The Real Deal on Idol Worship
Scripture constantly teaches how the Israelites rouse the anger of God because of their worship of idols, but what is the real deal on idol worship?
Why was God so angry when the Israelites idolized the golden calf, and why did their praise of foreign gods infuriate him so much throughout history?
We hear terms like God is jealous, and we attribute human characteristics like envy to The Almighty God.
But God’s jealousy is far different from our finite emotions of inferiority.
Idol worship robs God of the honor due to his name!
But why?
Why does our worship of idols cause such an offense to the Kingdom of Heaven?
In Exodus 32, the Israelites erect their first idol.
Moses had gone up to Mount Sanai to consecrate himself to The Lord, but he stayed too long for their liking. So, the Israelites became restless. They lacked the confidence to feel motivated without Godly counsel.
The troops went to Moses’ second in command and demanded that Aaron make a golden calf statue they could use as their deity. They even accredited the miracles God had performed in Egypt to this graven image. At face value, this response seems innocent or, at minimum, unintentionally harmless. They needed a guide.
They had grown accustomed to God's direction since their Exodus from Egypt, and Rightfully so.
After all, this was a people who, just a short while ago, did not even know how to put one foot in front of the other without direction. They waited several days, but still no sign of Moses – They had no idea if or when he would return.
I imagine they began thinking about tackling whatever might be ahead of them on their travels. They probably had flashbacks of the plagues in Egypt or the Red Sea and wondered how they would cope without a director if a similar situation presented itself.
So, the Israelites did what they thought best – constructed a god they believed might help them navigate their impending journey.
But think of the message this reaction must have sent to their Deliverer! They seemed to have no loyalty to him. The first opportunity that presented itself sent them off to glorify a statue made of gold. The Israelites’ response implied they weren’t willing to wait for God or his direction. They needed him to give them every detail before they could trust him. If he did not tell them the next move in a timeframe they were comfortable with, they were more than ready to find someone (or something) who would. So we get to witness firsthand the Israelites’ heart posture toward God in their waiting and his lesson on trying to do things on our own.
God was likely trying to teach them patience in the waiting.
He knew he was equipping Moses with everything they would need for this journey and beyond, but the Israelites needed to learn to trust him. Instead, they let their impatience and uncertainty about the future dictate their actions. They made an idol for themselves and began to worship it instead of the one true God.
What is worship?
One of the many issues with this is that they worshipped the idol. Exodus 34:14 reminds us that we should worship no other God.
Worship means to show regard with great respect, honor, or devotion. There is no earthly entity worthy of those expressions of dedication.
While God expects us to respect, honor, and devote ourselves to the relationships in our lives – they should not be regarded with the same faithfulness we show him. If it comes to a point where you are exalting anyone more than God, you are worshipping that person. And you are in direct offense to God and his sovereignty.
Idol worship says that this person or thing is more important to you than The Lord, and there should be nothing to sit on the throne of your heart above him. In worshipping the golden calf, the Israelites gave the glory due to God to an object instead. They went so far as to credit the exodus from Egypt to this idol.
God will not share his glory with another
That is the real deal with idol worship.
It arrests your attention, initially seeming harmless. But then, before you realize it, you have elevated the idol above God in your heart. Eventually, you will start to credit this graven image with things that only the one true God can do.
God is omnipotent. All power is in his hand. It makes sense that he would not want to share his glory with anyone or anything.
Even humans hate for someone else to get the credit for our hard work. How is it that we expect God not to feel the same? Imagine bending over backward for someone and having them turn to someone else and honor them despite all you’ve done.
God is not jealous that you have given his glory to another in the way we usually define jealousy.
He is more hurt because his desire to shower you with eternal love goes unnoticed.
We put all our efforts into receiving validation and reciprocity from people and things, but God is the wellspring for everything we need. It hurts him greatly when we look to other sources for what he offers freely. God knows those sources can never fully satisfy the desires of our hearts. He wants to give us the eternal satisfaction that we could never obtain through an idol.
Living Water
Jesus is the living water. He says that if we drink of him and his Lordship – we will never thirst again. Idol worship will only leave us spiritually dry and ultimately dead in our sins. God loves us so much that he desires that we have life and that more abundantly. The Lord is angry at our idol worship not for his sake but for ours. He knows that idol worship will lead us to the opposite of abundance. No person or thing could ever fulfill us like God.
An idol can come in the form of anything.
It can be money, a career, aspirations, or material objects. This sin knows no bounds.
It is anything that takes our focus off the creator and puts it on anything else. There is nothing wrong with setting goals and working hard to achieve them. But you have to remember that God is the source. Obtaining these things (or people) can not become the center of your focus.
God is the origin of all things, the fountain from which all blessing flows. So, the money, the job, and the car are provided ultimately through him. Therefore, glorifying the gift over the giver is idol worship. One way to be safe from idol worship is to seek the kingdom of God above all else. Have your aspirations. Make the plans for the things that you desire to see come forth. Just remember to keep God before these things.
Matthew 6:33 reminds us, “If we seek God and righteousness first, then these things will be added to us.”
The Real Deal on Idol Worship
Idol worship is a crafty sin. We must remain diligent in keeping ourselves from it. We likely won’t intentionally elevate people or things above God. Nobody plans to worship an idol. But we fall into this deadly sin through people pleasing, insecurity, and not knowing or understanding God and our true identity in him.
Concern with what the world thinks rather than God is a segway to idol worship. It causes you to work tirelessly for the world’s approval, and we know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God. We can not serve two masters. We will despise one and cling to the other. Be sure that the one you are clinging to is the creator.
The Creator Vs. The Creation
God is the provider of talent as well.
At the risk of ruffling some feathers – celebrity glorification is also a form of idol worship.
We see these people in all their splendor and begin to idolize them, their personas, and their lives. Forgetting that they are just that – people. It is not wrong to appreciate someone’s God-given talent. After all, God is the creator of music, art, and sports. However, when we get into the territory of worshiping these people and exalting them above the almighty God, there is a problem.
Celebrities, like all humans, are created beings.
They put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.
While their lives may seem glamorous, their souls are what will stand judged.
We have to learn to appreciate the art without exalting the person. The media does not make this an easy task. They push these individuals on us, hoping we will adore their stardom. But we are responsible for understanding that they are not worthy of our steadfast devotion.
Only God is deserving of such adoration.
Celebrity idolization is the worst form because it is sneaky. If we are not careful, the enemy of our souls will have us idolizing someone who is in complete opposition to Christ and his ways. And while we believe we are innocently appreciating the craft – satan is brainwashing us to think and behave as they do.
We do not personally know these people. So, we can not attest to whom or what they believe, regardless of what they say. We must test the spirit behind everything we see and hear. See the related post on testing the spirit.
The best way to prevent turning artist appreciation into idol worship is to know and stand on your identity in Christ.
The world will never run out of cunning ways to deceive us into elevating false gods.
So, we must remain grounded in the foundational truth.
Money, Fame, Careers, or possessions are not what define us. Our respect of, honor in, and devotion to the one true God makes us who we are – the salt of the earth!
Be Blessed, And Be A Blessing!
– Tamaya
