First , Scripture routinely distinguishes between the sin of worshipping false gods and that of idolatry. This is most powerfully evident in the distinct prohibitions of Exodus and Exodus Exodus prohibits the worship of other gods elohim. Exodus prohibits the making of idols carved images.
If idols are nothing more than a form of deity, then the second commandment is redundant. But idols are distinct from gods, and for this reason they are addressed separately in the Decalogue. They point. They aren't that which is pointed to. They image. They represent. In fact, idols are still idols even when they point to the One True God. The calf at the foot of Sinai ultimately represented God Himself.
We assume incredible folly or naivete in the people of Israel if we think that immediately following their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and the fearsomely immediate presence of God at the top of Mount Horeb they said to each other, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt," thinking of any god other than Yahweh.
Idols are not identical with false gods. Idols point to gods. And when they point to gods, they point falsely. No graven image, no matter how wonderful, points truthfully to God. Second , Scripture routinely suggests that more should be expected of gods than idols. Consider the implications of 1 Chronicles and Psalm , essential verses for understanding the relationship between idols and gods Psalm For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
The false gods of the nations are worthless idols, David declares. This indictment of the power of false gods reveals a popular understanding of the distinction between idols and gods. By declaring the gods of the peoples idols, David declares them worthless, impotent and futile.
David assumes his audience will recognize that a god no more powerful than an idol is unworthy of worship. This distinction is equally clear with Elijah on Mount Carmel. He asks the prophets of Baal where Baal has gone, suggesting that he may be sleeping or relieving himself. He is not speaking of idols of Baal which, whether they are atop Mt. Carmel or not, are certainly in plain view and have gone nowhere.
Elijah doesn't ask the prophets of Baal where their statues are or why their images fail to light the fire. He asks where Baal himself is. This distinction also helps explain Philistine perversity in adhering to false gods despite the defeat of their idols at the hands of Yahweh on various occasions, including: 1 After David became king over Israel and defeated the Philistines in battle at a place which came to be called Baal Perazim because the Philistines abandoned their Baals there; 2 In the aftermath of the battle in which the ark of the covenant was captured and brought into the temple of the Philistine god, Dagon, causing Dagon to be toppled and broken before the ark of God; 3 By Jerubbaal's attacks on Baal.
The use of idols allowed Philistines to rationalize their defeats in a manner denied Israel. Their idol might lose but not their god. Their idol might be taken captive but not their god. Gods are understood by all to be more powerful than idols. A god no more powerful than an idol is worthless.
Third , the Bible reveals idols being treated with what would be a blasphemous lack of reverence if idols were gods, pure and simple. Michal takes a household idol teraphim and hides it under the covers of David's bed when he flees, putting a quilt of goat hair on the teraphim to make it appear that David is still asleep.
Rachel sits on her father's household idols. Fourth Scripture makes clear that idolaters are themselves aware of the difference in power between gods and idols. The Philistines react with alarm to the entrance of the ark into the Israelite camp in the battle that leads to the death of Eli. The Philistines were terrified at what they viewed as an unprecedented entrance of a "god" into battle against men.
For nothing like this has happened before. Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? Micah, like so many Israelites after him, created idols to worship and serve — gods of their own making.
Today, mankind continues to create its own gods. Whether in the form of carved idols or something in their life they worship above all else, humans continue to run after their made-up gods. Although people may assume that worshiping man-made gods is no different than worshiping the Lord, such an idea could not be further from the truth. God is not like the idols, which humans construct.
In pitting the one true God against man-made gods, there is no real comparison. Man-made gods are exactly what they claim to be: man-made. Although many people may believe their man-made gods are real, the Bible states otherwise. A good example in Scripture about people coming to the realization that the Lord is the only God is in the account of Hezekiah and Sennacherib. When the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, sent King Hezekiah a letter mocking God and claiming that Jerusalem would be destroyed, Hezekiah took his concerns to the Lord.
He acknowledged that the other peoples had been destroyed by the Assyrians and that their idols had been burnt by fire Isaiah While Christians should not ignore demonic activity and deception tied in with idols and man-made versions of God 1 Corinthian , the Bible plainly teaches that idols are not real.
Not only are idols fake, but they are also crafted by human hands and hearts. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul explains how people have served and worshiped created things rather than God Romans For example, most carved idols are made of wood or stone, crafted by human hands Psalm Those who create their own gods are merely trusting in their creation, idols they have forged and molded Habakkuk Such man-made gods thus have a beginning, a time when they came into being.
Jeremiah 10 is another passage in which the Lord gives us some reasons why we should serve Him and not other gods. He begins with the familiar Old Testament charge not to follow "the way of the nations" v. In their original context, such charges refer to the gods and ethics of the peoples that surrounded ancient Israel Lev. God's people were not to follow the pagans in serving their deities or living according to their moral codes.
Today's passage focuses mainly on the serving of other gods, particularly gods associated with astrological signs. We see this in the charge not to "be dismayed at the signs of the heavens" Jer.
The peoples of the ancient Near East believed that their gods would move the stars and planets in the sky above in order to indicate their future plans for nations and individuals.
Consequently, certain astrological configurations could provoke great fear and terror when they were interpreted as omens of doom. The frequency with which Israel and Judah descended into idolatry indicates that they were not above such fears. But as Jeremiah told the ancient Judahites, they were not to be afraid because these gods could not do evil or good vv. Following idols is wrong not only because they are not the true Lord but also because idolatry binds people to fear, fear that is unfounded since other deities are non-existent.
Jeremiah's call for Judah's repentance reminded them that following God was in their best interests, that they were to obey Him not only because He said so but because following anyone else makes no sense at all.
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