Thursday: The Problem with Idolatry
Isa: 40:19-20
Idolatry destroys a unique, intimate relationship with God by replacing Him with something else ( Exodus 20.4-5; Isa: 42:8). So, prophets refer to idolatry as spiritual “adultery” (Jer: 3:6-9, Ezek: 16:15-19).
Read Isaiah 41:29. How does Isaiah characterize idols? How do you understand what he is saying there about them? Why is that so accurate a depiction of any idol, no matter what it is?
Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com
Ancient idolaters believed they worshiped powerful divine beings through images or symbols of them. Worship of an idol representing another god breaks the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod: 20:3, NRSV). But if an idol is intended to represent the true God, as the golden calf was ( Exodus 32.4-5), the Lord rejects it as a likeness of Himself, for nobody knows how to depict Him (Deut: 4:15-19), and nothing can represent His incomparable glory and greatness. Thus, an idol itself functions as another god, and worshiping it breaks the first and second commandments.
God’s people don’t need idols, because they have His real Shekinah presence with them in His sanctuary. To worship an idol is to replace and, therefore, deny His real presence.
What kinds of idolatry do we face as a church today? Does idolatry appear in more subtle forms in the church today? If so, how?
“Many who bear the name of Christians are serving other gods besides the Lord. Our Creator demands our supreme devotion, our first allegiance. Anything which tends to abate our love for God, or to interfere with the service due Him, becomes thereby an idol.” — Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, pages 1011-1012.
We know from ancient writings that idolatry was attractive, because it was about materialism. Using modes of worship people could relate to, idolaters honored forces they believed could give them fertility and prosperity. It was self-help religion. Sound familiar?
Just before the Lord comes again, with His way prepared by the roadwork of a final Elijah message of reconciliation (Malachi 4:1-6), the choice will be the same as in the days of Isaiah: Will you worship the Creator, or will you worship something else (Revelation 13:1-14:20), for in the end, we always worship something.
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I know some folk who are into bird photography but when you start talking to them they always want to talk about camera gear. How big is your lens? Do you use a full-frame sensor, or an APC sensor? How much does your camera cost? and so on. I actually ran into a group of these folk out walking one day, and the camera gear conversation was in full swing. I quietly walked up the track a bit and suddenly found myself alone with a very cooperative Crested Shrike-tit and took about 30 very nice photographs. Meanwhile, the conversation about "my lens is bigger, faster, more expensive than your lens" continued just up the track. Some bird photographers have lost the plot. For them, the camera gear is more important than the photograph of a bird. Some folk, after seeing some of my bird photographs ask me what gear I use. I usually tell them, but add that the gear is not all that important. It is knowing where the birds are, what they are doing, how often they come back, how they react to humans, mixed with a lot of obstinate persistence and a fair bit of luck. To change the metaphor a bit, if someone cooks you a delicious meal, do you ask them what sort of pots they cooked it in?
Our fascination with things and objects can indeed extend into our spiritual lives to the extent that we lose the plot. We become so involved in church organisation, proving we have the right doctrine, ensuring we have the best TV/media ministry that we forget the primary purpose of our spiritual life. In fact, there is nothing wrong with any of these things. They are necessary but when they obscure our vision of God and become more important than our Christianity, they become idols.
In the recent and continuing investigation into sexual abuse in church institutions in Australia, one of the big issues was that sexual abuse was covered up because it would affect the public perception of the institution. The institution became more important than Christianity.
Idolatry is not limited to the worship of carved or painted images. We can make the church itself an idol. We can make our doctrines an idol. We tend to think of idols in terms of heathenism because that shifts our focus away from some of the issues closer to home.
Jesus said:
When we get that right, church buildings and organisations, doctrine, and our treatment of one another will fall into the right perspective.
Hi Maurice, I hope you do not mind. I am sharing your thoughts on FB and other social media. In the end if truth is spoken, it is not of ourselves, but from God 🙏🙏🙏
You are welcome to share Louis.
Same here Sir Maurice.
Maurice said “We tend to think of idols in terms of heathenism because that shifts our focus away from some of the issues closer to home.”
Oh so true!
And closer to home is not just church or country, it is the thoughts and actions of the person seen in the mirror.
I actually know one who would ask "what type of pot/pan did you cook that in?!". They refused to eat anything at the potluck that was cooked in the "wrong cookware", based on some bad information they took as truth.
Yes, many photographers are in it for the gear.
Hope you wont mind i will be sharing your thoughts in my lesson discussion class God bless you.
You are welcome.
These thoughts impacted me from today's map into the Word of the LORD.
Israel did not need a representation of the LORD to worship Him. They heard His actual voice and saw the cloud over the Tabernacle indicating His actual Presence on the Mercy Seat.
Then the LORD actually came down and walked and talked with the Jews for 33 years.
We don't need a representation to worship the LORD, we have His written Word and His presence in our hearts and minds which are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
He has taught us we don't need an image when we have His Words and Spirit, they are much more powerful than any representation could be of the most glorious and powerful Being in the universe.
