#170 - Joby Martin // What's Stealing Your Affection From God?

Summary

---

The Daily Blade, Episode #170

Title: Joby Martin // What's Stealing Your Affection From God?
Date: August 26, 2025
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

---

Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Blade continues a devotional deep dive into the Ten Commandments, focusing on the second ("No idols") and third ("No vain use of God’s name") commandments. Pastor Joby Martin unpacks what it means to have idols in the modern age, how these idols distract from wholehearted devotion to God, and clarifies misconceptions about taking the Lord's name in vain. The conversation challenges listeners to examine their lives for anything stealing affection or attention from God and urges authenticity in faith.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding the Second Commandment: Eliminating Idols

[00:20 - 02:50]

• Scripture Read: Exodus 20:4-6 - No carved images or idols.
• Modern Application:
  • Though listeners don't likely have literal carved idols, modern idols are subtler:
    • Lust of the flesh: Desires and actions we know are against God but pursue anyway (food, comfort, sexual temptation).
    • Lust of the eyes: Fixating on material things (money, possessions, status).
    • Pride of life: Idolizing self, seeking personal glory.
• Reflective Challenge:
  • “Are you worshiping idols? Do you treat anything in your world that is temporary as if it is eternal, like what gets your first love?” (Joby Martin, 00:53)
  • Listeners are encouraged to evaluate what gets their time, affection, and attention—does anything compete with God?

2. The Third Commandment: Living (Not Just Speaking) God’s Name

[02:50 - 04:00]

• Scripture Read: Exodus 20:7 - Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.
• Common Misunderstandings:
  • It's not just about profanity or saying "Jesus" in frustration.
  • Taking His name in vain includes living a life that’s mere “lip service without life service.”
• Deep Application:
  • “When we claim the name of God with our mouth, but we don’t live like it, that is vanity.” (Joby Martin, 03:38)
  • Using God’s name for personal manipulation or benefit is also vanity. Authenticity and alignment between professed faith and lived actions is essential.

3. God’s Jealousy Explained

[04:00 - 05:18]

• Key Concept:
  • The Bible describes God as a jealous God, but also says love is not jealous—how do these coexist?
  • God isn't jealous of us, but for us; He isn’t threatened by what we have but wants our undivided affection because it's for our ultimate good.
• Illustration:
  • Nursing mother analogy: Just as a mother’s sacrificial care is the best thing for her baby, God knows He alone fulfills us; anything else isn’t just second best, it’s harmful.
• Strong Quote:
  • “God knows that if he were to give us anything other than Himself, it would not be good for us.” (Joby Martin, 04:31)

4. Reflective Question & Exhortation

[05:18 - 05:29]

• Listeners prompted to examine their lives:
  • “Are there things in your life that you need to cut out? Get rid of the idols and make sure that your life matches the words that come out of your lips to the glory of God.” (Joby Martin, 05:19)

---

Notable Quotes

• On Modern Idolatry:

  • “Idols are really rooted in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” (Joby Martin, 01:27)

• On Authentic Worship:

  • “Don’t let your life be about lip service without life service. Because that is vanity.” (Joby Martin, 03:18)

• On God’s Nature:

  • “God is not jealous of us. He's jealous for us... Like a good dad or good mom is jealous for their child.” (Joby Martin, 04:17)

---

Important Timestamps

• 00:20 – Start of Ten Commandments deep dive: Second and Third Commandments explained
• 01:00 – What is a modern idol?
• 02:50 – Taking the Lord’s name in vain: More than just words
• 04:00 – Understanding “jealous God” in context
• 05:18 – Final reflective challenge and application for the listener

---

Tone & Structure

The tone throughout the episode is pastoral, earnest, and practical, aimed at urging personal self-examination among listeners. Joby Martin uses relatable metaphors and direct questions to encourage engagement and deeper understanding.

---

Summary

In this episode, Joby Martin calls listeners to examine their hearts for modern idols—anything competing for their devotion to God—and to ensure that their lives reflect, not just profess, God’s name and character. The powerful moments include a fresh look at God’s jealousy as a form of sacrificial parental love and challenges to cut out whatever steals affection from God. The message is clear: authentic faith requires clearing out idols and aligning our lives, not just our words, with God’s will.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

[B]

Welcome to day two of this deep dive into the Ten Commandments. We're going to pick it up in chapter 20, verses four through seven. You shall not make for yourselves a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to the thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. That's the second commandment. Now, the third commandment, verse seven. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. So the second commandment is simply this. You got to cut out the idols that we worship. God alone. Now, I know you probably don't have actual little wooden carved idols like they did in antiquity in your home. And if you do, you should get rid of them. But let me ask you this. Are you worshiping idols? Do you treat anything in your world that is temporary as if it is eternal, like what gets your first love? You see, idols are really rooted in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. And so are there things in your life that your feelings take over? And you know, God says, don't do this, but you do it anyway. You could idolize things like food or comfort or sexual. Are you. The lust of the eyes is when we set our eyes on the things of this world. Do you idolize money or possessions or stuff? Or sometimes we actually idolize ourself. This is rooted in the pride of life, where we are just trying to make a name for ourself, even though we follow a savior that says, if you want to be first, then go last. What is it in your life that is competing for your time, your affection and your attention, competing with the Lord of the universe. The commandment here is to cut those things out of your life. And then the third commandment is this. Watch your mouth. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Don't use God's name in vain. Now, this isn't just a commandment to not scream Jesus in an inappropriate way. And it's not just about the word GD Okay? This means don't let your life be about lip service without life service. Because that is vanity. That when we stand in church and we lift our hands and we sing all those wonderful hymns that our guy Kyle just unpacked a couple of weeks ago, and yet we walk out of here and we live however we want to live, then we are taking the Lord's name in vain when we claim the name of God with our mouth, but we don't live like it. That is vanity. When we use the name of God to try to manipulate him for our own good. This is vanity, and we have to cut it out. And the reason we don't worship idols and the reason that we don't use the Lord's name in vain is simply this. Because he says, because God is a jealous God. Now, oftentimes, this can confuse people because we're not thinking about it rightly. The Bible says that love is not jealous. That God is love. And yet God is a jealous God. So how can those things be true simultaneously? Well, when the Bible says that love is not jealous and that God is a jealous God, it means this. That God is not jealous of us. He's jealous for us. Like God does not sit up in heaven and see you get in your new truck and then cry out, gosh, I wish I had what they had. That would be silly. God owns everything anyway. But God is jealous for us. Like a good dad or a good mom is jealous for their child. And God knows that if he were to give us anything other than Himself, it would not be good for us. The best picture I know of this is when a nursing mom understands that when the baby cries out, what the baby needs is what the mom has to provide. And for the mom to give the baby anything other than herself would be unhealthy for the baby. And none of us would look at the mom and say, how dare you? I can't believe you would be so arrogant that you think that you and you alone have what they baby. And what that mama knows is. No, I don't think you understand. I love this baby so much that I am willing to go through great sacrifice in regards to time and sleep and in my physical body so that I can give this child the thing that that child needs to grow and who God has called them to be. And so for us to focus our time, effort, attention and money on anything other than the one true God. God knows that is not what we need and so are there things in your life that you need to cut out? Get rid of the idols and make sure that your life matches the words that come out of your lips to the glory of God. Come back tomorrow and we'll talk about the Sabbath.

[A]

Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.