In the first two
articles in our series, we looked at the inability and the impractical nature
of requiring Christians to address every single sin in every instance where
they address a single sin; in many instances, different sins may overlap and
therefore it is impossible for a Christian to explicitly cover every nuance of
every sin every single time they speak about sin. Failing to address every nuance, however, is
not a tacit approval of those sins/nuances.
Additionally, we looked at the sin of lewdness and how it has farther
reaching implications than we might initially believe.
To continue our
series of Lesser Discussed Sins, we will now turn our attention to two sins
that are intimately tied together: idolatry and covetousness. In our Bible classes and sermon periods, we
frequently discuss the topic of idolatry by its connection to the children of
Israel in the Old Testament; it is clear that idolatry had a profoundly
negative impact on Israel (read the prophecies of destruction in the books of
Ezekiel and Jeremiah, as well as the events in captivity in the book of Daniel,
for example). There is no denying that idolatry
had a strong grasp on the people of Israel, too often including the kings (2
Kings 21:1-18; 1 Kings 18). Studies of
idolatry and how it impacted God’s people in the Old Testament is a worthwhile
and necessary topic, but how often do we treat idolatry as though it were a
thing of past? That we are too enlightened to fall prey to such fallible
ideologies? Are we wiser than the people of Israel?
While there are
cultures in the world that still openly practice idolatry, the actual act of
idolatry in this sense is not so prevalent within the United States today
(although an argument could be made that some pray to idols like statues of
Mary or the cross, but that is beyond the scope of this particular
article). If we do not physically bow
down before an idol such as Molech or Baal, does that mean that idolatry does
not exist in some form within our own culture? Does it mean that we no longer
have to be worried about idolatry unless we work to convert someone from a
culture that does bow down to such gods?
As we found with
our study of the sin of lewdness, there are multiple applications of the
principles encompassed within the overall term.
As defined by Merriam-Webster, idolatry is the “worship of a physical
object as a god” and the “immoderate attachment or devotion to something”.[1] Therefore, there are two definitions (that
overlap) to consider: idols such as Baal, Asherah, and Molech, and an
attachment or devotion to something other than God (has a higher priority than
God).
From the
Scriptures, we know that God viewed the devotion of His people to Him was of
the utmost importance; in Exodus 20:3 God told the Israelites that they were to
have no other gods before Him (note: this doesn’t mean that they could have
other gods just so long as God was at the top, but rather that they were not to
even bring other gods before the face of the true God) and in Exodus 23:13 the
Israelites were told not to even speak of other gods. Through numerous Old Testament examples, we
see that God often exerted His own power and authority over these false gods;
the example of Dagon in 1 Samuel 5:1-7 and Baal in 1 Kings 18:26-29, 35-40
stand out awesomely (in the true sense of the word) in our minds. Through His servants, God frequently broke
down and destroyed false gods; King Josiah in 2 Kings 23 stands as a wonderful
example of a servant who destroyed idols in service to the true God. Are we as diligent as Josiah or Elijah? Back
in 2001, people all over the world (including some Christians) were enraged by
the actions of the Taliban when they began the destruction of some ancient
Buddha statues; these idols were considered to be masterpieces![2]
Why were Christians angered by the destruction of idols? That is exactly what
Josiah did in his service to God and it was what God commanded (Deuteronomy
7:25-26). While we cannot necessarily go
into the homes of others and physically destroy their idols (we are not a
physical kingdom, nor are we commanded to do so), we are to actively destroy
the influence of such idolatry where applicable rather than being enraged when
idols are destroyed.
Physical idols
fit well with both parts of the definition previously discussed, but where does
that leave the Christian living in the modern world? Does the term only apply
to idols such as Buddha or Baal? According to the definition, there are
additional applications that we can and, in fact, need to make in our own
lives. Remember that the second half of
the definition is “immoderate attachment or devotion to something”, so idolatry
can be anything that takes the place of God, is placed in higher priority than
God, or on which we fixate to the detriment of godliness. What does the Bible classify as being
idolatry? Covetousness (Colossians 3:5), materialism (Matthew 19:16-22), the
created (Romans 1:25), people (1 Corinthians 1:10-17), the love of money (1
Timothy 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:1-5), and the like.
Christians today need to stop and ask themselves what takes the place of
God in their life; while we may not fall down before Baal or Asherah, we have
other forms of idolatry that can creep into our lives unawares.
For example,
intellectualism, education, and extracurricular activities may be a form of
idolatry when misused (remember that the definition is “immoderate attachment
or devotion to something”, so while there are some things that are not
necessarily sinful in and of themselves, the misuse of such makes them
sins). Too often, children are
sacrificed on the altar of “success” by neglecting their spiritual welfare so
that they can be the kid with the best grades, go to the best schools, be
captain of the football team, etc. In
such cases, parents generally make 100% certain that their kid is at school
every day and at every school function, but lack any such devotion to
assemblies, Bible studies, and interactions with Christians. In instances such as this, these activities
have taken the place of God to the spiritual detriment of the
participants.
Likewise, we
spend our time working for the most expensive cars, clothes, houses,
technologies, and anything else that causes us to feel important and more
successful than our neighbors and peers.
We often worship the almighty dollar and we are never satisfied with the
amount of money that we have been blessed with.
If our friends, family, or neighbors are able to acquire something that
we cannot, we covet what they have (remember the idea of covetousness in
Colossians 3:5).
Idolatry takes
the created and places it in the most prominent role in our lives; it is either
greater than or equal to God (although if we make something equal to God, then
it is arguably greater than Him in reality).
There is an innate foolishness present in idolatry; if our idol is
money, who created it? If we worship an actual idol such as Baal, who created
it? Man creates both (Isaiah 44:13-20); what can an idol do of its own
volition? Remember that Dagon could not even set itself upright. We too often (even Christians) worship the
created (Romans 1:18-32) and pat ourselves on the back for how progressive and
how wise we are; therefore, we believe in evolution where everything is
corruptible as we are and our society becomes more and more wicked (2 Kings
21:9). In an effort to get rid of the
true God, we plague our own societies; we profess to be wiser, more
enlightened, more evolved, and even more compassionate than God, but our
ideologies simply harm us. Like the
Israelites, we throw away the blessings of God in favor of wickedness and
humanistic ideas (reference Jeremiah and 2 Peter 2:18-22).
In this life,
what will we be willing to exchange our souls for? Money? Fame? Education?
Athletic abilities? Cars? Houses? Baal? There is a notable difference between
idols such as Baal and Asherah and some of these listed things; cars, houses, education,
etc. are not necessarily wrong or sinful when kept in their proper place, but
they become wrong (idolatry) when we place our faith and devotion in them
rather than God. In Matthew 16:26, Jesus
asked for “what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Are these
temporary treasures on earth worth losing an eternity with God? Should we
exchange the souls of our children so that they might have earthly success?
Again, in Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Is our faith in the things of this world? Are
we more concerned with this world than we are the world to come?
The best
conclusion we can have is this: “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (Matthew
22:37).
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