Idolatry in the Bible: Why Christians today need to stay vigilant
The Bible is God’s love letter, thoughts, and instructions to us. It’s a powerful collection of stories that have guided Christians for generations. The lessons from each story are just as crucial today as they were for the Christian walk thousands of years ago.
Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. It’s the same script, but a different cast. Although biblical stories encourage and inspire us in our perseverance and reverence for God, they also contain words of caution.
Some choices and mistakes have consequences that not only last a lifetime, but can affect generations to come. The sin of idolatry is one of them.
In a world where the things God hates are becoming normalized and distractions are around every corner, Christians need to be vigilant. Idolatry is not a problem of the past, it’s alive and well in our society today.
The Bible warns us that in the last days, many will be deceived. Therefore, in this blog post, we will take a closer look at idolatry in the Bible and understand why God warns against it. We will also explore what it looks like today and how to guard our hearts against it.
Definition of idolatry in the Bible
God’s first two commandments to the Isrealites:
You shall have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:3 NIV
“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. You 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,
Exodus 20:4-5
Merriam-Webster defines idolatry as the worship of a physical object as a god. In biblical times, Asherah poles and golden calves were obvious idols.
The thing about idols is that they don’t always scream, “I’m an idol. Come worship me.” An idol can take the form of our friends, careers, admired celebrities, and even our significant others. These are all relationships that are close to our hearts, but when they start to supersede God, it becomes a problem.
(I know I probably contradicted myself as some people will yell out, “she’s my idol” regarding their favorite celebrity.) But you see my point lol.
With that being said, the biblical definition of idolatry is anything or anyone that we place above God in our hearts and minds, making them or it a source of joy, provision, and guidance.
For some, it may seem that God is being mean here. He’s not and NEVER is. He wants you to have great relationships and for your life to be full.
But, we must understand that idols are man-made and thus, ineffective. They cannot hear your prayers. They did not create the heavens and the earth. They have no power.
On the other hand, God was not created by humans. He is the creator who gave humans the gift to create. He is righteous, holy, all-powerful, and the alpha and the omega. Everything happens for and according to His will.
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.
Acts 17:29
You cannot replace Him with a worthless piece of wood or an imperfect human that He created. He alone is to be worshipped. He deserves our worship, which we were created to do.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Psalms 135:15-18
The worship of idols is dangerous because it places distance between you and God. This puts you in a dangerous position, and it’s right where the enemy wants you.
So, to avoid finding yourself in such positions, let’s take a look at some obvious and not-so-obvious forms of idolatry in the Bible.
Examples of idolatry in the Bible
Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
Exodus 20:23
The Israelites and the golden calf
In Exodus 24, God calls Moses up to Mount Sinai for which Moses is on the mountain with God for forty days and forty nights. If we fast forward to Exodus 32, we see trouble starting to brew.
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Exodus 32:1
Aaron obliged their request. He took their gold jewelry and made a golden calf, declaring that this was the god who brought them out of Egypt. As a result, God told Moses that his anger would burn against them (Exodus 32:10).
He was going to destroy them and make Moses into a great nation. However, Moses pleaded on behalf of the people and the Lord relented.
We may read this story and gasp. But, how often do we think God is taking too long and replace Him with an idol? A relationship we were never supposed to be in or a position we were never supposed to take.
The Israelites and Baal
As I hinted earlier, the idolatry of the parents can affect generations. We see this throughout the plight of the Israelites in their disobedience.
One such story is that of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Their story reminds us to be careful of the company that we keep. His wife, Jezebel, did not worship or revere God. Instead of leading his wife to God, Ahab was led into the worship of other gods.
This was detrimental to the kingdom of Israel. The king is the shepherd of God’s people. Thus, if he is infected by idolatry, it trickles down into the people, causing God’s sheep to be led astray.
It took God calling the prophet Elijah to boldly come against the prophets of Baal and Asherah, proving the power and reverence of the Lord (1 Kings 18:16-45).
King Solomon
King Solomon’s reign started well. When he became king, he didn’t ask God for wealth or power. He asked God for wisdom on how to govern the people.
God loved this and gave him the wisdom that he asked for, along with the great wealth that he didn’t. However, Solomon lost his way. He took on many foreign wives and concubines and would later find himself worshipping their gods.
In his old age, his wives tempted him to follow other gods. He was no longer committed to the Lord his God as his father David had been.
1 Kings 11:4
He would soon find out the consequences.
The Lord told Solomon, “Because this is your attitude and you have no respect for my promises or my laws that I commanded you to keep, I will certainly tear the kingdom away from you.
I will give it to one of your servants. But I will not do it in your lifetime because of your father David. I will tear it away from the hands of your son. However, I will not tear the whole kingdom away from you. I will give your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I chose.”
1 Kings 11:11-13
Saul
Saul also started on the right foot, but ended up on the wrong one. Saul was chosen by God to be the first king of Israel. He was humble…at first.
However, he grew ambitious and arrogant, which led to disobedience. Saul chose the praises of the people over the commands of God. And he too suffered the consequences.
