Idolatry is bad. It’s really bad. NT and OT writers agree that idolatry is always damaging to ones’ spiritual health. So, they tell us to put forth a lot of effort in staying far from idols. If we don’t, then life will become quite unpleasant. When our heart’s door opens to idolatry, trouble will always come in.
Many believers agree that idolatry is bad, but frankly don’t see it as much of an issue in their own lives. After all, there is no totem pole, or statues of Greek gods in their backyard, to which they sacrifice the neighbor’s cat or offer up incense. However, two of the apostles think differently. The Apostle John ends his first letter with: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). And the Apostle Paul exhorted the Christians at Corinth: “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Cor. 10:14). Clearly these two did see idolatry as a problem for born-again followers of Christ, and saw the need to pay close attention to their lives.
These past days I have been reading Moses; first the book of Exodus and then the book of Deuteronomy. As I came to the Law Code in Exodus 20 and beyond, I was struck with the heavy emphasis on worshipping just the Lord God, and also the importance of staying away from idolatry. Out of the 613 laws given to Israel, the very first ones were commands concerning true worship and avoiding idolatry. And from that point on, again and again, God gives warning about not allowing idolatry to be present in the lives of His people. So, apparently this is something of great importance to the Lord Himself. And maybe, I began to think, we believers need to give some thought to the matter. Maybe, there are unpleasant issues in our lives that are there because some idols have found their way into our lives, and we are experiencing the consequences of that.
What is “idolatry”? Idolatry can be described as anything or anyone in a believer’s life that has a higher love and loyalty than the Lord God. Often it is another person. Sometimes it is a goal in life, or perhaps something material that we long to have. Most are legitimate in and of themselves, but it is just that they have been elevated to a place of supremacy in life. They are number one in life. They are idols.
Consequences: Good and Bad. One thing that is abundantly clear in the Scriptures is that there are always negative consequences when idolatry is present. However, when we obey and serve the Lord God first and foremost, then the consequences are blessings of all kinds.
- Natural, built in consequences. We are all aware that disobedience has natural consequences to it, as does obedience. God’s first commandments were to worship the Lord only and to stay far away from idolatry. Obedience and worshipping the Lord are inseparable linked. Moses noted that prosperous living begins with the Lord God being in His proper place in a person’s life. When we fear the Lord and love the Lord, then all of life falls into place; “that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days” (Deut. 5:33).
- Supernatural consequences. Because of the important place that this issue has in the mind of God and the lives of people, God does intervene when necessary. For example, “beware, lest your hearts be deceived and you turn away and serve other god and worship them” (Deut. 11:16). In this case, the Lord God would personally withhold rain on the land of Israel. If they worshipped Him, then the rains would always come on the land of Israel. But idolatry would bring the very severe consequence of drought. This principle is repeated many times in numerous ways in the OT scriptures. The seriousness of idolatry is seen in the fact that if a person was charged with being idolatrous, and guilty verdict was given in a court of law, that person was to be stoned to death (Deut. 17:2-7).
Demons and Idol. As American believers, we often seem to forget that demonic forces are constantly at work. And demons are very active when it comes to idolatry, because they know that this is a key issue with the Lord. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians believers who were frequenting the pagan temples. “I say that the things which the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.” (1 Cor. 10:20). Moses warned about those people who performed some miraculous signs, but then encouraged the nation to “go after other gods” (Deut. 13:2). These were to be put to death. They were clearly operating in the realm of the supernatural, though not performing miracles in God’s power. The source of their miraculous signs was demonic.
God is “Jealous”. When God gave the Ten Commandments (Exo. 20:1ff.), He began with the command to worship only the Lord God. He made it clear that He was a jealous God. In fact, later He said that His name is “Jealous” (34:14). This sounds strange to us since for us to be jealous is sinful. Jealousy with God, however, is different. It is a mixture of deep love for His children coupled with deep anger at the destructiveness of idolatry. This mixture of deep love and deep anger always causes the Lord God to respond to idolatry when it enters the life of His child. He knows that idolatry is bad for us. Paul asked the Corinthian believers: “do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? (1 Cor. 10:22). Paul and Moses taught that God will simply not allow idolatry to fester in the life of a believer. He will always act. And this might well explain some of the negative things that believers experience in their lives; things which never were really part of God’s will for their lives, but are rather the consequences of prioritizing other people or other things ahead of the Lord Himself (idolatry).
Being diligent in removing idols. In verse after verse, Moses commanded Israel to be very diligent in removing idols from the land. For example, “You are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire”; For you are a holy people…” (Deut. 7:5-6). “The graven image of their gods you are to burn with fire” (Deut. 7:25).
A lot of time and effort was needed for Israel to accomplish this. They would have to seek out the many places of Canaanite worship and expend considerable energy in accomplishing this command. There is a lesson for us as well. Idolatry is often not quickly recognized in our lives. It takes time…in the Word and with the Lord to discover idols in our lives. We need to thoughtfully and carefully analyze the way we do life if we are to locate those idols. But the effort will be worth it as idol-free living comes with God’s favor and blessing, and the avoidance of unnecessary negatives. It will be worth it now and when we see Jesus.
Replacing idols with authentic worship. Obviously, the key to removing idolatry in life is to replace it with worship that is authentic. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that there is worship that is authentic and worship that is not (John 4:23-24). Worship is not just Sunday morning, but living life seven days a week “abiding in Christ” (John 15). The key to abiding, and to real worship, is obedience, according to Jesus. It may well be that after we spot some idols in life, it may require that we do some things differently. The need may be to make some changes in how we do life. For example, the parents who are “child-centered” in their practice may find that their kids are little idols that need to take their proper place in the home and not be pre-eminent. They might need to change some parenting practices. Then there is the person whose goals in life are so overpowering that God’s will is not seriously considered. What they want is the most important thing in life, leaving any serious consideration of God’s plan for them. Clearly a change is needed. It can happen that a person whose love interest has caused them to compromise God’s standards. That love interest has become the most important matter in life but that will never produce anything but problems. Potential for dethroning Jesus is everywhere.
What to do. It is unwise for us to dismiss this subject of idolatry as not particularly relevant. Idolatry is an emphasis in Scripture. The reality is that there is a constant pull on us from the world, the flesh and the devil, to place others before Jesus Christ. The Word of God in the hands of the Holy Spirit can open our eyes to see with clarity if other things or other people have replaced the Lord God as number one in our lives. But like with ancient Israel, finding idols and eliminating them is a task that requires our focused attention. The serious believer will periodically take a good look at their lives and determine if the Lord Jesus Christ is number one.