NOT JUST IDOLS OF WOOD, STONE AND METAL
The Bible has much to say about idols, idolatry, and carved/graven images. Considering the frequency of these references, modern day Jews and Christians might wonder why God gives so much attention to these ancient topics. Confident about their religion, and ignorant of what God says about the relevance of all scriptures, both religions pridefully regard Biblical references to idols and idolatry as applicable to ancient, pagan cultures but irrelevant to them.

The abundance of scriptures about idolatry is a warning that Bible students should not default to the conventional, historical meanings of these words with confidence that they know what God means. Thinking that God uses these terms is the same as the way people use them, Bible scholars, students and casual readers are able to reject references to idols and idolatry as irrelevant to their lives. In doing this they totally miss opportunities to be trained in righteousness.

The default interpretation of idols and carved images is of physical statues and icons typically found in shrines and temples. Given this interpretation, all Jews and Christians quickly dismiss scriptures about idols and idolatry because they do not possess or worship physical idols and would never consider doing so because of the strong associations with paganism. This is reasonable human logic, of course, but human logic and wisdom carries no weight with God. By dismissing these scriptures as irrelevant to modern times and cultures, they ignore what God has clearly said about the benefits of all scripture for training in righteousness.

More importantly, Jews and Christians are ignorant of the meaning of the First and Second Commandments.

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.
2. “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. 5You 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, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Jews, Christians, and others need to know that these commandments do not specifically to physical idols made of wood, stone and metal. They refer to anyone who presents himself or herself as a religious leader who is qualified to teach others about God.

This series of pages discusses how human religious leaders function as idols.

When Jews and Christians dismiss scriptures about idols and idolatry, they effectively make two or three statements to God, and others:

These attitudes and human logic profoundly contradict other scriptures that say that everyone has sin and that no one does good. So, again, those who think that the subject of idols and idolatry does not apply to them put themselves in conflict with God. They may say that they have faith in God, but if their faith does not extend to trusting that they can learn something from scriptures about idols and idolatry, their faith is in their religion — not in God. This is hypocrisy.

Ignoring scriptures and the opportunity for training in righteousness is the height of spiritual pride and arrogance which places the arrogant person on a par with God and spiritually superior to others. God equates arrogant boasting about righteousness with evil. This is a confirmation of the fact that their faith is in their religious activity — not in God who abhors religious activity.

Arrogant, self-righteousness people ignore what God says about idolatry and religious activity. It is not well understood that idolatry is much more than worship of a physical idol made out of wood, metal or stone. In fact, God packages idolatry with a long list of practices (e.g. witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, rebellion, divination, arrogance, evil, debauchery, lust, drunkenness, adultery, carousing, etc.) that everyone would agree are sinful. Therefore, we have all the clues we need to conclude that God’s idea of idolatry does have application in our modern day lives.

What we lack, however, is understanding that there is much more to idolatry than worshiping a physical idol. We fail to understand that the idols with which God is concerned are the invisible, spiritual idols we set up in our hearts. This explains why God searches the heart: He is looking for idols.

STUDY TIP: See this link for the characteristics of hearts that set up idols.