Let’s begin in the middle, shall we? By the middle I mean the middle of the Biblical scope, because I plan on touching on a lot of Scripture in this lesson. Today we are thinking about worship and idolatry, plain and simple. One of my favorite Scriptures about idolatry is found in Isaiah 44:6-23. I challenge you to read that right now.
So here we are near the middle of the Bible and we come upon the voice of God in it’s most sarcastic (do we dare say that?) manner. God does have a sense of humor—and he uses it to get our attention to cause us to laugh and then he drives home the point. Verses 19-20 are my favorite from this passage.
No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”
Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
If you go out today and pick up a log and split it with an axe, would you start carving an image to worship? Probably not. But there are people today all over the world who do that very thing—or they refine metal to make statues to pray to, or carve marble and such. I think it is a little light-minded of some writers to dismiss idolatry in our western American culture. Maybe for the more “civilized” of us (note the sarcasm here as well), we would never imagine having such religious paraphernalia in our homes or our cars. But we need to be very aware that in many places in America, idolatry is alive and well. Have you ever entered a restaurant and seen statues with incense burning and fresh fruit at the feet of that statue? I have. That’s idolatry. Have you ever been in the home of a neighbor or friend where they have some kind of small statues or semi-precious stones to ward off evil? I have. That’s idolatry. Yes, we’ll get to the less tangible forms of idolatry in this lesson. But before we dismiss this more tangible forms from our American midst outright, we have to come to terms with it today.
Richard Thompson, in the Illustrated Bible Life, wrote well about this: “[N]othing in creation can be used to make God visible or accessible to us. Yet this also suggests that such attempts to domesticate God and make God accessible in our creaturely images are doomed to fail, because they limit God and violate the essential divine nature.”[1] When Jesus met with the Samaritan woman—who had been living in a culture where pagan practices (including idolatry) had been blended with Hebrew religious practices—he made a profound and important point: God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24). He interacted with her to save her soul and to show her what true and eternal love is. We see multiple references throughout the Old and New Testaments to the unlimited Spirit of God. The first two of the Ten Commandments are all about establishing God as Someone who cannot be limited or formed into an image or for the purposes of manipulation or control.[2] Matthew Henry wrote, “[F]or all the beauty of the body of a man [or woman], when pretended to be put upon him who is an infinite Spirit, is a deformity and diminution to him.”[3] “And “that tree [which is used for both idols and fire by which to cook] has no innate virtue in it for its own protection, it is as capable of being burnt as any other tree.”[4] Here is the profound truth: anyone who bows down to any idol is captured in a lie.
Just a few chapters after Exodus 20:4-6, what did the Hebrew children do? They made an idol. They had lived so long in the Egyptian culture that they had assimilated the lie that an image could be their god to fear and manipulate! (Exodus 32) No wonder there was such judgment called down upon them!
Several generations later Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40—you should read this, too) is a powerful example of the confrontation between pagan idolatry and the Most High God. The Baal religion was deeply embedded in the minds and the hearts of the people in that region. So much so, that they had a vast array of priests who constantly taught the people to not only engage in pagan practices, but led them to believe that their gods were powerful enough to meet their needs (note the plural on gods). In this Biblical scene and in so many others, the one, true, living God demonstrated who he is in one fell swoop and pagan people acknowledged that.
Another several generations later, Gideon was called by God to tear down all of the idols in his region. In Judges 6:1-27 we see a remarkable encounter between an oppressed and depressed man and his limitless God. Gideon finally accepts both the commission and the power to do what God asks of him. But in a rather human way. Let’s read 6:25-27.
That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”
So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
I think that it is important to come to terms with the power of idolatry. How could a nation of ex-slaves turn so suddenly to it? Why was an isolated Samaritan woman so knowledgeable about her religion? What kind of economic system was in place to support the vast number of the prophets of Baal, their temples and their practices?
Speaking of economics, there is one more passage about idolatry that is particularly important to look at. It is in Acts 19:23-41. The setting was in Ephesus where we find Paul and his companion-missionaries. They were evangelizing in the heart of idol country. These fearless disciples of Jesus Christ come up against one of the most powerful aspects of idolatry. It is very important that we look closely at a portion of this passage. I will add some emphasis.
About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
It is fascinating that the argument Demetrius led with was an economic one. It is profoundly important to understand that the chaos of the crowd was instigated by a threat to their economy. Of course, he was speaking to the business world of the time, but he only ends with an appeal to the greatness of a goddess. This in turn explodes unthinking rage and fear in the masses who had bought into the lie that a goddess was their savior.
Now let’s read the full text of the second Commandment found in Exodus 20:4-6.
You shall not make for yourself an image 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; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents 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.
The Stone edition of The Tanach translates Exodus 20:3 it this way, "You shall not recognize the gods of others in my presence."[5] We need to understand that in the world in which these people lived bowing down to another god was a very common and acceptable practice. God wanted to instill in the Hebrews the reality that there is just one, true, living God and he is Spirit, not made of wood or clay or metal. The Tanach commentators wrote the following. "This commandment comprises four negative injunctions: 1) it is forbidden to believe in idols; 2) it is forbidden to make or possess them; 3) it is forbidden to worship them through any of the four forms of divine service (prostration, slaughter, offering upon an altar, libations of wine or other liquids upon an altar; and 4) it is forbidden to worship an idol by means that is unique to it." Here is the point: idolatry can be the use of any object, person or event in place of God. If you live where gods are exhibited in a variety of created forms or if you live where wealth, power physical experiences, etc. are worshipped, the temptation to idolatry is great.
