HABAKKUK 2 WHAT PROFIT IS AN IDOL?

October 12

HABAKKUK 2

“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, 

   a metal image, a teacher of lies?
   For its maker trusts in his own creation

   when he makes speechless idols!
19 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;

   to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach?

   Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

   and there is no breath at all in it.

20 But the Lord is in his holy temple;
   let all the earth keep silence before him.” – Habakkuk 2:18-20

HABAKKUK 2 WHAT PROFIT IS AN IDOL?

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Why do we create something with our own hands?

Is it beneficial for another’s use or to please ourselves?

Do we make an object to use to serve another person?

Or do we praise ourselves at how good we created it?

What is the profit of an idol that we humans make?

Is it for the good of others or for our own sake?

Does the idol lead us to a life of gladness?

Or does it keep us going in circles and sadness?

Is an idol a way that will keep us connected?

Or does the idol hinder us and keep us isolated?

In this account, the Lord answers the prophet Habakkuk’s complaint about the Babylonians cruelty and injustices to God’s people and the Lord gave five woes against sins that the Chaldeans and Babylonians committed. Enduring.com enumerates these following warnings. The first woe mentioned in this chapter in verses 6-8 is against plundering and amassing wealth. The second woe in verses 9-11 is greed and building an empire through violence. The third woe in verses 12-14 is against exploiting others for brutal power. The fourth woe in verses 15-17 is against forcing neighbors into shameful intoxication and debauchery. The fifth woe in verses 18-20 is against trusting lifeless carved idols instead of trusting God.

Since my theme for this month is on idolatry, I will focus on the last warning against trusting idols. I love how the Lord’s response was very gentle and asked questions instead of a condemning tone. The Lord presented it in such a way that his people will reflect on the value or profit of the idols that they will make and bow down to. We witness God’s loving kindness at warning us to stop and think what benefit do we get in making and bowing down to these lifeless, speechless and blind created objects.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think we make idols or praise these things instead of giving the praise to God?

ISAIAH 2 SINS OF PRIDE & IDOLATRY

October 11

ISAIAH 2

6 For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob,
  because they are full of things from the east
  and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines,
  and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures;
  their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands,
  o what their own fingers have made.9 So man is humbled,
  and each one is brought low—do not forgive them!
10 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust
   from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty.
11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
    and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
    and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. – Isaiah 2:6-11

ISAIAH 2 SINS OF PRIDE & IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Anything that replaces the place of God in your heart

If you give more value to wealth and reputation

It will draw your worship away from your Creator

If you are consumed with the creation of your hands

It will make you proud and forget to praise the Lord

Remember that God hates the haughty and the proud

But he gives grace to the humble and the meek.

What sins provoke the anger and wrath of the Lord God?

In this account, the prophet Isaiah spells out the sins of pride and idolatry that deserves the wrath of the Lord. Verse 6 mentions fortune-telling, and being yoked with unbelievers. Verse 7 spells out idolatry of wealth and riches and a life of indulgence and hoarding valuable possessions. Verse 8 targets the idolatry of craftsmanship. They begin to adore what they have made with their own hands. They displayed all their works and began to bow down to it.  In verse 11 the prophet warns them of the idol of pride. The case against these unfaithful people in the time of Isaiah is no different from our time today.  These are all the sins that many of us easily fall from. In our world today, there is an explosion of information and guesswork about many various things such as predictions and interpretation of things that have not yet come, which is a form of divination and trying to presume they can foresee things on their own. Wealth and riches are prevalent in the world as it also generates status symbols that become the gateway to power. Reputation idols promote love for their own creation and achievements.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think God addressed these sins of idolatry through the prophet Isaiah?

JEREMIAH 11 GOD’S DECREE OF DISASTER OVER IDOLATRY

October 10

JEREMIAH 11

9 Again the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers. 11 Therefore, thus says the Lord, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble. 13 For your gods have become as many as your cities, O Judah, and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to shame, altars to make offerings to Baal.14 “Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. 15 What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? 16 The Lord once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed. 17 The Lord of hosts, who planted you, has decreed disaster against you, because of the evil that the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done, provoking me to anger by making offerings to Baal.” – Jeremiah 11:9-17

JEREMIAH 11 GOD’S DECREE OF DISASTER OVER IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you claim to be a believer, you are under oath in a pledge

God made a covenant with his people to be their God

If you decide to turn your back on the Lord, you’re breaking that vow

Conspiring with other men and believing in other gods is witchcraft

It is a sin of rebellion and you will bring on God’s wrath upon you

You’ll receive a decree of disaster if you praise other idols.

