I’ve always loved arts and crafts. A few years ago, I was invited to one of those paint classes while we were traveling in the USA. An instructor tried to teach our group the ins and outs of oil painting. There is a way to mix the colors, hold the brush, and even which direction to hold the brush as you paint to get the desired effect. I wasn’t awful but I wasn’t great either. My finished product looked a bit upside-down compared to that of the others in my group. The teacher looked at my picture and said, “Well, it’s not terrible.” I could have been shattered but my ego wasn’t deflated. I went in knowing an artist I am not.
A reminder
I read something today that stuck with me. It reminded me of my painting trip a few years ago.
“Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, to what their own fingers have made.”
Isaiah 2:8 NKJV
There was a time in ancient history when people would make idols out of wood or some kind of stone. They would then set it up and worship it. Fast forward to our present-day and it sounds ridiculous that someone would bow and worship something they carved themselves. I have a picture in my mind of a bunch of workers in an idol factory under the tutelage of someone more experienced. They’re sitting at a table making idols and as the teacher walks by and looks at their work he says, “Well, it’s not terrible.” I wonder if they had a discard pile in those places? What became of their cast-away idols? Did they make up new gods to worship?
It’s not terrible, it’s absurd
As absurd as it sounds, people did bow down to such things. Idol worship was the “thing” at that time. Everyone worshipped some kind of idol. Fear was instilled in those who didn’t flow with what was the norm of the time. Penalties ranging from being ostracized to death were possible for those who resisted. In Malawi there’s a similar practice than what happened in ancient times. There are people who dress in masks, have white chalk designs on their bodies, bells on their legs and feet, and long pieces of dried grass tied to them who wander in the villages and run in the graveyards. They chase the people and out of fear, the people (who are already poor) throw money at them. Fear is a terrible master.
In the Book of Daniel, there’s an account of a similar event taking place under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar (see Daniel 3). If you went to Sunday School as a child, you know the outcome of the story. Daniel and his friends didn’t bow to the king’s image and were thrown into a furnace. God, of course, saved them and the King himself had a change of heart when he said:
“Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.’”
Daniel 3:28,29 NKJV
Well, it’s not terrible because…
There are things, other than idols carved from wood or stone, that we have made with our own hands. Things that we reason aren’t that bad, and we tell ourselves, “Well, it’s not terrible.” It’s not terrible to overwork because we need to provide for our families. Neither is it terrible to try to have a good reputation or try to please our friends, coworkers, and family.
No, none of these are terrible. Until they cross into the territory of worship. There are plenty of nuances to the meaning of worship but one of the simplest definitions I found is “homage or grateful submission to God.” In the literal sense it means to “bend over” or “bow down.” It’s when we pay greater homage, or give greater honor, to those things in our lives than we give to God, we have a problem.
Defending our homage
Where we spend our time and money is where our hearts are (see Matt. 6:21). Because much of what we do in life is necessary, it’s easy to poo-poo away any thought of idolatry. We will go so far as defend our homage to those things by listing how important it is to make money, have a good reputation, and spend time with friends and family. All these things are good, they aren’t terrible. But when our lives get out of balance, they can become idols.
What do you bow to?
