Idol Worship

Name your idols. Maybe you’re thinking of people you look up to and admire — a sports star or a singer. But what is an idol? When the Bible uses the word, it isn’t thinking of the latest winner of a TV talent show.

Stupid statues

Idols feature loads in the Bible, even in the Ten Commandments, where God tells His people: “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” (Exodus 20 v 4–5). So an idol is something that we worship instead of God.

In the Old Testament that mostly meant worshipping statues or idols made of metal, stone, wood etc. It should have been self evident that these home-made gods were a joke, but from the golden calf onwards (Exodus 32 v 1–4), God’s people kept falling into the same old trap. Isaiah 44 v 9–20 is a blistering attack on how stupid the whole thing is. Check it out for a moment.

Modern idols

Ah, but we’re OK, you may be thinking. Christians don’t worship idols today. Some other religions or even other brands of “Christianity” might worship statues, but not us. We’re far too sophisticated. Wrong.

The New Testament has some pretty harsh things to say about worshipping idols too. In Colossians 3 v 5, Paul urges the Christians in Colosse to get rid of all the things in their lives that were a problem for them before they became Christians. He doesn’t just refer to physical idols but also to things like greed, which he calls idolatry. Just think about that for a minute.

Have you ever fantasised about winning the lottery? Be honest, who hasn’t?! What would you spend the money on? That’s idolatry right there. Sure, you might give some of it away, but what is your greedy heart really set on? It’s an idol.

Think back again to that first definition of idolatry in Exodus 20. It’s worshipping anything in God’s place. So what do we put before God? Think of it the other way round. What would utterly destroy you if you lost it? Chances are it’s an idol.

Your looks? Your brains? Your friends? Your family? Your boy/girlfriend? Your sporting ability? Musical talent? Even good things can become bad when they take God’s rightful place at the centre of our lives. In fact they are the most dangerous kind of idol.

The real thing

But there is hope. John writes at the end of his first letter: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5 v 21). But how do we do that? Look back to the previous verse: “We are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life”.

If we fix our eyes on Jesus Christ and see how wonderful, desirable and perfect the real thing is, we won’t get misled by second-rate idols.

There’s a moment in the film Ocean’s Eleven when a casino is blown up by a demolition crew. One of the characters is watching it on TV even though the real thing is happening through the window behind him. Talk about missing the point! Similarly, no one would give their heart to an avatar when the real person is standing right next to them.

So it’s no coincidence that the very first warning against idolatry in the Bible comes straight after an amazing declaration of who God is. Look up Exodus 20 v 2–3: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

This is the God who rescued us from far worse slavery than that found in Egypt (Hebrews 2 v 14–15). Why would we worship anyone or anything else?

This article is taken from issue 18 of Engage which is out now.