Friday, October 2, 2015

The Lure of Idolatry

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”  (Exod. 20:3-6)

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, ‘What commandment is the foremost of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’” (Mk. 12:28-30)

            God is absolutely clear about who is supposed to receive our complete and total allegiance and fealty—God and God alone. The reason for this exclusivity is that there is but one God in existence in all of the universe. It is the God of the Holy Bible, the God of Israel. So, if He is doing a solo act, He possesses the authority to “call the shots”, to tell His creation, those who exist at His sole pleasure, that they do not have the license to go forth and create with their own imaginations gods or deities of their own personal designs.
            Yet, as humans, sinners that we are, we rebel against God’s directives and go our own way, thinking that we know best about life and people. We develop philosophies of thought that are in direct contradiction to the teachings of God’s Word, while not weighing the consequences of doing so. Thus, it should not be surprising when rebellious humans “reap the whirlwind” of justice, when not only do our best-laid plans and schemes ultimately fail, but also that the instruments of God Himself are rallied against us as well as all forms of idolatry.
            With all of this in mind, one would think, “How in the world would a professed believer in Christ ever open himself/herself up to even the possibility of falling into idolatry?” Those who have succumbed to its poison do not realize just how powerful and subtle the hold it has over them. How many times did Israel fall prey to idols and, yet, still believe herself to be faithful to Jehovah? Do we recall Aaron’s words regarding the golden calf that he fashioned for the people of the Covenant at their insistence? “—"This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt” (rf. Ex. 32:4). We are so easily mislead.
            I share this with you as a warning from a shepherd to the sheep. The gods of this age are many: self, money/greed, jobs/career, children, luxury, play/enjoyment, etc. If these largely intangible gods were physical realities like the substantial idols of old (or those in the Near East), many Christians would have a house full, like Micah (rf. Jg. 17:1-5 [5]). Indeed, the largest (and most popular) of the present-day gods, political correctness, would have its own suitable statue in each yard awaiting its desired human sacrifices, much akin to its ancient predecessor, Molech (rf. Lv. 20:1-5; Jer. 32:35).
            God is serious about wanting our complete and total devotion. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection does not give us grace in order to gain eternity in heaven just to pursue our idols of lust while on earth (rf. Rom. 6). Jesus means for us to be absolute committed to Him as His disciples and followers. This means having no other gods in our lives but Him. Is that absolutely true for your life?






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