May 18, 2022
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or 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 them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4–6
Idolatry has polarity just like a magnet. On one side - the human imagination casts itself into the heavens: making gods and religious theories to explain life in all its triumph and glory on the ground. On the other - the human minds fabricates gods where they are not, in the stuff of this world in order to bring meaning and ritual to the chaos of life around us. We do not often encounter the sort of heavenly idolatry that is addressed in the 1st Commandment, but we experience this lower sort on a daily basis. Genesis 1-2 show us that the world, and all that is in it was created by God. Psalm 24 shows us that his authority extends beyond just the raw material to include all things that exist or occur throughout the entire span of human history. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof…” We may not be guilty of creating graven images to worship - but we struggle against the tug of means and methods that promise salvation. What is the best diagnostic to find these dark corners in our hearts?
What are the things you cannot live without? The relationships, habits, creature comforts, cultural stances, educational approaches we all pursue are gifts from God - and they are all gifts we misuse. Our misuse turns towards idolatry when we elevate them so high that they crowd out our God who gave them. If the promise of steadfast love for thousands was the motivation for repentance in the Exodus community, how much greater is our incentive? We who have received this steadfast love by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
— MATT ALLHANDS
