The first form of idolatry is deadly because it leads us to worship as God those things which are not gods – to give them our devotion and trust. The second form is deadly because if leads us to worship God as though He were not God, not the God of the Bible, perfect and holy and sovereign in all His ways. Whether we worship as God those things which are not or worship God as though He were not God, the root is the same: We are deciding for ourselves who or what is worthy of our devotion and trust. In the end, we are attempting to be our own gods. 

The more life I live, the more I see that nothing is more vital or more practical than matters of theology and worship.

God gives us the first two commandments of the ten to direct us first to focus on right theology and right worship and to directly attack the most prevalent sin of humanity – idolatry – in both of its pernicious forms. There are two kinds of idolatry, both of which are widespread and deadly, which is why God gives us two commands against idolatry.

The first kind of idolatry is to give worship to that which is not God. “You shall have no other gods before me.” When I was a teenager, I thought this command meant that I could have other gods in my life, as long as God was #1 on the list. And I did have other gods – sports teams, athletes, dreams of wealth, women, etc. – all of which were various manifestations of self-indulgence or self-exaltation, which is what false gods are always really all about.

God is the only One worthy of our worship because He is the only One worthy of our worship. All other so-called gods really serve our own selfish interests. Baal brings the rain and Asherah brings the abundance. In the end, they give us what we want. Money brings us pleasure and power. Fame brings us adulation and admiration from others. Power brings us control.

Our false gods are not really “gods” at all, but servants of our own self-interest – at least, that’s what they promise up front. The reality we find later is that they cannot deliver on their promises and leave us emptier than they found us. Yet far too often we turn from one disappointing false god to another who makes new promises we foolishly believe. Thus, this first form of idolatry is nearly as universal as it is deadly, keeping us from offering our whole worship and trust to the One who alone deserves it.

The second idolatry is no less deadly. God forbids making graven images of holy things. He will not be worshipped through pictures or statues. What’s the big deal here? The “big deal” is that image-making, by its very nature, is reductionist. We reduce when we contain someone in an image. We limit who they truly are.

God condemned the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom for the sin or Jeroboam, worshipping Him through golden calves. They thought they were worshipping Yahweh, but they weren’t. They had reduced Him to something He was not, and they suffered His judgment for it.

People commit this second idolatry all the time when they re-imagine God after their own likeness and preferences. They say things like, “My god would never exclude anyone from heaven.” or “I don’t believe in a god of wrath.” Even Bible-believing Christians commit this form of idolatry when they refuse to submit to the Bible’s teaching about God’s sovereignty and holiness.

This second idolatry can be subtle, sneaking its way into our lives in unsuspecting ways. I even wonder when we say things like, “I don’t want all that theology and doctrine stuff, just give me something practical.” Are we really saying that life is not really all about God and His ways, but instead it’s really all about us and our felt needs and personal priorities? If we don’t want to study theology, are we saying that knowing God is not really that important?

The first form of idolatry is deadly because it leads us to worship as God those things which are not gods – to give them our devotion and trust. The second form is deadly because if leads us to worship God as though He were not God, not the God of the Bible, perfect and holy and sovereign in all His ways. Whether we worship as God those things which are not or worship God as though He were not God, the root is the same: We are deciding for ourselves who or what is worthy of our devotion and trust. In the end, we are attempting to be our own gods.

Isn’t this the original root of all sin – “You will be like God, knowing good and evil”? Who do we think we are to be creating our own gods or trying to re-fashion God according to our own terms? Yet we do it. Every time we give devotion, trust or allegiance to something less than God – politics, business, career, family. etc. – and every time we say “Well, my god would never . . .”, we are putting ourselves in the place of God, trying to decide ultimate issues for ourselves rather than joyfully submitting to Him.

“Let God be true though every one were a liar . . . so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” – Romans 3:4 & 19, ESV

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!