September 25
Isaiah 44-46
Psalm 106:28-39
Proverbs 23:22-23
I Thessalonians 2
The Absurdity of Idols
“I am the first and the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one. All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. He fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. They know nothing, they understand nothing; no one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, ‘Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?’ Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, ‘Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’” Isaiah 44:6-8, 9, 15, 18, 19, 20
I love these two chapters in Isaiah. They lay out the absolute absurdity of bowing down and worshipping idols. Isaiah lays out the case that a blacksmith or goldsmith formed the idol, shaped it, and cast it in gold. Chapter 46 tells us that they take it out of the fire and put it up on a shelf and then bow down to it. They cry out to it expecting an answer to their pleas, but they get none because it is a worthless object made by human hands. It has no power and cannot do anything but sit on a shelf. This does seem utterly ridiculous. It does not make any logical sense. We know that an inanimate object has no power to do anything to help us. The idea of bowing down to an idol seems foreign to us now. Most of us do not have gold statues or altars in our homes where we worship. However, I think this passage is still applicable to our lives. Isaiah is referring to worshipping anything other than the one true God. While we may not bow down to statues, we all need to evaluate our lives to examine our priorities. Are we worshipping anything in our lives instead of or in addition to God? Are we allowing anything to take precedence over God? Even good things can become idols if we let them become more important than our relationship with God. Material possessions, our reputation, power, careers, family, relationships, children, leisure activities, health and fitness, alcohol, drugs, are just a few of the things that can take over our time and attention in such a way that they become an idol to us.
This is difficult to evaluate because obviously we have responsibilities. We must take care of our children, we must give time and attention to our jobs to support our family and fulfill God’s purposes for our lives, we need to engage in activities to stay fit and take care of the bodies God entrusted to us, and it is important to nurture and care for our family and friends. All those things are necessary and take our time and attention. The problem comes when those things consume us and become too important. Balance is the key. We each need to periodically do some self-evaluation and prayerfully ask God to show us if our priorities are not where they need to be. Different seasons bring different responsibilities and priorities, so it is important to seek God and allow Him to show you if you need to make any changes. Stress, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed are good indicators that something is out of balance and that it is time to ask Him for wisdom and help. Let us not be guilty of bowing to things that are worthless and cannot give meaning and purpose. “Jesus said, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” Luke 4:8
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