What’s Under Your Tent? Preparing for New Things – Lesson 4 a (Idolatry)

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 (ESV) “Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters. Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 

Today we are going to begin looking at a topic seldom discussed in the church today: Idolatry. Merriam Webster online Dictionary defines idolatry as: 1. the worship of a physical object as a god. 2. immoderate attachment or devotion to something. 

Idolatry refers to worshiping idols, images or other “God-substitutes” (things in place of the true God). i 

Tim Keller states in his book Counterfeit Gods, that an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.” ii 

Today our working definition for idolatry is: anything or anyone we turn to for comfort or relief apart from Jesus and the Holiness of God. 

Again, this week, this topic hits close to home for me. As a child I was abused by a childcare provider. The abuse came in three forms. First, I was locked in a small room from the time my mom’s car left the driveway until she returned to pick me up. Second, I was not fed for the eight plus hours I was in her “care.” Thirdly, I was not spoken to other than to be yelled at or threatened during that time as well. My mom worked the four to twelve shift. So, imagine a four-year-old locked in a room during many hours of darkness with no food or human contact. That was me.  

That abuse led to many issues I have had to deal with over the years, however, the one I want to address today is idolatry. Food became an idol to me and like all idols it caused me much grief and harm. Prior to that time, I was an average weight for my age. Following the abuse, I quickly began to gain unnecessary weight and as you can imagine that led to much emotional trauma through bullying, low self-esteem issues, my focus on my weight, etc.  

Until recently, I never realized that this issue was not an issue with food per say, but an issue with idolatry. In trying to prevent myself from ever being hungry again I became obsessed with food. It became a comfort to me. I walked in fear of not having enough to eat. Rather than turning my fear over to the Lord I tried to meet the need myself. I ate! 

While the average Christian would not dream of bowing down to worship an idol made of gold, wood, or stone, going back to our working definition of idolatry; anything or anyone we turn to for comfort or relief apart from Jesus and the Holiness of God, we can see that there are many things that can become idols in our lives.  

Over the next few weeks, we will look at a few things that are commonly exalted in our culture above God. Each of these potential idols begins as a good thing that God often has blessed us with, however, when we turn to the created rather than the Creator, we often find ourselves serving a false god, aka an idol.  

First up is money. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.  

1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV) states, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 

1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) goes on to say, Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 

In these verses we are given a picture of God’s view on money. We all know that money is a necessary part of life. We must have it to pay our bills, buy food, etc. Based on 2 Corinthians 8:9 and 1 Timothy 6:17, we see that having money is not inherently wrong or bad. Growing up I was taught that it was not godly to be rich. In those days, many pastors lived just above the poverty line, and it was thought of as being holy. If that is a sign of holiness, then most of the world would qualify. Poverty is no more a sign of holiness than wealth is a sign of unholiness. In both cases money can become our idol. 

David wrote in Psalm 37:25-26 (NIV), I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. 

How can the righteous give generously or lend freely if they are living in poverty themselves? 1 Timothy 6:10 makes it clear that money is not the issue, rather it is the love of money that is the issue. When we focus on making money at the expense of our relationship with God that is when money becomes our idol. When our focus switches from loving and worshiping God and trusting Him as our source to getting that next payday or watching our bank account grow it is then that we find ourselves loving money and making it the object of our affection and attention. When we turn to it to make us feel secure, we have made it an idol in our lives.  

Christians should be the most generous people on earth. When we know Who our source is (Philippians 4:19), understand that He is the giver and sustainer of life (John 10:28), and that every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:7), we have no need to fear poverty or lack. We have no need to focus on money as a source of comfort and security, thus removing money as a source of idolatry in our lives.  

Praise the Lord! His grace is always sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Today, as we closely examine our own view of money, let us turn our faith once again to our loving Father, who always cares for His own!  

Works Cited:

i https://www.olivetree.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-idolatry/ 

ii https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/idols-that-sneak-into-our-lives-and-how-to-resist-them.html