EVERYTHING WE NEED: Idolatry — Bible Times (Part 1)

“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (Exod. 20:3-5 NIV1984). The opposite of that command was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5).

Yet idolatry was the greatest downfall of God’s chosen people. You and I would have taken those words to heart and obeyed them immediately, wouldn’t we? We will discuss that in Part 2 next week.

After that tragic day at Horeb, Moses was to teach God’s people the following decrees: “You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. And when you look to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars — all the heavenly array — do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven” (Deut. 4:15-19). Idolatry like this is practiced today among all nations, even our own.

Before entering the land of Canaan, the Israelites were warned against worshiping the gods of the Canaanites. God told them to “break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exod. 34:13-14). They did not heed His words, and their idolatry increased.

God promised His blessings on His people if they would keep His commands and “do what is right and good…” (Deut. 6:18). They could not do it, and their disobedience sent them into captivity for 70 years — a terrible price to pay for disobedience.

The futility of worshiping false gods is expressed here: “…Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats” (Psa. 115:4-7).

How futile is a carpenter who cuts down a tree, burns half of it in the fire to prepare his meal, uses a part of it to warm himself, and “from the rest makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, ‘Save me; you are my god’” (Isa. 44:16-17). Isaiah’s next words were insulting to his hearers’ intelligence. “No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge to say, ‘Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?... Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’” (Isa. 44:19-20).

Why would people choose idol worship over the true and living God, holy and righteous, the Creator of all things? Yet we read in Rom. 1:32: “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” It is an incredibly sad commentary on God’s chosen people.

Next week, we will discuss modern-day idolatry in Part 2.