“For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.” Psalms 96:4-5 NKJV
Reflection: when you think of an idol or a man-made god, what comes to mind?
It is rather strange when you think about it, carving and creating figures to worship is something we can see in pretty much every culture and society, throughout history and even to this day. Why in the world would anyone do that? They know it is just a dead object, typically made of some sort of metal, stone or wood. Although not necessarily bowing down or worshipping such figures, some people have them as a decorative object in their house. Do you think that is wrong? So what makes an idol anyway? “Idols” in the biblical context literally means “nothings”, and is typically something man-made, that people bow before or worship, other than God Himself. Which might be a lot of things, right?
The first of the Ten Commandments, says ““I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:2-6 ESV
Did you notice that? Not make a carved image, or likeness of anything in heaven above or earth below, and now bow down to it or serve it. You know by now that I may challenge our thinking, our orthodoxies a bit, so here it goes. Does that also include the carved image of a cross, and the likeness of Jesus crucified on the cross, hanging in many (most) churches at the front? At the alter? And the congregation comes to the altar to bow down. Now, we all know that this symbol represents our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But our Father God, who told us not to create images and symbols, didn’t make any exceptions for churches. And, isn’t it strange that so many churches display a dying or dead Christ on the cross, when in fact we serve a risen Christ? It is a curious thing to think about.
Are many “idol worshipping”, bowing before an image, without even realizing it?
How about you and I? Do we have any idols taking a place in our lives higher than our God? Are there images or symbols in our homes we need to get rid of? Let us make sure we only bow down before Jehovah God, the only true God, and worship Him alone. “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.” Psalm 96:9-13 ESV