It’s easier to find other ‘gods’ to serve today than we may want to believe.
There are innumerable people, concepts, objects and ideas presented to us that can take our energy, commitment, finances and affection that belong to God. These things we can choose as security rather than the God of Heaven our Creator.
Unless God is given our time and daily submission through worship and prayer we can be sure another ‘god’ has taken His sovereign place in our hearts.
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.... I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Ps 40:6-8.
The Problem with Idolatry
Idolatry is far and wide beyond our thinking, we can be living in idolatry and dont even know it. But is that an excuse for not being destroy. What does the bible says. My people are destroy for lack of knowledge, because thou had rejected knowledge... Hosea 4:6. If we know but do not do, we shall be beaten with many strips, if we refused to learn or acknowledge we will still have to give account for the sin of idolatry. Luke 12:46-48. Rom 2:12-16.
Idolatry is anything we place before God. It is anything that come between us and God. My devotional hymn today was #330 from the Adventist Hymnal. Take My Life and Let It Be. A part says- Take my heart (mind), it is thine own, it shall be thy Royal Throne. My heart becoming the Lord Royal Throne is a place where he and he alone dwells. If He is dwelling in me, it is impossible for something else to dwell there, because he is a jealous God. As he dwells in me, nothing, not even my beloved spouse and children with all their accomplishments can become my idols. Many Christians idealized their families with their accomplishments. How many times have we broken the sabbath to go to a wedding, or a graduation etc. Isn't that person/people so important to us that the sabbath takes second place?
Many times we say, oh, I don't worship idols, or I am not committing idolatry but do we only put one too many thing before God? In our conversation with others, who and what do we constantly talk about? Do we delight to talk about God, do we include him to all of our conversations? When people want to acknowledge us for our talents, achievements and great work do we point to the source of the talents, or we just smile and say thank you, you know/don't know how hard I worked!!!
Solution to this- constantly acknowledge Jesus as the giver of all good gifts.
What I have done- My times in conversation people would ask me what does my spouse do? How about my children? When I let them know about some of the achievements we have accomplished in few years, they want to praise us saying things like- you people are very hard working and talented. I quickly divert them to Jesus and him alone deserves the praise because without him nothing will be possible.
As I studied Wednesday's lesson, I reflected on the "Communion Table" in it's fixed position at the front of my church. No one was allowed to touch it, except those officiating during the communion service - including some who were living double lives. On a regular sabbath, to accidentally place your bible or hymnal on it as you re-positioned the podium for Sabbath School, would propel a deaconess/deacon, whether on or off duty, out of his/her seat, to quickly remove it! "It's holy, it was dedicated to the service of God, and therefore, it shouldn't be used outside of the communion service," some posited.
Some were angered, and debates erupted, when one brother argued that it was a man made wooden table, that could be used during the other services in the church as well, and that the table itself was not holy!
Your views!
Pam
My view- do we have 'holy' things in the church as in olden times? We hear these words over and over again that the tithe is 'holy' unto the Lord. The communions things (basins, towels, etc),
To me, the sabbath is holy, the bible is holy and men are called to be holy.
What about those congregations who rent buildings e.g schools?
Some churches have worship on sabbath, rent out the building on Sunday for Sunday worship, and school during the week. The used the same things as on the sabbath.
What about those poor congregations who dont even have a place to worship who worship under trees? Those who gather in homes to worship. The book of Acts says the members 1st gathered in homes to worship before the church building was erected. What did Jesus said to the woman at the well. John 4:20-30. Many are so confused about the mundane things in the church that we major in them.
One time a member came up with the notion that only men should be up on the rostrum with the preacher.
No doubt, the Creator knows His creation ‘man’ intimately because He created him. It is man who forgot that he is a, from the dust of the earth formed creature. When I AM created/designed the creature ‘man’, the design determined the relationship man can have with his Maker. Man was not consulted and asked his preferences about how he wants to show/demonstrate/honor/worship/conduct himself in this relationship with his Maker. Man was made in HIS MAKER'S Image, and this fact determines the type of relationship man has with Him. The only 'wiggle-room' left for man’s free will was to choose to have an amicable, loving relationship or an adversarial one.
I prefer to look at this study-topic from the perspective of: "how do we worship our Maker rightly"; Our Maker wants to reside in the heart and mind as our God, the ultimate Authority, and communicate with us by His Holy Spirit.
Maybe the problem with latent idol worship in the church, the body of Christ, is that the individual believer does not fully recognize the subtle forms of latent idol worship.
One definition of the word latent is: “Present and accessible in the unconscious mind but not consciously expressed.” Maybe some believers *worship idols* without being aware that they do so.
The lesson writer states: “God’s people don’t need idols, because they have His real Shekinah presence *with them in His sanctuary*. To worship an idol is to *replace and, therefore, deny His real presence*.” What does this mean to an unbeliever or even an believer, can it be clearly understood? It sounds a bit like theology-speak to me; how is this Truth to be understood and applied in real life? Does this statement imply that man is needing to worship something, look to as a *god* who directs and helps, perceives that he is not an *accidental* product of evolution, remaining forever incomplete if not knowing the real Truth about his existence?