His lack of repentance would lead God to take the kingdom from his hands and place it in David’s, a man after God’s heart.
What is modern-day idolatry?
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
1 Corinthians 10:14
The modern-day world is filled with idols, and it’s becoming normalized. This is a very dangerous road to travel on.
Our hearts search for love, meaning, and purpose. There is nothing wrong with this if we realize that it is only God who can provide these things to us. Therefore, we must be careful of the slippery slope where the blessings of God become greater than Him in our hearts.
This is why God tested Abraham with Isaac. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, found themselves in their nineties without a child. They had almost given up, but God made a promise to them that they would bear a child in their old age.
God kept His promise as He always does, and Isaac was indeed born. But, would their miracle child become what they worship, forgetting the God that provided him?
Abraham passed his test (Genesis 22), and I want us to as well. We can identify potential modern-day idols by looking at where we spend most of our time and resources.
The new boyfriend, social media, celebrities, chasing luxury lifestyles (comfort), money, power, sex, drugs, our phones… the list can go on and on.
Ask God to help you evaluate your life today.
How to Guard Your Heart Against Idolatry
Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
Jonah 2:8
Now that we have identified some idols in our lives, let’s talk about some ways to guard against them.
Stay close to God
God is the One who can help us to distinguish right from wrong. Not spending time with him and knowing His word for yourself opens the doorway for confusion. That confusion can lead to deception.
We have an ancient enemy who is very cunning and strategic. He will chip away patiently until a chunk of our foundation is gone. And when that happens, he’s able to slither in and strike like the serpent that he is.
When Jesus was at His most vulnerable state after fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, Satan attempted to twist God’s word and deceive Jesus. However, Jesus knew the word of the Father and was able to use it as a weapon to spiritually defend himself.
God’s word and ways are crucial in your defense against the arrows of the enemy as well. Be sure you study and know it for yourself. And although we may not know everything in the Bible, God has given us a powerful, internal advocate…the Holy Spirit to help us through every trial.
As you spend more time with God and His word, learning his ways and thoughts, it transforms you. God will freely give you His wisdom and discernment to protect yourself in spiritual warfare while simultaneously making you more like Him.
Guard your heart and mind in the Lord
Don’t make the same mistakes the Israelites made. They were supposed to eradicate the surrounding nations when they entered the Promised Land. I know this sounds very cruel. However, whenever God asks us to do something, it’s not in vain.
He instructed them to do this because he knew they would be tempted by the practices of the surrounding nations, which would lead to sin and its consequences. The Isrealties failed to act as God had commanded and this cost them.
They indeed fell into the sin of idolatry and turned away from God. This would be a recurrent theme in their story resulting in consequences that affected generations.
We should not fall into the same traps. If there’s anything in your life that God is asking you to eradicate, do it without thought and hesitation. He’s not restricting you, He’s protecting you and those coming after you.
Be set apart and own it
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
It’s not easy to stand out from the crowd. However, sometimes the crowd is leading you down that wide path to sin and damnation. Jesus wants you to take the narrow path to truth and life.
In the age of social media where people can peer into a curated snippet of the lives of others and there is an insatiable hunger for relevance and popularity, my advice is to stick with God.
While we live in this world, we were never meant to conform to it. What the world says is ok sometimes is not ok with God. You need to know the difference and have the courage and strength to resist if warranted. Peer pressure is not a thing of childhood as adults face it as well.
I encourage you to see my article on how to navigate being set apart if you’re struggling in this area.
Trust God no matter what
When the trials of life rush upon you, who do you run to? Do you trust yourself and try to figure it out while giving God instructions on what needs to happen? Or do you run to a family member or friend without seeking the direction of God?
While there is nothing wrong with seeking the advice of trusted family and friends, God wants you to trust Him enough to run to Him first. Jesus stated that we will have hardships in life, but God also promised numerous times in the Bible that He will never leave or forsake us.
Avoid idolatry by putting your trust in God and not humans, objects or your own understanding. Remember that God is looking at past, present and future. We can’t.
Get in a godly community
Godly friends are a blessing from God. They can help you see sin in your life that you may be blind to. They are also there to help keep you accountable. Check out my article on the importance of goldly friends if you are struggling in this area.
Renew your mind daily
The world does its best to give us its flawed version of what’s right and what’s wrong. However, God is the standard. Thus, it’s important for us to adopt a godly mindset and renew our minds daily in God.
Before we start each day and throughout the day, we must remind ourselves of who He is and who we are in Him. We should also remind ourselves of His promises that never fail as a firm foundation for us to stand on.
Final thoughts on idolatry in the Bible.
Idolatry isn’t just an issue of biblical times, it’s a modern-day struggle of the heart. I hope this article has helped you to review some examples of idolatry in the Bible so that you can identify modern-day idols that may be present in your own life.
God loves you with a love that you can never understand. He literally gave His life for yours. He wants you to know that it’s only Him that can fill those blank spaces in your heart. Some of the objects and affections of this world are gifts from Him, but they were never meant to replace Him. Do not allow the enemy to use them to deceive you.
Until next time,
-Dr. Jay