In this account, the Lord converses with his prophet Jeremiah about what his people have done against him. They have conspired with one another to turn their backs on God and worship other gods. They became adulterous even though they know that God is a jealous God and do not condone idolatry. They have purposely broken their covenant promise to God that he will be the only God that they will worship. Instead, they went after Baal and other pagan gods.

So, the Lord declares the verdict he made against their unfaithfulness. In verse 11-12, he tells Jeremiah what he is about to do to his adulterous people. He cautions the prophet to tell them that if they cry out to him, he will not listen to them. He further tells Jeremiah about the aftermath of the increase of the various gods that they have worshipped and as a result, he will leave them to go and ask such gods to save them from the disaster that they are about to experience. He forbade the prophet Jeremiah from praying for such adulterous people.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think God was just to prohibit Jeremiah from praying for idolatrous people?

1 CORINTHIANS 10 FLEE FROM IDOLATRY

October 9

1 CORINTHIANS 10

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christto the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.  – 1 Corinthians 10:6-14

1 CORINTHIANS 10 FLEE FROM IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Don’t participate or engage in any form of idolatry

It is an abomination to God and it stirs him to jealousy

Do you think you can compete with God Almighty?

He is the Maker of all things in heaven and on earth

Why would you even make something stir his wrath?

Are you not aware that he can destroy you?

Flee from idolatry and do not even think about it

It is the devil’s tactic to entice you to make one for yourself.

How does one flee from idolatry if you do not know the truth? That is an impossible act to do because only the truth makes you recognize idols. It is the norm in the world to follow what one wants. The absence of the knowledge of God will make any human do what its nature does. It pleases itself and focuses on its own pleasures. He doesn’t know the plan of God. He only knows what he wants and lives to fulfill such cravings and desires. Anyone who does not acknowledge God will not know his purpose for living. The world system dictates their wants and desires according to lusts while God’s kingdom focuses on living according to the law of love and his grace.

An unbeliever will find no sense in worshiping one true God because the world system does not propagate this belief. It believes in power, self-promotion, ambition, wealth and reputation. These are forms of idols that are not like the idols of the Old Testament where they make images from trees, silver and gold, but they are not any different from making humans be consumed by being enslaved to them.

In these following verses, Paul reminds the Corinthian believers to flee from idolatry because any form of idol will stir God’s jealousy and eventually his wrath.

REFLECTION

  • What is the prerequisite for a believer before he can flee from idolatry stated in James 4:7?

EXODUS 20 GOD’S LAWS AGAINST IDOLATRY

October 8

EXODUS 20

And God spoke all these words, saying,2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.3 “You shall have no other gods beforeme.4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousandsof those who love me and keep my commandments.7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. – Exodus 20:1-8

EXODUS 20 GOD’S LAWS AGAINST IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the Lord God chose you to be part of his covenant people

He made a stipulation against any form of worship to any other idols

He values so much their faithfulness towards him so he gave them laws

The most important of these commands is not to worship other gods

The Lord also prohibits any form of work during his Sabbath day of rest

A believer shows his loyalty to God by keeping these following commands.

Why did God give laws to his covenant people regarding idolatry? It is very clear to me that God wanted them to stay faithful and know their place in their relationship with him. He unconditionally loves his people, but he also knows our propensities for sin so he is conditional in terms of keeping within the safe bounds of righteousness. In other words, laws were made to keep us faithful to God instead of wandering around and being misled to the ways of the world. Remember what the first sin was? It was disobedience to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. The enticement of the serpent was that if they ate from it, they would know as much as God knows. They were tempted to want to get more than what they were already given. Their relationship with God was tarnished by that desire to know more as much as God knows. It was a lust to have equality with God. This was the origin of the sin of idolatry. Their focus of worship shifted from God to “I.” Because of the aftermath of sin, God gave his people laws so that they can stay in the safety of God’s protection from the ploys of the evil one. The two specific laws that God gave them against idolatry is to make sure that they do not make idols to bow down to, knowing that their inclination is to serve the “self.” The other is to rest from work and worship God on the Sabbath day and also to refrain from using God’s name in vain.

