Idols and Images
Scripture Reading — Psalm 115:2-8
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
We don’t talk about idols much these days. And when we do, it’s probably about a pop superstar or an American Idol winner. But when the Bible talks about idols, it usually means carved images that stood in for false gods. The Bible issues strong warnings about that sort of idol.
On their own, idols are powerless. As Psalm 115 says, they may have eyes and ears and hands and feet, but they cannot see, hear, feel, or walk! Yet when people worship idols, they give power to them, destructive power. That’s why, for example, the Bible warns against greed. Greed makes an idol out of wealth. And when wealth is worshiped, it has the power to turn people into misers or mobsters or market frauds. False gods, and their images, are dangerous!
But then there is Jesus. Jesus is the image of God. That’s why he can say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And that’s not about his eyes, ears, hands, or feet. It’s about power. Because when we see Jesus, we see the Father’s love. And there is power in that love. It’s the power that saves the world. It’s the power that makes us what we were always meant to be: not idols, but images of our heavenly Father. And, remember, that’s more about love than looks!
Jesus, you are “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). That’s why we want to see you and, seeing you, to be changed. Amen.
About the author — Bob Arbogast
Bob Arbogast is the pastor of Celebration Fellowship church in Ionia, Michigan. In his spare time, he plays guitar in a West Michigan blues band. He and his wife Jan have been married forty years and have three adult daughters. Bob has been praying the psalms since 2002.
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