Many have observed that the first commandment is the foundation for the other nine; to disobey the others is to turn away from the true God to worship an idol. This shows how dangerously varied idolatry can actually be. We may think of it as bowing down to an actual statue, but it can also be desiring something you don’t have that someone else has (see Ex. 20:17).

When people hear the word idolatry, they think of different things. Some imagine ancient rituals where worshipers bow down before carved statues. Others think of how fans “idolize” their favorite actors, athletes, or musicians. Still others may use the word as a metaphor for obsession. 

So, what is idolatry? Essentially, idolatry is worshiping anything created instead of the Creator. 

Why is God so concerned with this? Well, it’s simple: God is concerned with idolatry because God is concerned with worship.

Sometimes this concept unsettles modern readers because they may perceive God as a narcissist, unhealthily addicted to His worship. This would be true if God were a created being instead of being the Creator. But as people, God made us to worship Him. This is right. It’s good because God alone deserves worship. But if we flip this around and God does not promote or protect His glory and honor, He is not acting like God. Too often, people think about God like He is a person (part of creation) while at the same time thinking about creation like it’s God (worthy of worship). Incidentally, the promotion of creation and demotion of the Creator are both inappropriate. It’s idolatry.

The Apostle Paul describes idolatry as an exchange. Instead of giving glory to God, it’s exchanged for the glory of images of created things. To do this, the worshiper has “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Rom. 1:25). 

Exchanging the glory of God for idols is like appraising God’s value on a scale. Instead of seeing His glory (His infinite weight, value, and substance), the worshiper determines that He is less valuable than something created (in comparison, something light and empty). This exchange is the height of folly. Imagine a person seeing an elephant and a feather compared on a scale and concluding that the feather weighed more. Clearly, such a person would be out of touch with reality. How could anyone think this?

Read More