Watch The Idols!

Isaiah 44:9, 13; 45:20-23: "All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; the are ignorant, to their own shame . . . . The carpenter . . . shapes the idol in the form of man, of man in all his glory . . . . Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save . . . . there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other . . . . Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear."


An idol can be defined as anything that would take preeminence over God's rightful reign in one's life. Whereas modern cultures in their supposed intellectual advancements may find the idol worship of antiquity laughable, they are no less guilty of idolatry than those societies that worshipped images crafted out of wood, stone, or precious metals. The objects in modernity that are the source of idolatry include (but are not limited to ) money, power, status, estates, relationships, recreative activities, and education. And though these items are not necessarily molded into an object with physical features that would seem to give them "personhood," they are no less real and no less destructive.

The commonality between the idols of ages past and the contemporary idols of today is the path in which the objects direct their worship. Because these images are lifeless entities, utterly incapable of decreeing their wishes to those who would worship them, their unresponsiveness permits license to their makers to determine actions/behaviors that are justifiable. In effect, it is the will of the makers of the idols that is being exalted as divine; the craftsmen of the idols are able to dictate what would be appropriate, even desirable behavior; in reality, the worshippers become the gods themselves. They dictate policy and find credibility in it through personal rationalization that the gods approve such measures. They in effect become their own highest authority and thus are able to do whatever their hearts desire.

God refers to much men as blind, shameful, and ignorant people (44:9). There is no profit for the one who would worship anything or anyone other than the One True Lord. In the end, when all men are called to account by the Almighty, their idols will be unable to save them; in fact, the true disposition of their hearts for their own lordship will be exposed at the Day of Judgment. On that Day, only those who have yielded themselves to God as their Lord will experience the blessedness of salvation from the wrath of God.

What we must remember is that we cannot give ourselves any licenses to worship ourselves and our personal wishes. We must capitulate ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, and give Him the opportunity of reigning and ruling in our lives. We must not bow to those objects that would take priority in our lives over the exclusive rule of God in our lives . . . to do so would be to propagate idolatry . . . to do so would be to exalt ourselves over the One True Lord of Hosts . . . to do so would be to bring His divine judgment. Let us renounce our idols and serve the Lord with uncompromising loyalty!