Few things are more surprising to a first-time Bible reader than the constant presence of idol worship in a book about the One True God. God called Abram out of idol worship. His grandson Jacob married Rachel—who stole her father’s idols as a wedding present to herself. After Moses brought the nation out of Egypt, they immediately built a golden calf and spent a few days worshipping their idol. More of Israel’s kings seem to worship idols than the One True God.
“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak. They have eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will become like them” Psalm 135:15-18.
It is easy to dismiss those who worshipped idols. How could anyone be so stupid? Modern people look down on idol worshippers, telling ourselves we are rational members of a scientific age and would not be tempted by man-made gods. But don’t be so quick to dismiss it; everyone was tempted by idols!
And no one really thought that some man-made object was a god. It was not that simple. Idol worshippers did not worship the man-made objects until several things happened: they had to finish making the idol, obviously, and then they had a ceremony, a rite of consecration, during which they invited spirits to inhabit the object. Of course, the only spirits that would respond to such a pagan ceremony would be fallen angels, i.e., demons. Neither God, nor angels loyal to God would take part in the worship of idols. Only after the rite of consecration was concluded and the spirit or spirits had taken possession of the idol, did the people believe the object to possess special powers.
In other words, the idol worshippers understood that the beautiful object they were worshipping was a representation of an actual living spirit, and the idol worshippers knew that the spirit of the idol was aware of their worship, their sacrifices, and their prayers.*
*This information comes from the online Jewish Virtual Library, and it cites Daniel 3: 2-3 as an example of the rite of consecration through which a man-made object would be transformed into some sort of pagan portal to the spirit world, allowing a demon to act as a god for the people. See paragraph entitled “The Making of an Idol” at https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/idolatry
These people were not stupid. They did not worship idols for nothing. They worshipped idols because the spirits (“demons” or “little gods”) behind the idol gave them what they wanted. Not everything, but enough to keep people hooked, dependent on the idol and the malevolent being behind it.
Idolatry thus became the largest temptation God’s people faced. And because human nature never changes, we must assume people today are equally tempted. We do not call our idols gods, but many features of idol worship remain.
Idol worship offered everything humans find tempting. Idols were expensive and beautiful, made of gold, silver, bronze, and jewels of all kinds. They carried the allure of exotic places. Idol worship was beautiful, colorful, fun, and expensive, and it attracted all the most elite, high-class people. It’s like a stroll through an Apple store in Hollywood—if the Apple store had a Mardi Gras venue out back offering wine, women, and song. Where there were idols there was the smell of incense and the taste of exquisite food and drink. After you sacrificed some juicy steaks for the idols, there would be plenty of pork, port, and potions left for drunken partying.
And let’s not forget the temple prostitutes. That’s right: as long as we’re worshipping idols, why not make sex an act of worship? And we can make men pay for it and call it a fundraiser for our new religion. And as if that were not enough, idol worship was strictly forbidden by God’s law—a temptation some would find irresistible.
But the greatest temptation, the most appealing aspect of idol worship, may come down to one word: CONTROL. An idol promises that you can get what you want. In effect, you are the god now, because you control the outcomes. Sure, you have to make sacrifices—sometimes crops, sometimes your first born child—but you will get what you want: win a war, defeat an illness, become fabulously wealthy, be lucky in love. Contrast that experience with following God.
If you worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you must accept that He is in charge, not you. He might answer your prayers with a yes. Or He might say no. You can’t spend one moment in the presence of the One True God and tell yourself you are the one in charge. True worship of the true God means recognizing that He is the Boss. He will do His will, and I must submit myself to Him.
Idol worship promises instant gratification. True worship promises nothing: your desire may be gratified soon, or many years from now, or never. Those who cannot accept that, turn to idols.
Bowing the knee to a sovereign God is a hard thing for many people, particularly when they are desperate to take something to which they feel entitled, or when they are terrified of losing something they value more highly than God. To get what we want, we turn to today’s idols: the traditional ones—fortune tellers, palm readers, or the psychic hotline—and newer ones like self-help gurus, cult leaders, and snake oil salesmen of all kinds, most of them internet hucksters who offer guaranteed success for whatever quest you might be on: weight loss, making millions in real estate, beating the system as a day trader, or finding your soul mate. Our culture offers countless quick-fix idols tailored to your every need.
But following God requires us to kneel before King Jesus. He is the boss. He is our Authority. We must trust Him. And that is made easier because He is GOOD. He LOVES you! He made you, He knows you, and He has a plan for your life! Bow before Him, ask Him for the things you desire, and TRUST HIM with the results.
He loves you. He died for you. You can trust Him.
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