REFLECTION

·       What are some ways that idolatry shows up that goes against these two commandments?

ROMANS 1 NOT ACKNOWLEDGING GOD IS IDOLATRY

October 7

ROMANS 1

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. – Romans 1:22-28

ROMANS 1 NOT ACKNOWLEDGING GOD IS IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When God chose you as one of his prized possessions

You will inevitably recognize his power and omnipotence

As he elected you, you will be given wisdom to know him

Your view of life will no longer be a craving for sin

It will be a life of pursuing his truth and giving him praise

But those who don’t acknowledge him will make images

Not admitting God’s presence and power is idolatrous

Unbelief leads to blindness and acts of unrighteousness.

In this letter of Paul to the Romans, he points out the importance of believing that God is the Lord Almighty and there is no other God that humans need to bow down to. He gave the examples of those who boast about being wise. In God’s eyes, those proud and arrogant people are fools. In verse 23, Paul says that the result of such foolishness led them to make images that they worshipped. These images usually looked like creatures that God made such as humans, birds, animals and creeping things. In verse 24, they experience God’s wrath, not in a very obvious manner, but in their hearts and minds, they began to follow their cravings and lusts and impure thoughts which led them to dishonor their own bodies. In verse 26, they began to see things in a twisted manner. They began to have perversions, where they committed shameless acts of homosexuality and a mind that is corrupt. It does not recognize what is right. It does what it pleases and what is against the image of God. In other words, they misused the original purpose of their bodies and their whole existence. They were made to be praising God but instead, they praised creatures created by God such as humans and other living things. They didn’t acknowledge the Creator but the creatures. Not recognizing or acknowledging God is a form of idolatry that all believers need to ponder on.

REFLECTION

  • What other forms of not acknowledging God can you think of?

JUDGES 10 IDOLATRY STIRS GOD’S WRATH

October 6

JUDGES 10

6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore, I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” Judges 10:6-14

JUDGES 10 IDOLATRY STIRS GOD’S WRATH

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Whenever God calls you as his own, he requires faithfulness

To run to other gods instead of to the Lord is pure idolatry

Because God is love and sin is what he hates most

He expects his people to loathe and avoid sin as well

This is why he made a covenant law with his chosen ones

This is so that his people will remember only to praise him

If you continue to idolize and worship different gods

Do not expect to be constantly rescued if you mess up

Although God is patient, he doesn’t tolerate idolatry at all

He is a jealous God and he doesn’t want spiritual adulterers.

One of the most fascinating books of the bible that shows us God’s patience, love and provision is the book of Judges.  This book of the bible was anonymously written although sources say that it may have been the prophet Samuel who wrote it. In this time period. Israel has not had a king yet. According to Biblegateway.com “The main feature of this period was the emergence of individuals who delivered their fellow countrymen from their oppressors. The word “judge,” which suggests a preoccupation with legal affairs, is misleading, for besides judicial functions they exercised a saving, liberating activity that was conceived to be the result of a direct endowment from Yahweh.” In this book, we witness how God provided for the Israelites’ need for a savior from the nations that oppressed them, but we also see the patterns of idolatry and God forgiving them many times, but in this account, they feel God’s wrath.

REFLECTION

·       Why do you think humans tend to do things that are right in their own eyes?

PSALM 16 THE IDOLATERS’ SORROW INCREASES

October 5

PSALM  16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who run afteranother god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also, my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 

                                                                                      – Psalm 16:1-8

PSALM 16 THE IDOLATERS’ SORROW INCREASES

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When a man decides to make his own god, he creates more sorrow

He becomes obsessed to bow down to his idol as if there’s no tomorrow

He puts these counterfeit gods as the center of his life

He doesn’t realize that he is manipulated to believe all kinds of lies

He becomes blind to the truth as he continues to cater to these gods

He isn’t aware that his sorrow increases as he competes with the Lord

He begins to darken his spirit and misery becomes normal in his life

He is tossed by many different false beliefs and cannot be content.

In this psalm, David expresses his deep trust in the Lord God. He praises God as he acknowledges his nothingness if he is on his own and deprived of God on his side. It is David’s humble admittance of his dependence on God and how the Lord has provided for all the dark valleys he went through in his life being constantly chased by enemies left and right. He declares that he belongs to God in verse 5 and that whatever happens, God is in control of his life.  He blesses the Lord by seeking God’s counsel and truth and remembering such advice in his heart. His trust and faith in God in verse 8 is exemplary. He knows that he is leaning on a solid rock when he relies on God alone.

