November 2 - Commandment #2- American Idols

Commandment #2- American Idols

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that
is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…”
Exodus 20:4

G.K. Chesterton said, “When a man refuses to believe in God, instead of believing in nothing, he will believe in anything…” This is what God wants to keep us from at all costs.  In Exodus 20, God defines for Israel and for us the importance of not putting others things in front of Him.  He says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…” (Exodus 20:4) The word "idol" or "idolatry" appears over 220 times in the Bible, and unfortunately it has not been banished from the vocabulary in modern times either.  We are just as prone to fall prey to them.  Believe it or not, idols are still very much part of our lives though they sometimes surface in different ways than in the Old Testament.  They were very literal back then but we just as quickly worship idols in America and all over the world.  You have idols all around you.  You can make idols out of anything.

These other gods were problematic for the Israelites because they had just come out of bondage in Egypt where many gods were worshipped and the Israelites would find themselves often surrounded by people who worshipped other Gods. The Second Commandment prohibits God’s own people from making other gods for themselves or making a likeness which becomes a god. It recognizes that there are other gods (small g) but those gods are not worthy of worship. Here is a call from God not only not to worship any other god, but not to worship the true God in the wrong way. This a warning against idolatry. It is a warning repeated many times in the Scriptures.

There’s a vivid story of this in the 21st Chapter in the book of Numbers. In their wandering through the wilderness, the people of Israel were attacked and tortured by fiery serpents because of their complaining and Moses, on the instruction of God, made a bronze serpent and set it up on a pole. Those who had been bitten looked at the bronze serpent and they were healed. Not much is made of this story as it is found in Numbers, but centuries later we find that bronze serpent making another brief appearance. This time, in 2 Kings, chapter 18, we find King Hezekiah breaking the serpent in pieces because the people had been burning incense to it. What happened? What Moses had used as a reminder of God’s power prevailing over the poison of serpents, little by little, had become a god itself.  This has happened in Christian history with the cross. The cross, meant as a reminder of God’s great love, meant to help worshippers fix their hearts and minds on the One who bled and died for their souls, that cross for many has become regarded with superstitious reverence. The gold or silver cross has itself become a holy thing and it is confused with the reality for which it stands. The problem with symbols as a substitute for God is that symbols are simply not adequate. They cause us to settle for less.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote in Chapter 5: "Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good."  Jeremiah was talking about the impotence of idols. The truth of the matter is that they do have power in our lives, a negative power, in which they divert us from the true God Whom we must worship in Spirit and in Truth. The lesson is this: Whenever anyone or anything usurps the place that God should have in our lives, we’re guilty of idolatry. 

Idols are anything that relegate God to less than His rightful place. Good things can be idols just as easily as bad things. Some people worship their family.  Their children or their parents consume so much of their lives that there is no room for God. Strange to say but family has become their god. Now understand this, family is a good thing. It was after all, God’s idea. But family was never meant to become a god. We were never meant to worship at the altar of family. Some people worship work. Their careers consume so much of their time, talent and energy that there is nothing left for God. The company they work for has become their god. Now understand this, work is a good thing. It was after all, God’s idea. But work was never meant to become a god. We were never meant to worship at the altar of our jobs.

Gordon Dahl once wrote, “Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship.” You can see how easily that can take over. Some people worship themselves. I heard about the guy who said, “I’m tired of talking about me…you talk about me for a while.” They are so self-indulgent that they cheat God by keeping their lives free from God. They are too busy sleeping in on Sunday morning to come to church and worship. They become their own god.  Now understand this, we are a good thing. We are, after all, God’s idea.  But we were never meant to become our own gods.  We were never meant to worship at the altar of “ME”.. Rick Warren said, in The Purpose Driven Life, “It’s not about you…it’s about God.” There are many other gods people create and I’m sure you can think of many. I’ve not even mentioned wealth or sports or hobbies or television or any of a million other things that take the place of the One True God in people’s lives).

Little gods will always accommodate you and provide the easy path…but
it will also provide the most painful path.  The Almighty God requires worship above all others and the results will be life everlasting.   Life is fulfilling when we keep Him in His rightful place.

Terry Risser

Reflections:

1)   What is an idol that you have made in your life?

2)   How can you put God back in His rightful place through repentance and praise?

Consider reading the Word today:

Copyright 2014- Terry Risser