From:
Handbook of Bible ApplicationIDOLATRY (Gods, Heroes, Images)
Why does the Bible consistently condemn idolatry?
BIBLE READING: Genesis 35:1-15
KEY BIBLE VERSE: So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.” (Genesis 35:2 , niv)
Idolatry reduces God to a deity that can be manipulated. Why did the people have these idols (“foreign gods”)? Idols were sometimes seen more as good-luck charms than as gods. Some Israelites, even though they worshiped God, had idols in their homes, just as some Christians today own good-luck trinkets. Jacob believed that idols should have no place in his household. He wanted nothing to divert his family’s spiritual focus.
Jacob ordered his household to get rid of their gods. Unless we remove idols from our life, they can ruin our faith. What idols do we have? An idol is anything we put before God. Idols don’t have to be physical objects; they can be thoughts or desires. Like Jacob, we should get rid of anything that could stand between us and God.
BIBLE READING: Exodus 32:1-35
KEY BIBLE VERSE: When Moses didn’t come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. “Look,” they said, “make us a god to lead us, for this fellow Moses who brought us here from Egypt has disappeared; something must have happened to him.” (Exodus 32:1 , tlb)
Idolatry often arises out of conformity to our environment. Two popular Egyptian gods, Hapi (Apis) and Hathor, were thought of as a bull and a heifer. The Canaanites around them worshiped Baal, thought of as a bull. Baal was their sacred symbol of power and fertility and was closely connected to immoral sexual practices. No doubt the Israelites, fresh from Egypt, found it quite natural to make a golden calf to represent the God who had just delivered them from their oppressors. They were weary of a God without a face. But in doing so, they were ignoring the command he had just given them: “You shall not make yourselves any idols; no images of animals, birds, or fish” (20:4). They may even have thought they were worshiping God. Their apparent sincerity was no substitute for obedience, nor excuse for disobedience.
Idolatry is an attempt to make God in our image. Even if we do not make idols, we are often guilty of trying to make God in our image, molding him to fit our expectations, desires, and circumstances. When we do this, we end up worshiping ourself rather than the God who created us—and self-worship, today as in the Israelites’ time, leads to all kinds of immorality. What is your favorite image of God? Is it biblical? Is it adequate? Do you need to destroy it in order to worship the immeasurably powerful God who delivered you from bondage to sin?
BIBLE READING: Romans 1:18-32
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and snakes and puny men. (Romans 1:22-23 , tlb)
Idolatry worships the creature rather than the Creator. How could intelligent people turn to idolatry? Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe. They soon invent “gods” that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans and decrees. These gods may be wooden figures, but they may also be goals or things we pursue such as money, power, or comfort. They may even be misrepresentations of God himself—making God in our image, instead of the reverse. The common denominator is this—idolaters worship the things God made rather than God himself. Is there anything you feel you can’t live without? Is there any priority greater than God? Do you have a dream you would sacrifice everything to realize? Does God take first place? Do you worship God or idols of your own making?
Idolatry is part of an overall rejection of God. Paul clearly portrays the inevitable downward spiral into sin. First, people reject God; next, they make up their own ideas of what a god should be and do; then they fall into sin—sexual sin, greed, hatred, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip. Finally, they grow to hate God and encourage others to do so. God does not cause this steady progression toward evil. Rather, when people reject him, he allows them to live as they choose. God gives them over or permits them to experience the natural consequences of their sin. Once caught in the downward spiral, no one can pull himself or herself out. Sinners must trust Christ alone to put them on the path of escape.
