The Offense of Idolatry

As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. — Isaiah 40:19 God's people have always been surrounded by worshipers of idols that represent other gods—and all other gods besides the Lord are false.Sadly, we have always been drawn to worship things other than the one true God. In the past, most idols were made of wood, stone, or precious metals such as silver and gold. But an idol can be anything to which we bow down. An idol can be a material thing, a person, a relationship, an ideal, a philosophy, a status or accomplishment, and more. Idols are a grotesque substitute for God and a crude representation of him. They are human works, not divine works. They are works or ideas forged by human imagination, not by divine guidance.Idols are powerless. An image may have a mouth, but it cannot speak. It cannot see or hear or walk. It cannot feel. Idols are inert and powerless. They can fall and break. To worship an idol is to become like it, without any understanding.Idolatry is a distortion of the worship we are called to offer the Lord in spirit and in truth. Idolatry is an abomination to the Lord. The idea of worshiping something other than God is an offense—a great insult—to the Lord. God cannot be represented by any figure or thing or idea. Let’s be aware of the deception of idolatry. Let’s serve the Lord alone. Lord, free our hearts from every kind of idol or false god. Teach us to worship you alone—in spirit and in truth, with undivided love and loyalty. Amen.