THE PITFALLS OF IDOLS! Idolatry has the danger of leading individuals and even societies astray and away from God. Could you be involved in idolatry, and what are its pitfalls?
Continuing in the context of the three angels’ messages in Revelation 14, we discuss how to remain totally committed to God and avoid the pitfalls of idolatry, and how you can recognize if you are involved in it.
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Let us invite God’s presence:
Holy Father, help us search the Scriptures with prayerful hearts, and give us a spirit of total surrender to You. In Jesus’ Name Amen
Idolatry refers to the worship or excessive admiration of idols or physical representations of someone or something. They are often associated with religious practices. It involves attributing divine qualities or significance to objects, images, or entities other than the true and living God.
Idol worship is generally associated with polytheistic religions, but the concept of idolatry can also be applied in a broader sense to various aspects of our human life. In other words, idolatry or idol worship is anything or anyone we put in the place of God. That could include our car, home, children, relationship, possessions, money, career, or whatever.
Here are five pitfalls of idolatry. Idolatry can:
- Make God seem smaller to us: It can make us think that God can only be found in specific objects, like statues. But the truth is: that God is much bigger and greater than any object we can imagine. When we only focus on idols, we miss out on understanding the true nature of spirituality. And it prevents us from getting a deeper connection with God.
- It Causes us to Forget what really matters: Idolatry often makes us care more about money, power, or being famous. So, we start valuing these things more than being kind, fair, and honest. This can lead us to do bad things and lose sight of what really matters in life.
- It can stop personal growth and development: Idolatry can stop us from growing as individuals. Instead of focusing on improving ourselves and being good people, we get so caught up in idolizing something or someone that it prevents us from learning about ourselves. It prevents us from knowing our values and even interferes with our deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.
- It also causes conflicts and problems. Historically, idolatry has caused a lot of conflicts and disagreements. People who idolize things, ideas, and beliefs may argue and even hurt each other. This happens because they can’t accept that others have different beliefs and ideas. It is therefore important to respect others’ beliefs, even if they differ from ours. And
- It can cause us to lose touch with reality: Idolatry can make us forget about what’s real. We may start to believe in things that are not true or get too focused on things that don’t really matter. This can stop us from being truly content. And it keeps us from realistically understanding life’s challenges and can prevent us from honestly seeking God’s help.
Idolatry was the central focus of ancient Babylonian worship. This we see in Jeremiah 50:33-38 and Jeremiah 51:17 and 47. Notice God’s response to idolatry.
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “The children of Israel were oppressed, Along with the children of Judah; All who took them captive have held them fast; They have refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; The Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case, That He may give rest to the land, And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A sword is against the Chaldeans,” says the Lord, “Against the inhabitants of Babylon, And against her princes and her wise men.
36 A sword is against the soothsayers, and they will be fools. A sword is against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed.
37 A sword is against their horses, Against their chariots, And against all the mixed peoples who are in her midst; And they will become like women. A sword is against her treasures, and they will be robbed.
38 A drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is the land of carved images, And they are insane with their idols.
Jeremiah 51:17, 47
17 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.
47 Therefore behold, the days are coming That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; Her whole land shall be ashamed, And all her slain shall fall in her midst. (Jeremiah 51:17, 47)
Jeremiah 50 and 51 tell of Babylon’s destruction. The armies of the Medes and the Persians destroyed Babylon. One of the reasons for Babylon’s demise was its idolatry. They believed that their gods lived in their temple statues.
In the religion of the Babylonian, the practice of ritual care and worship of statues of deities was considered sacred. They believed the gods lived in their temple statues and the natural forces they represented.
For instance, History tells us that one of the Princes of Babylon, hoping that the statues would save him from the armies of Sen-nach-erib, King of Assyria, he took the statues of Babylon’s gods with him and hid in a swamp in Mesopotamia. (Jane R. McIntosh, Ancient Mesopotamia: New Perspectives [Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2005] p. 203).
In contrast to the worship of lifeless statutes, Jeremiah in Jeremiah 51:15, 16, and 19 talks of the true God. The God of heaven who is both alive and the giver of life.
15 He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
16 When He utters His voice— There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
19 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name. (Jeremiah 51:15, 16, 19).
Moreover, Exodus 20:4–6 commands us not to worship other gods.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—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 nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4–6)
And Psalm 115:4–8 tells us the outcome or consequences of worshipping statues, images, and false gods.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. (Psalms 115:4-8)
Like ancient Babylon, modern Babylon is no different; it includes the worship of statues, just like the Babylon of old. Yet, the Bible commands us not to bow down to them or serve them. This worship of idols, statues, or graven images is a violation of the second commandment in God’s moral law.
What is the problem with worshipping other gods?
When we bow down to statues, we limit the power and work of the Holy Spirit. It makes it difficult for the Holy Spirit to impress upon our minds to think about things of heaven. Even Worse is that statues cause us to fail to honor God. The worship of statues causes us to reduce the Almighty God’s royal beauty and might to a lifeless statue.
Sadly about three hundred years after Jesus left this earth and went to heaven, thinking that it would make Christianity more popular and attractive to non-Christians, church leaders introduced statues and images as a part of worship in hopes that it would attract pagan worshippers. Sad to say, many today give these statues and other things the honor and worship that belongs only to God.
How do you avoid falling into Satan’s trap of deception? Here is how.
Prayerfully search the scriptures with a spirit and a heart to surrender totally to God. And plead with him to show you every practice that draws your thoughts and affections away from Him. Use his law as the standard for measuring your character. By this, you may cut yourself from every idol and link yourself to the throne of God by the golden chain of grace and truth. (Adapted from Selected Messages, book 2, p.318).
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