Idolatry in the 21st Century Part I: Sources of Idolatry

Idolatry in the 21^st Century Part I

Part I: Sources of idolatry

Candles aglow. (Courtesy photo)

Merriam-Webster definition

Idolatry: 1. The worship of a physical object as a god. 2. Immoderate (very great) attachment or devotion to something.

Diana Washington Valdez/Faith Today Ministries

Part I - Source of idolatry

The idea of idolatry conjures up images of people burning incense, lighting candles, or dancing around or bowing before statues or graven images.

More than anything, idolatry is a condition of the heart, and its reach can include relationships gone awry, the inordinate love of self (narcissism), and more generally, setting our affections on anything that displaces God in our lives.

The Lord’s commands and warnings against idolatry are clear.

Exodus 20:1-3 (NIV) 

“And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.”

In its simplest form, idolatry is the worship of any aspect of the creation instead of the Creator.

Romans 1:24-25 (NKJV)

^24 “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

 ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Luke 4:5-8 (NIV)

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.

⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.^]”

More Bible references

Joshua 24:14 (NLT)

¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.

The New Testament also provides us with insights into God’s views of idolatry:

Colossians 3:5 (NIV)

^“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”

I Corinthians 10:14 (ESV) 

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Where did it all begin?

It began where all human sin began, with the fall in the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve listened to satan and disobeyed God, an act that led to disastrous consequences for the entire human race. 

The first man and woman took their eyes off God, who created them, and listened to the lies of a created being (lucifer/satan, the fallen angel). 

Since then, satan continues to seek the worship and service of human beings, whom he hates and ultimately wants to destroy.

1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 

The root of idolatry satanically inspired

Luke 4:5-8 (NIV)

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.

⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.^]”

Before He embarked on His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ fasted in the desert for 40 days. The devil chose to attack Jesus during what most others would consider a vulnerable moment for the Savior.

Jesus countered the satanic temptation with God’s written truth. If only Adam and Eve had responded with obedience to God’s command. …

Satan is a self-deceived created being who wanted to take God’s place. Anyone would consider this the height of insanity; yet, this was one of the dangerous outcomes of believing a deliberate lie about God.

1 Timothy 4:1 (ESV) 

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” …

Idolatry is a self-destructive and defiling sin

Psalm 16:4 [a] (ESV) 

“The sorrows of those who run after^[a] another god shall multiply;”

Ezekiel 36: 18-19 (NKJV) 

¹⁸ Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

 

It can bring you into contact with malignant spirits 

Deuteronomy 32: 16-17 (ESV)

^16 “They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;

with abominations they provoked him to anger.

¹⁷  They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,

to gods they had never known,

to  new gods that had come recently,

whom your fathers had never dreaded.”

I Corinthians 10:20-21 (NIV)

^“20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.  

²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.”

Idolatry can lead you away from faith in God

Solomon and Samson offer examples

It happened to King Solomon, a man revered for his wisdom, and who was probably the richest man of his day. The account of the fall of Solomon is in the Book of I Kings, Chapter 11. Marrying non-Jewish wives and taking concubines who worshiped idols contributed to his straying from the faith of King David, his father. Solomon even had altars built for the idols that these women worshiped.

I Kings 11:9-10 (NIV)

^9 “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.  

¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.” 

The Bible is not clear on whether Solomon was able to repent toward the end of his life. The example of Solomon, which involved personal failure, is not too different from that of Samson, who was called before his birth to be a judge, and who received supernatural strength from God to fulfill an important mission. Generally, judges were men (and at least one woman, Deborah) appointed to look out after Israel’s tribes, to settle disputes and provide spiritual guidance. Judges predated the kings of Israel.

According to the Book of Judges, Samson had a weakness for women who did not follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Delilah, a woman who may have been a prostitute and idol-worshiper, proved to be his ultimate downfall. She was able to exploit his lust of the flesh and betrayed him for money. His tragic ending is forever linked to his affection for idolatrous women.

We are pilgrims in this world and knowing this can help us to be on guard against developing unhealthy attachments.

Persistent idolatry can lead to severe divine punishment

The Book of Jeremiah relates that God repeatedly warned the Israelites against idolatry. Their refusal to do so led to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.

According to Jeremiah, a prophet who was stoned and tortured for trying to warn the wayward, the Israelites that were not killed in battle by the Babylonian army were taken captive. The captivity the included servitude and slavery lasted for 70 years. The prophets Jeremiah, Ezequiel and Daniel were contemporaries during the Jewish nation’s defeat.

Let’s review God’s warnings in scriptures:

Exodus 20: 1-6 (NIV) – from the Ten Commandments:

“And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

 ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Joshua 24:23 (NIV)

 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

I Corinthians 10:14(

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (ESV)

To be continued.

Part II: Blood sports and other examples

Part III: A consecrated heart and the “selfie generation”

Bible references

Look up Bible references in different versions and languages in online tools such as Bible online

Recommended reading: The Book of Jeremiah 

[Diana Washington Valdez, president of Faith Today Ministries,*** is an independent ordained Christian minister with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, based in the United States.]


*** At times, may recommend books and DVD's by other authors that are sold by online stores. Faith Today, however, is a free ministry. All the information provided here is free of charge. To God be the glory Who makes this possible. Other ministries rely on donations to survive; fortunately, this ministry does not. Your prayers are welcome, though!

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