Bible Thoughts

August 6, 2000

Idols come in many different forms and ideas. They can range from something that has negative value to the most costly investment.

Idols are not new to those who would please God. They have existed from the time that Rachel stole her father's teraphim(household gods). Idol worship created a problem not only among the kinsmen of Abraham; such plagued the Jews until after the Babylonian captivity. The problem in the ancient civilizations could be called classic idolatry, the worship of literal objects.

The worship and service of gods that men invent is idolatry. Such exists even in our modern age. Some even bow down to images who claim they are following Christ. Giving homage to any object(or person or idea) other than God and worshipping the object(person, idea, etc.), is idolatry. The danger that existed among those to whom the apostle John is writing is evident as he warned them to keep themselves from idols.

An idol can be identified as anything that keeps one from serving the Lord. It does not have to be a literal image; it can be an idea, a purpose, a motive, a person, or a myriad of other objects. Whatever stands in the way of seeking the truth and following the Lord is an idol.

One does not have to bow down before a man-made object in order to be an idolater. A person can be devoted to an idea, a relationship, a desire, or any material object. Such constitutes idolatry. What stands between pleasing the God of heaven and one worshipping and serving the Lord becomes an idol!

It is possible to so revere wealth, power, influence, status, etc. that one becomes an idolater. An idol is such, not because it is stone, wood, or mortar, but because a man has put such in his heart ahead of God. Please note that Ezekiel so defined idolatry: "...these have taken their idols into their heart"(14:4). Obviously, they did not take the wood and stone and place it in their minds(heart). It was the idea: they were idolaters because of what was in their hearts! The same is true today. Idolatry is not determined simply by a material object. It is identified as what is in one's heart that keeps one from serving and worshipping God. When any object, idea, or desire dominates a person to the extent that he refuses to serve God, idolatry is the problem. One may even be a very moral person, a devoted family member, and a pillar in the community, but if one bows to flesh instead of God, there is a problem with idolatry. Whatever one values over service to God is idolatry of the heart.

Jesus explained how to avoid idolatry in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness..."

We would all agree that when we gather around the table on the first day of the week, we are there to remember that Christ died for us. But many times we do not realize that he did not just die on that cross but he suffered for us as well, he was crucified.

When you are crucified you are first stripped naked of all your clothes, in public so that all may see, then they take you and lay you down on the cross, arms stretched along the cross beams or sometimes above the persons head. The palms of your hands are then opened and spikes driven through them to hold them in place, the same is done with your feet. Sometimes, both feet together, and sometimes, separately. The cross is then raised and placed in a hole in the ground, with the feet just raised from the ground(so that all can see him and mock him). Death by crucifixion first causes dizziness, cramps, thirst, starvation, sleepiness, tetanus and then there is the public shame that you have to face.

Now if that is not bad enough all of the above are intensified until one can endure no more but still falling short of unconsciousness. The unnatural position that you are placed in makes every movement painful, your wounds become inflamed by exposure, gangrene starts to set in, your arteries in your head and your stomach become swollen until they pop. And each of the above still increases gradually, it was not a quick process it was not like being shot where you die instantly. And on top of it all, you still have that raging, burning thirst.

Dying was the easy part, and when we gather around the table to remember his death we should remember that he did not just die for us, he suffered for us. He was crucified.-Vaughn Botha (Note: Brother Botha has written two articles for Bible Thoughts since he has arrived from Pinetown, South Africa. He will be studying and working with us over the next year. He will be joined by Joseph Cook the first of September. Encourage these young men in their desire to preach the gospel. We are grateful to the Lord there are still those who will sacrifice their lives for the Lord's work.)