Modern Idolatry
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· 13 viewsWhat does Modern Idolatry Look like?
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Introduction
Introduction
If I were to ask, “what was Israel’s biggest problem in the Old Testament?” Most people would respond by saying, “idolatry.” This is true. Idolatry was a massive and recurring problem for the Israelites.
This is surprising because if we are truly God’s people, then we need to serve God and renounce the false Gods. That’s foundational to our faith, and it’s foundational to the Israelites as well. Exodus 20:1-6. The first two commands of the Big Ten talk about serving God and only God.
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
But the Israelites continued to fail at this. Exodus 32:1-6.
1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
Right after they received the law that said “don’t make images,” they made images.
So, this is a problem that the Israelites had, and it’s a problem that continued throughout Old Testament history. Ezekiel 16:1-22. In this context, we see vivid imagery of how God saved Israel, but they turned on him.
1 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, 3 and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. 5 No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.
15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord God. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.
So, this was a big problem for the Israelites, and ultimately God would punish them because of this. Ezekiel 16:38.
38 And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.
This was a big deal to God. He punished them for this.
So, it’s clear that the Israelites had a big problem with idolatry, but what does this have to do with us?
We aren’t creating carved images.
We aren’t worshipping other gods
“This isn’t a problem for us.”
If we think that idolatry isn’t a problem for us, then we don’t understand idolatry because idolatry is a problem for us. That’s why we need to know what it is so we can identify it and stay away from it.
So, in this lesson, we are going to talk about idolatry and see how it affects us, but before we do that, we need to define idolatry. Before we can identify idolatry in our lives, we need to know what it is.
What is idolatry?
What is idolatry?
I think Psalm 16 gives us a good definition. Psalm 16:1-4.
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
Like I said, this text shows us what idolatry is. here, the psalmist says that “[he has] no good apart from [God].” Idolatry is when we seek good apart from God.
We see this in verse 4. Psalm 16:4.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
David says that he’s not going to go after other gods; he won’t even speak of them, but not everyone is like him. David says that there are Israelites who go after other gods, and what are they doing? They are seeking good apart from God.
That’s what Idolatry is (at least it’s part of what idolatry is). It’s seeking good apart from God. It’s seeking good in the creation rather than the creator.
Why did Israel serve Baal?
Baal was the god of rain/fertility. They served Baal so they would have a good growing season for their crops.
Instead of relying on God to provide for them, they sought good from another God.
This is why the prophets describe idolatry as adultery/marital infidelity.
Ezekiel 16:6-15. In the context, we see the imagery of God marrying Israel, but they abandon him and seek others.
6 “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ 7 I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.
8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.
15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his.
Hosea 1:2, 2:5. We see the same thing here. God is described as the husband of Israel, but they abandon him to seek others.
2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”
5 For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
So it’s obvious that adultery is used as a metaphor for idolatry, and it makes sense. What is adultery? It’s seeking good apart from your spouse.
God designed marriage where the husband and wife seek good in each other.
So, what is adultery? It’s when you abandon the relationship and seek good from someone else (in the sexual sense).
We saw this in Hosea 2:5.
5 For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
They were seeking good apart from God. The irony is: God was the one really providing the good. Hosea 2:8.
8 And she did not know
that it was I who gave her
the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and who lavished on her silver and gold,
which they used for Baal.
I think this answers the question. Simply put, idolatry is seeking good apart from God. It’s seeking good from the creation rather than the creator, and this doesn’t mean that we can’t have good in our lives…
This doesn’t mean that we can’t find good in our marriage, our family, or our jobs.
The point is: are we content with the good that God has given us, or do we try to create good for ourselves. Instead of relying on God’s power, do we rely on human power to obtain good?
Again, we can find good in our marriage/family/jobs, but are these things taking some of God’s space in our lives? It’s not that these things totally replace God, but do they take some of God’s space?
… And if all of those things (marriage, family, jobs) were gone, would we still be good? Would we be good with God if all of the other things were taken away? If not, then it’s likely that we are finding good without God.
