Designer Idols – Day 1

The Second Commandment

Idol worship in our millennium seems so menial, doesn’t it? It is so “Old Testimonial”. After all, we – as God’s children – do not bow down to statues or give sacrificial tributes in temples dedicated to deities. Or do we?

“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:3-6 (NKJV)

Idol worship was rampant among the nations we find in the Old Testament. Carved images were bowed, sacrificed, and worshipped too in many forms. Often pagan worship involved infanticide, prostitution, and transgender acts. God hates idolatry in any form. It steals the attention and honour belonging to Him only. The Israelites were strictly warned to keep themselves separate as His nation, avoiding any activities resembling vile worship pagan rites. Unfortunately, in many nations today, carved gods and goddesses are still very much part of their believes and religious acts.

“The human heart is an idol factory.”, said John Calvin. Idolatry is ultimately a sin of the heart. It is anything we are dependent upon to meet the deep needs and desires of our heart – love, security, worth, or significance. We WANT and we WANT it NOW. When we seek to find identity and security in something besides God, we have made it an idol. These are not physical statues beautifully carved by master masonries. It is relationships, substances, money, careers, or entertainment. Anything you believe will satisfy your desires above God.

In this devotional, we will look at the history and meaning of the idols in the Bible, how it is still influential today, and how we can guard our hearts against it.

Prayer: Father, I pray that You will open our minds and hearts during this devotional and show us the idols in our lives keeping us from committing to Your Command. Thank You for guiding us with Your gentle voice Holy Spirit, to warn us against idol worship. I ask Your forgiveness Lord, where I worshiped idols instead, and ask that You show me what I need to repent during this devotional to clean out my heart. In the Name of Jesus, amen.

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