When was the last time you thought about idols or idolatry? Frankly it’s not something I think about often. Idols and idolatry are relics from another time and place, or are they?
In today’s reading, Isaiah rails against the idolatry of his people. They were guilty of worshiping idols of silver and gold. It’s quite easy to make a link with our modern pursuit of prosperity. Has that become our god? Perhaps we need a biblical reminder. The Ten Commandments begin with this injunction: “Do not worship any god except me” (Exodus 20:3).
What do we worship? What occupies first place in our lives? Where do our thoughts naturally turn? Do they turn to the LORD, or our favorite sports team, to Jesus or today’s hottest celebrity? Jesus commanded us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). Is that your first pursuit?
Actually, I think we are skirting the real issue. The real idol – the preeminent idol in today’s world – is the idol of self. All too often I put myself, my comfort and well-being ahead of everything else, and that includes Jesus and his kingdom. What I want comes first. What God wants will just have to jockey for attention along with all the other demands upon my life. If I’m brutally honest, most often, that’s how I run my life. How about you?
Do we have a problem with idolatry? Absolutely! And we are too deceived to recognize it. The god we bow down to is the god of self and our self-will, rather than our Creator and Redeemer.