Idolatry, in any and all of its forms has profoundly negative consequences. From the passages we have read we can garner a list of consequences: fear, death, violence, despair and the darkness of lies. In fact, if you read the rest of Gideon’s story you see the tragic turning to idolatry again. (Judges 8:22-27)
And from Paul’s writing in Romans 1:21-25 we read of more negative consequences. Again, emphasis added.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
That is quite a list of negative consequences, isn’t it? We haven’t even touched on the second part of the second Commandment—which involves the consequences to some of the second, third and fourth generations who see these behaviors, imitate them, adopt them and suffer for them.
But it is not all gloom and doom. Generations before Jesus Christ lived his grace among us, the prophet Ezekiel spoke God’s words of future hope (18:14-17 emphasis added): But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things: He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife. He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor and takes no interest or profit from them. He keeps my laws and follows my decrees. He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. For we live under the wonderful, forgiving grace of God. We and the generations after us can choose to not live in those idolatrous lies. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us in our weaknesses and God’s wisdom to guide us into all Truth!
This second of the Ten Commandments, given by God through Moses to the Hebrew people many centuries ago, is still legitimate and powerful for those of us who believe today. There is a point that must be understood. The Ten Commandments are for those who love God. They are designed to keep those of us who choose to believe and follow him. If anyone thinks that keeping the Ten Commandments will get them salvation, they are very wrong. This is a sad twist of truth that prevails today even in some Christian teaching. The opposite is really true. If you love and follow God through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, then you are able to keep God’s law! Idolatry tries to woo or frighten us into thinking that we need more than that. But no! It is only through the grace of God that we are saved. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
If anyone tells you that you need to do a long list of things or pay a certain amount of money to be saved, they are lying to you. All you need is to simply ask God to forgive your sin, repent (turn from) sinful behavior, believe that Jesus Christ saves you now and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then you will be able to keep the Commandment to shun all idolatry. God does not require you to be clean first to come to him. He invites you to be washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of his love. You can do this at any time in your life. It is a simple, life-changing step into his wonderful light. 1 John 5:1-5 states, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Once you take the step of faith in believing in God’s personal salvation for you and putting your faith in him alone, you are required to live as God has instructed you to live. Remember that you will not be doing this by your power alone! It is a key Christian understanding that the Holy Spirit guards, guides and empowers us to live as we are required. It is also key to understand that God is the forgiving God. When we break one of his Commandments, we must quickly repent and he will forgive us. What a great God we serve!
In the New Testament Jesus addressed the issue of another form of idolatry, that of worshipping miracles. Jesus had been walking about healing people and feeding thousands of them miraculously. Jesus said that “a wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign.” (Matthew 16:4) But that is a fruitless effort as well. They were missing the very tangible and touchable presence of God right there in their midst! The religious leaders of the day did not believe his miracles were of God. Nor did one of his disciples, Thomas, believe that he had risen from the dead. Miracles in themselves do not prove or disprove God. Throughout the Bible we can read about ungodly sorcerers and prophets who could produce incredible miracles. It is the God of miracles we are called to be in relationship with, not to worship the miracles themselves. Once we look to the miracle more than to God, we are participating in idolatry. It is also true that if we choose to not have faith in God, we will find something to idolize. We were born to worship God. God is invisible and faith is required. In John 20 Jesus told Thomas, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." God is Spirit and Truth and we must worship him as such. This is the essence of faith in God. This is the reason that God gave this second Commandment to the Hebrew people and to us today.
Obedience to God keeps us in a lively and loving relationship with him and brings great peace and reward. Disobedience brings great trouble. Exodus 20:5-6 describes that God has jealousy and passion for his people. His jealousy leads to sure retribution. He can, of course, have this kind of jealousy. He is a good God, full of mercy and compassion. He does not want his children to be harmed. So, he is willing to exact punishment for not obeying him to bring them to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) This is an act of love and mercy worthy of our worship. God loves us so much that he will not share affections with other gods. He knows that ultimately, they will leave us broken, bleeding, joyless and hopeless. If we understand who God is, then our worship will be sincere, trusting and full of joy—great consequences for being obedient!
Challenge One: Ask God to show you if you have areas of idolatry in your life. If so, tear them down!
Challenge Two: Integrate into your prayer life intercession for those bound to the sins of idolatry.
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2020
Excerpts of this lesson were taken from Who is God? A Devotional Journey Through Genesis and Exodus by M.R. Hyde.
[1]Illustrated Bible Life, Fall 2020, The Foundry Publishing, Kansas City, Missouri.
[2]Ibid.
[3] Henry, Matthew. Unabridged Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (best navigation) (Kindle Locations 147264-147265). OSNOVA. Kindle Edition.
[4] Ibid. Kindle Locations 147277-147278).
[5] The Tanach: Stone Edition, Mesorah Publications, Brooklyn, NY, 1996.
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