Yes, I say that this is the case! Unbeknownst to man, he seeks to find his Maker; the ones who re-connected with their Maker are a testiment to this Truths. We are now learning how to rightly build and maintain an intimate relationship with our Maker based on Spirit revealed, scriptural Truth.
The sound of the Father’s voice is new to the heart and mind of the redeemed soul, and it is essential that the believer becomes comfortable to recognize it as he follows the Father’s directive voice. Without this intimate communication, the relationship will not form the needed, solid foundation upon which the believer's Faith can mature and grow.
As I see it, the problem with latent idolatry in the church might persist because so many still do not recognize the voice of God and realize the power contained in our Maker’s first commandment.
He admonishes us to turn to Him, without reserve, to give to Him all our heart, mind and soul, and to engage with the follow creature man as He has engaged with us, His children – to have compassion, show kindness and live by the Light of the *Word of God*.
All by itself, the consecration of all that we are will assure the blossoming, intimate relationship we seek and desire and eliminate any type of involuntary idol worship.
It is comforting to know that mankind will be given another chance to accept his Creator when the from-Heaven-sent Messenger comes speaking the *Word of God* and so manifest the power of the Holy Spirit’s Light to dispel spiritual darkness - Mal.4:5,6KJV.
Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God...." (Matt 6:33). Jesus said, "Love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul, strength ..." (Matt 22:37; Deut 6:5). For me these quotes shed light on how to keep the first two commandments.
Here's a practical application I've pondered this week....
I'm house-sitting and dog-sitting for a precious family right now who have an only-child daughter in middle school. We had dinner together Monday night, before they left for a ski vacation. Over dinner they were sharing with me the challenges to keep Izzy and all her friends playing basketball through the pandemic. Parents built basketball courts in their driveways. One dad has built a full-sized court in his yard, at the cost of several thousands of dollars to haul fill and pave and so forth. They hired coaches to come to their homes and hold neighborhood basketball camps this past summer. My friends noted wryly how much effort they are all expending while being aware that probably none of the girls are slated for basketball greatness.
Even before the pandemic hit, I've seen how much energy families put into their kids' participation in sports. It becomes a full-time endeavor where life is pretty much kids at school and parents at work, and then every free moment outside of that, including weekends, is reserved for meets and games and practices. Certainly, youth who show promise might then get into an even more rigorous training, as for potential Olympic athletes whom, I've read, will train 6 hours a day, 6 days a week.
What are the controlling forces in the children's lives you know? What dominated your time growing up? How do we show the generations following us what it means to put God's kingdom first by how we spend our time? How does an athlete use his or her talents to further God's kingdom?
The purpose of this post is not to single out one activity as idolatry. I can see all sorts of health benefits and life-lesson and spiritual-lesson benefits from athletic training. I can also see how it can become a form of idolatry - idolizing the youthful body, idolizing "winning", idolizing human-sized power and strength, idolizing fitting in with what all the other families are doing, idolizing athletic heroes and measuring and modeling lives based on what these stand-outs are doing. How we spend our time and focus is based on the passions of the heart. To obey the first two commandments, in all things Christ must have the preeminence (Col 1:17-18).
Sometimes you hear an athlete say, “I want to give all the glory to Jesus” during an interview. How does an athlete draw attention to who God is? What if he or she (1) doesn't base self-worth on approval from coaches and other teammates and spectators, (2) trains to further their relationship with God - celebrating God's awesome workmanship in the creation of the human body (Is. 43:7; Psalm 139:14; Gen 1:27), (3) expresses contentment no matter the outcome (Phil 4:11-13), and (4) witnesses that they define "success" not by winning and setting new personal records or by any outcome in life, but by their relationship with Jesus and resultant love for others? Mightn't that person be glorifying God through their body?
The apostle Paul at the end of his life said, "I know in whom I have believed and am not ashamed" (2 Tim 1:12). The Israelites wanted to be the same as the nations surrounding them, they didn't want to be different (Eze. 20:32). The writer of Hebrews uses an athletic metaphor to tell Christians to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus....scorning shame" (Heb 12:1-2).
If idols are nothing, what to those who worship them really worship? Isn't the only real answer: Self?
To worship anything besides the Creator of our world/universe is to first reject Him. If it is "foolish" to deny God and His existence, then it must be obvious that He does exist. Those who do believe, worshiping in spirit and truth, find overwhelming evidence to exercise faith in.
What makes aplace Holy is the presence of God.The burning bush was Holy because of God's presence.Holy means to be set something a part for God's use.It is like when we have made a vow to God we should be faithful to keep it.The story of annanias and Saphirah is a sample of what happens when we take lightly the things of God.On flip side self righteousness is the highest level of ldolatry.When we are self righteous we become very accurate in seeing other people sins and not our greatest need for our need for Christ.