: Do they really take a little golden statue that seriously? Why would they bow to something like that?

Of course, idolatry isn't a "Made in Hollywood" idea. Idol worship exists all over the world, and we see it taking place throughout the Bible. In response to this popular form of worship, God gave Israel a very strict commandment:

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them … " (Exodus 20:4-5, NIV).

Straightforward, isn't it? Have nothing to do with idols. No making, worshiping, serving, bowing, nothing. God could've stopped there, but he decided to include a reason for this command:

"For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments" (Exodus 20:5-6, NIV).

God forbids worshiping idols because he is a "jealous" God. He wants our worship for himself. But God isn't jealous out of selfishness or greed, like we usually understand jealousy. God's jealousy is a love-driven jealousy. Here's how we know this:

You see, when God created the first humans in his image, he filled them with love because he is love (1 John 4:16). But then sin messed all that up, and love was no longer pure but loaded with selfish motives and desires. But as messed up as we are, we're still created in God's image and we still, down deep inside, want to know and experience real, lasting love. God knows this, so he is jealous for our worship because he wants us to experience him and his love to the fullest.

It's kind of like God is standing up in heaven, with tears of love in his eyes, saying: "It makes me so mad and hurt when you worship those God-wanna-be's! Those fake gods will only drag you down and leave you sad and empty. But I want you to worship and obey me alone so that you can live a life filled with my pure and unselfish love."

Now, let's get practical. God doesn't want us to worship idols. That's clear. So, if we keep away from little golden and wooden statues, we're safe, right? No, that's not quite enough.

The little golden idols in our lives are the things that we choose to pursue when we should be spending time with God. Some are always bad, like illegal drugs, pornography or sexual promiscuity. But many of these things begin innocently, like watching ESPN, playing Guitar Hero, or going on a shopping spree. We make these things idols when we try to fill our emptiness with them. And just like stone or wooden statues, they have nothing to offer us in response to our worship. They can't give us the love we're seeking.

"Do not make idols" is a really hard commandment to follow. It asks us to resist the urge for a quick fix—something that only fulfills us for a moment, or something that provides a tiny Band-Aid for a gaping wound. It invites us to bring our sinful selves before a holy God, acknowledging that he alone can fill us with what we so desperately need—his love.

Jason is a youth pastor in Essex, Massachusetts. He has a degree in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College, and he is pursuing a Master's degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

About God's Top Ten: This article is the first in a 10-part series on the Ten Commandments. Found in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:1-21, the commandments offer practical guidance for loving God and for loving people (Mark 12:28-31).

Read more from 'God's Top 10'

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