The Foolishness of Idolatry
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:20; 44:9-20
A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.
As we noted yesterday, idolatry is an offense to God. Today’s text describes how a person who cannot afford to use gold or silver might choose a special kind of wood and then hire a craftsman to carve it into an idol that they can worship.
An idol cannot do anything or even support itself, so how can a person trust it? Idols are fragile and lifeless in contrast to the all-powerful, living God. Idols are handmade from some kind of found material in contrast to the Creator God, who is spirit. If a person makes an idol and worships it, that would be like the creator worshiping the creature, revealing the foolishness of idolatry. Why would a person want to worship something that is lesser than they are?
The psalmist, after speaking of the uselessness of idols, says, “Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them” (Psalm 115:8).
The French reformer and theologian John Calvin said that the human heart is like a factory of idols. We think of our favorite idols, and we bow down before them: money, sex, power, status, leisure, ideals, and more.
Let’s be aware of the idols that we can too easily manufacture in our deceitful human hearts. Instead of being foolish, let’s live by the wisdom of God.
Living God, free us from the idols that our hearts can create. Expose every false trust and tear down every lifeless substitute. Guide us to worship you alone and to devote our lives wholly to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Hernandes Dias Lopes
Rev. Hernandes Dias Lopes is the Portuguese ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He also serves as director of Luz Para o Caminho (“Light for the Way”), an organization formed in partnership between ReFrame and the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Rev. Lopes travels around the world to preach and teach the Bible. He and his wife, Udemilta (Tinha), live in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and have two children.
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