In verses 3-4, he points out the difference between those who worship God against the idolaters. For those who trust in God and serve him, they become exceptional. Because they believe that God is the source of all things and that they are able to give him all the glory, they exude their likeness with their Creator. On the other hand, the idolaters experience the opposite. Their sorrow, adversities and trials multiply as they navigate through life. They have no idea that their desire to become like God is making them create these counterfeits that consume them. It literally makes them without life, without truth, without the knowledge of the One true God who made them.

REFLECTION

  • Cite some stories in the bible that reiterates the fact that idolaters increase their sorrow.

LEVITICUS 19 DON’T TURN TO IDOLS

October 4

LEVITICUS 19

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.  – Leviticus 19:1-8

LEVITICUS 19 DON’T TURN TO IDOLS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God made a covenant with his own people

They were not to worship or turn to idols

They are also to honor the day of rest

If they turn to idols, they’ll be removed from the flock

To turn to an idol is defiance and an insult to God

You become an outcast if you give your loyalty to other gods.

Why do you think God specifically commands his people not to turn to idols? The word “turn” according to Merriam Webster dictionary is both a verb and a noun with its core meaning related to rotation, changing direction, transformation and sequential order. So, you can probably understand that the command of God to his people is about prohibiting them from changing their worship from Him to another god. In other words, God requires faithfulness from his own people. In verse 2, God specifically requires from them “holiness” because he is holy. They were forbidden to stray away from him because God didn’t want them to perish from the worship of anything other than him.

Why does God forbid his people from turning to idols that do not speak or hear or see? Psalm 115:8 and Psalm 135:18 say the same thing: “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.” Imagine making something out of an object and making them your own god. Do you remember the story of King Nebuchadnezzar? In Daniel 3:1, the king made for himself a golden image of about 60 cubits which is equivalent to 9 feet high and 3 cubits wide. Everyone was commanded to bow down to the golden image whenever they heard music and if anyone didn’t bow down, they would be burned to death. In Daniel chapter 4 we are witnesses to the account of the idol he made. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. This was the consequence of his idol making and commanding his kingdom to bow down to it. He became an animal and deprived of humanity. This is what happens to us if we turn our backs on God and worship idols. We are stripped of God’s image.

REFLECTION

  • What are some manifestations and results of idolatry that you have witnessed in your life?

ISAIAH 44 THE FOLLY OF IDOLS

October 3

ISAIAH 44

9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”  – Isaiah 44:9-11,18-20

ISAIAH 44 THE FOLLY OF IDOLS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Those who believe in God will not create idols for themselves

They know that there are no other gods that are better than him

The Lord God Almighty is the only Creator of all things on earth

He is the only God who made humans in his own likeness

He is the alpha and the omega and only in him is eternity

No other gods can give life or can give love unconditionally

It is folly to create idols that will compare to who God is

Those who decide to make them become blind and deceived.

In this account, the prophet Isaiah builds a case against those who fashion or create idols. In verse 9 he seems to mock the ability of such idol makers to truly see the harm that they are doing to themselves when he said “they neither see nor know that they will be put to shame.” In other words, they become blind to foresee the aftermath of creating these gods made of materials that they think will profit them. In verse 11, it talks about craftsmen who are only human. In other words, these created things will not even stand up against a God who made everything out of nothing and only with his breath and word. Artists, craftsmen, designers and builders take days, months, years or decades of work before they make their masterpieces. God created all things within 6 days just by saying “let there be…” Who can compete with that? I used to be a painter and photographer. Most visual artists try their best to capture images, thoughts or feelings which come from their own minds and senses. Then someone else loves their work and buys them. I have that feeling of pride and accomplishment that someone appreciates what I’ve done. After 400 paintings I sold in two-decades of work, I forgot that God only used such an emotional outlet for the traumas I’ve gone through as a beginning of my healing journey. Then I began to take pride in the fact that even if I was still alive, I was able to sell those paintings. It then got to my head and thought it was what I was made for. God showed me I can’t hold on to such idolatry or I’ll be destroyed.

REFLECTION

·       Share some instances when the folly of idolatry you witnessed made Isaiah’s point here.