So, can we fall into this trap of idolatry? Yes… Here’s a couple of examples.
Idol of wealth
Idol of wealth
Wealth is one of the ways that we try to seek good without God. With wealth, we can find ourselves falling into the trap of worshiping the created things instead of the creator. This is made clear throughout the NT.
Colossians 3:1-6, Ephesians 5:3-5.
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
In both of these passages, Paul talks about how greed/covetousness is idolatry. The idea is that wealth has become an idol to those who are greedy. They are trying to seek good without God.
Jesus talks a little about this. Matthew 6:19-24.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Jesus talks about the dangers of wealth, and he says that we can’t serve two masters. The idea here is that wealth can become a god to us.
So, the NT is clear about this. Wealth can become an idol for us. We need to examine our lives to make sure that we aren’t using wealth to seek good without God.
Here are some questions that we can ask ourselves:
Am I content with what I have? Hebrews 12:28-13:6.
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
The author of Hebrews says that we should be content. Why?
Because God will never leave us. God is the one who provides us with good…
The author of Hebrews tells us that we need to be free from the love of money so that we don’t seek good without God.
The Lord is my helper. He is my foundation. Not wealth.
Where do I set my hope? 1 Timothy 6:17-19.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Paul wants Timothy to tell those who are rich to set their hopes in God and not riches. Why?
God richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
The point here is that God provides us with good, but if our hope is set in riches, then we are trusting in our wealth to provide us with good.
Wealth can become an idol for us, we need to make sure that we trust in God rather than wealth.
Idol of politics
Idol of politics
Politics, or government, is another way that we try to seek good without God. For many Christians, politics has invaded God’s space. Rather than relying on God for good, at times we rely on the government and politicians. We saw this with the Israelites.
Ezekiel 16:26-29.
26 You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. 27 Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. 28 You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.
Rather than relying on God, the Israelites were relying on other governments, and notice how its described. Its described as adultery… abandoning God and relying on other governments was like idolatry.
Hosea 2:5.
5 For their mother has played the whore;
she who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
who give me my bread and my water,
my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
Here we see the same thing. Israel is relying on idols, but not just idols. They are also relying on other governments to provide good for them.
These governments became idols for the Israelites. Obviously, we are not immune to this. We can fall into the same trap as well… with our government.
We’ve seen this over the years, haven’t we? There are people who believe that their entire world is going to come to an end if “the other side” wins.
What kind of attitude is this for a Christian to have? Don’t we rely on God for our good?
If the government does good, then that’s great, but we should primarily rely on God for our good.
This idolizing of government and politics leads to dangerous places. It has come to the point where Christians are worshipping their politics.
I heard a wise man once say, “If your religion lines up perfectly with your politics, then what are you really worshipping.”
I saw this play out on FB once. There was a Christian man who posted that refusing to say the pledge of allegiance is sinful. This man was idolizing his politics. Instead of moving politics to fit religion, he was moving religion to fit politics. Instead of striving to be on God’s side, he was forcing God to be on his side. This man worshipped his politics.
Sometimes we fall into the same trap. Sometimes we force God to be on our side, and we fail to realize that we need to be on God’s side.
The fact is: neither side is on God’s side. Both sides are evil.
After the civil war, Abraham Lincoln said this: “Both [sides] read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces but let us judge not that we be not judged.”
The point that President Lincoln was making is that there is evil on both sides.
It’s easy for the North to highlight all of the immorality in the South, but we are not perfect.
President Lincoln was essentially saying, ‘God isn’t on their side, but he isn’t on our side either. He’s on his own side.’ “The Almighty has His own purposes.”
Vote your conscience, but in the end, we need to be on God’s side. We must rely on him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
That’s the point of the lesson. We need to rely on God. If we seek good apart from God, what we are really doing is relying on creation rather than the creator, and that doesn’t make much sense.
Jeremiah 2:13.
13 for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
It doesn’t make sense to look for good away from God, does it?
Do you want the fountains of living water?