Exodus 20:5-7 - You shall not bow down to them

20:5a

“You shall not bow down to them or serve them.” Whenever we make an idol out of something we end up serving it, becoming enslaved to some degree. “For I the Lord am a jealous God”, “Jealous” is possibly better translated as “zealous”, but be that as it may, the point is that we get offended by the exclusivity demanded by the Lord. But He is perfectly right to be jealous and demand our undivided loyalty. It is only God who created us, and it is only He who can truly bless us. God demands our worship out of His love for us.

20:5b,6

“Visiting the iniquities of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation”. We should not take the “third and fourth” in a strict mathematical sense, but take it more generally. The sins of one generation have an effect on future generations. This is something that we see again and again in life, both on a local and personal level, and on a national scale. What we do with our lives has an effect on many others. “But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love men and keep my commands.” What we have here is a clear statement of the justice and righteousness of God, together with an equally clear statement of the extent of His love, and the extent of His love is greater. Our usual practice is to highlight one or the other, which inevitably leads to a wrong idea of God. 

20:7

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”. This is probably given in the context of swearing falsely, using the name of the Lord to add gravitas to a false statement, hoping it will encourage people to believe your lie. It is not outlawing taking oaths as such.