Worshiping a golden calf or a graven image gives focus to
idol worship. There is a definite object of worship, and there are practices
which are expected or accepted in conjunction with that worship that frequently
includes some form of human gratification. Over time the worship of idols has
become more and more subtle. The obvious objects have given way to the hidden ones
of the heart. They have shifted from worship of false gods to the worship of others,
ourselves, and the things we treasure. They have also shifted from offering
sacrifices out to fear to putting in place protections so that we might not
fear.
Idol worship in the past had a focused object (as it remains
in some parts of the world today), whereas today the central objects have
largely become more obscure. But the reality of what is behind the worship of
idols really hasn't changed significantly. It is still strongly based in
seeking what we want or protecting ourselves from that which we don’t want, and
it still leads to our going to great lengths to achieve that which we otherwise
would not approach.
The reality is that idol worship is and always has been
about replacing the true object of worship with an imitation. Man was created
to be in a relationship with his creator God, to worship God with his whole heart,
and to serve God all of his days. This is also true for everything God created.
Even our earth and the heavens declared God’s greatness. And even the angels
sang God’s praise. This is how He created things, and how He intended them to
be.
But, in His wisdom He also gave choice in this worship.
Scripture records for us that the first one to abuse this choice was one of his
most beautiful angels, Satan himself. Ezekiel 28 begins with a rebuke of the
king of Tyre, but then with a second instruction it seems to shift from
speaking of a mere human king to someone bigger than that king who likely influenced
the heart of the king. We read this in Ezekiel 28:12-15,
Ezekiel 28:12-15 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him,
‘Thus says the Lord God, “You had
the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden,
the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz
and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the
turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and
sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were the
anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the
midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you
were created until unrighteousness was found in you.’””
Isaiah adds to
this picture, also speaking in terms that go beyond the nature of any human. In
Isaiah 14:12-15 we read, “How
you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have
been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your
heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you
will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”
Clearly we see
here that this individual is spoken of as being created beautifully and
highly placed. But then he became big in himself and extremely prideful, to the
point of seeking to raise himself to a position above God—saying I will, I
will, I will, I will, and I will. But God showed him that he wouldn't, and God
brought him down. Jesus said of this
in Luke 10:18, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” We read
in Ezekiel that Satan (as we know him now) was in the Garden of Eden in
his previous beauty, but in Genesis we read of him in the garden as the serpent
who deceived Eve, leading to the sin of Adam. And since that time the spiral of
sin has continued to hold man in its grasp, being subject to its deceptive
elements.
In Colossians 3:5-7 we get a picture of this idolatry of the
heart that drives fallen man and which can also influence even followers of
Christ. “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of
these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also
once walked, when you were living in them.” Before placing our trust in Christ
and receiving our salvation and our release from the bondage to sin, this is
who we were. Now we are told to live differently. John tells us in 1 John 5:21,
“Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”
Today Sarah
writes about our need to worship God alone and the traps that lead to our eyes
turning from Him to other things.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (7/11)
Worship Me only. Idolatry has always been the downfall of My
people. I make no secrets about being a jealous God. Current idols are more
subtle than ancient ones, because today’s false gods are often outside the
field of religion. People, possessions, status, and self-aggrandizement are
some of the most popular deities today. Beware of bowing down before these
things. False gods never satisfy; instead, they stir up lust for more and more.
When you seek Me instead of the world’s idols, you
experience My Joy and Peace. These intangibles slake the thirst of your soul,
providing deep satisfaction. The glitter of the world is tinny and temporal.
The Light of My Presence is brilliant and everlasting. Walk in the Light with
Me. Thus you become a beacon through whom others are drawn to Me.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol 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 fathers to the third and
fourth generation of those who hate me.” Exodus 20:4-5
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