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The Flexibility of Idolatry

Exodus 20: 3 

“You shall have no other gods before me.” 

Idolatry is one of those things that are very rarely talked about in today’s society. The only thing that we may say is “that’s my idol”. This phrase may sound harmless, I have definitely said it, but as I have gotten older all that phrase really means is “that’s my God”. Our closest association with Idolatry is within the Old Testament, and I think the assumption is that because it happened then, it doesn’t happen now. However, Idolatry isn’t merely worshipping statues or golden calf's, it’s a heart posture.  

In simplicity, Idolatry is anything that replaces God. But, in order to know what replaces God in our lives, I think it’s important to understand the role God should already have. Without an understanding of God, how can we ever understand what replaces Him? 

The most basic understanding of God is that He is the creator of all things, including you. No one knows a thing best, then the person who created that very thing. The same premise is for God. If God created you, then He knows you best: He knows who you are, what you’ve gone through and what you need. God is a reliable outlet to go to, because He knows what you need even before you ask for it.  

Looking more closely at the verse, we see that rejecting idolatry isn’t a suggestion, it’s a requirement. When God requires us to do something, it’s not because He doesn’t want us to have freedom, He simply loves us so much that He wants to protect us. When giving this requirement, God knew something that we didn’t: He knew that idols aren’t a sufficient means of healing. Idols are a temporary solution to a long-lasting problem.  

There is a flexibility that is associated with Idolatry. Although God is speaking to the Israelites in this verse, He is also speaking to us now. Whether it’s that show we always go to when we are sad, or that person we confide in constantly, or even that snack we always run towards when things go wrong. All of these things aren’t inherently bad, and if you do any of these things you shouldn’t feel shame, however God should be our first direction we run towards.  

If we look at the verse from a grammatical lens, we see there is a subtle but key difference between “God” and “gods”, though they may look similar. Of course, one is plural and the other is not, which shows that God is singular and self-sufficient, however there is also a difference in the capital letters. One has a capital “G” and the other has a lower case “g”: things are only capitalised to show importance. And I think that can speak to our lives, the things that we replace God with may look like a solution to our issue, they may appear to be self-sufficient like God, but it will always be inferior.  

There is only one singular and superior God that should not only be capitalised grammatically but also in our lives.  

 

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