Not all idolatry is characterized by the worship of statues and even when it is, there are idols of the heart at play, as well. We might say they are the idols behind the idols.
God warned the nation of Israel over and over to repent and turn from their idolatry. Their refusal to do so took them into captivity and cost them the loss of their land, their homes, their freedom, and often their families. The consequences of idolatry are just as devastating today! So, how can we know if we have idols of the heart?
Today’s Readings:
Ezekiel 13 & 14
Psalm 122.6-9
Proverbs 28.19
Hebrews 7.1-28
Could You Be Worshiping Idols of the Heart … and Not Know It?
Ezekiel 13 & 14:
The Idols Behind their Idolatry
During Ezekiel’s time, the worship of false gods and goddesses was taking place at the highest levels, even inside the temple itself (Ezek. 8.3-17). What would cause God’s chosen people to cast aside the worship of the one true God for the worship of idols?
Let’s take a look at the first few verses of chapter 14:
1 Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?
4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, 5 in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols.”’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations” (14.1-6 NASB)
God told the prophet to warn the people that they had “idols in their hearts.” When we think of idolatry, we usually think of some false god or statue to which we bow down. Why did God address the idols of the heart instead of their outward idolatry?
Out of the Heart
In Matthew 15.19, Jesus said:
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
And Proverbs 4.23 says:
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
Like everything else, idolatry doesn’t start with outward actions, there are things going on in the heart long before. James explained it this way:
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death (Jas. 1.14-15).
What might have enticed the Israelites into idolatry? What desires gave birth to sin?
The Appeal of Idolatry
On the Gospel Coalition website, Kevin DeYoung lists nine reasons why idolatry was so appealing to the ancient Israelites. Among them was the fact that it required little of them:
Sure, you need to show up and offer your sacrifice, but ancient religion demanded little in the way of ethical standards or personal sacrifice. To be a good Canaanite, you didn’t have to follow an elaborate moral code. You just had to put the meat on the altar.
It offered a party atmosphere:
Meat was a relative rarity in the ancient world. Not everyone had herds that they could sacrifice, so meat was often eaten only as a part of ritual worship. You would offer your meal, and in some cases your drink, to the god and then enjoy the feast yourself. As a result, worship took on a party atmosphere, filled with gluttony and drunkenness.
It offered sexual pleasure:
During ritual worship it was believed that if worshipers took the parts of Baal and Asherah (for example) and had sex, it would stimulate the deities in heaven to have sex. And when the gods and goddesses had sex, it meant procreation, which meant earthly blessings like fertility, rain, health, and good harvests. This is why prostitution became common at religious sites and why God rebuked Israel for adopting the same practice with both heterosexual and homosexual temple prostitutes.
In contrast, what God required was not easy. The God of the Bible required them and us to obey His moral laws and to be holy as He is holy.
Our Own Idols of the Heart
An idol can be anything we want more than God Himself. It can be something that consumes our lives and pushes God out of His rightful place (a job, a goal, a hobby, a desire). It’s what we trust to bring us pleasure, satisfaction, rescue, or escape (food, alcohol, drugs, sex). It’s anything we want more than pleasing God with our lives (a spouse, a nice home, a new car, money in the bank).
Even a good thing, like having a godly husband or obedient children, can become an idol. If we’re willing to sin to get it (nagging, criticizing …) or sin because we don’t have it (withholding affection …), that thing—whether good or bad—has become an idol (Jas. 4.1-4).
The underlying idols of the heart that drive us may be a desire for pleasure, ease, escape, control, power, respect, or accomplishment, among other things. And each of them may play out in many different ways.
When we’re harsh and unloving, we may crave power, respect, control, or accomplishment. If we have sex outside of marriage, we may be worshiping pleasure, power, or control. When we walk away from a marriage, we may want ease, escape, respect, or something else. Whatever it is, it’s more important than pleasing God.
Blinded by Our Idols
Ezekiel 14.3 says they had “put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity.” They were blinded by their own idols. When something is right in front of your face—you can’t see anything else.
What controls your thinking and behavior? What are you living for? Is there one thing you think will make you happy? What are your “if only’s” (a husband, a better job …) or “I must’s” (I must have obedient children, respect, control in my life …)? Are there things you think about constantly? What blinds you to the truth and the blessings you have?
If you never get that thing you want, would you still love, worship, and serve God and trust in His goodness?
If you realize there’s something you have been wanting too much, something that has become an idol in your heart, the answer is the same now as it was then. Verse 6b says, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Repent, turn away from your idols …’” and put your faith in Christ alone. He is enough!
If you’d like to read more about idols of the heart, you might enjoy Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book Idols of the Heart: Learning to Long for God Alone.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 122.6-9:
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Verse 6 instructs us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Even though God is working through the church in this age, the Jews are still His people. He loves them and blesses those who pray for them.
Proverbs 28.19:
Be Faithful
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
Again God wants us to do our part, whether by being faithful, honest, hard-working employees or being good stewards of what He has provided. When we do our part, He gives us more than enough.
Hebrews 7.1-28:
He Lives … and He Lives to Pray for Us!
What comfort we find in verse 25:
… He always lives to make intercession for [us].
Jesus our Great High Priest lives to make intercession for us!
Coming Up:
In the next few days, we’ll discuss what it means to be children of light, generational sin, a slippery spiritual path, playing spiritual games, and whether church attendance is necessary or optional.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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