We have heard many lessons, sermons, and maybe even one-on-one teachings about idols. We may be at the point of being fed up with them. We have heard all the analogies. We have heard all the don’ts. We may feel we have been bludgeoned with them as much as we can take.
But how seriously have we received the messages we have received about idols? Are we putting those messages into practice? Or do we continue to put people, things, and perhaps nature itself above God? We can only answer for ourselves. No one else.
God warned the Israelites shortly after they left Egypt not to make idols for themselves. He warned them not to put anything or anyone else above him. We might ask why? First, the Israelites were leaving Egypt where Pharoah and his entourage flaunted their opulence. The Egyptians worshiped their gods and had images of them they would bow down to. The Israelites had witnessed it and may have been tempted to follow the Egyptians into worshiping their gods. After all, Pharoah and his officers were rich, and the Israelites were slaves!
So, how does this apply to us today? We may look at people who are rich, or at least better off financially than we are, and choose to be like them. We ask ourselves, “Why should we continue to follow God when the people around us do not and appear to have it all?” We may be just as tempted as the Israelites may have been tempted in Egypt.
So why continue to follow God? He is a jealous God. He wants our undivided worship. He wants us to be wholly devoted to him. He wants to bless us, but he will only do so if we commit ourselves to him. He wants to show his steadfast love for us. He desires for us to worship him with our heart, soul, mind, and body.
I pray we all give up the idols we have in our lives. I pray we put God first in our lives. I pray each one of us will commit ourselves to God and receive the blessings he so desires to bless us with. Know God loves you. Know he is a jealous God. Commit yourself to God. Accept his blessings.
Exodus 20:4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Marty Pressey 