Idol Worship

I'm sure everyone reading this has heard about the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his thirteen year old daughter Gianna, and seven others. This morning while eating breakfast, I was reading the sports news website The Athletic. One of the stories I was reading was a recap of Super Bowl media day. The story was talking about how San Fransisco 49ers defensive back Richard Sherman and Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Frank Clark are mourning the death of Kobe Bryant.  The two players referred to Bryant as their "idol." As I read this, I thought, are they worshipping Kobe? It sure sounds like it based on this article. I later thought, do we worship celebrities today? Yes we do. Think about how much money we spend on tickets to go see our favorite sports team(s) play, or our favorite singer(s) perform. I hope we don't refer to these things as "idols" but when we devote more time to them than God, they have already become idols.

So what is an idol? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word "idol" is a noun that refers to "an object of extreme devotion." Does this sound like the way you define your sports team, singer, or other hobby? The Bible gives us numerous examples of idols. Perhaps the most well known one was the Children of Israel's worship of the golden calf at Mount Sinai. In Exodus 32, we see that the Israelites begin to lose patience with Moses. Verse 1 tells us, "we (Israelites) do not know what has become of him." They told Aaron to construct an object in which they could worship, which would take the place of Moses. Aaron, being greatly outnumbered, gave in to their request and commanded them in verse 2, to "break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."  In verse 4 we read that Aaron had all the earrings melted down and using an engraving tool, he made a calf. Verse 5 tells us that Aaron went on to build an altar and he and the Israelites commenced offering burnt sacrifices to the golden calf.

Friends, God is all seeing, hearing, and knowing. We see this in verse 7. God commands Moses to leave the mountain and get back to the Israelites, because they have "corrupted themselves." Moses indeed leaves the mountain and we are told in verse 19, that as soon as Moses came in sight of the camp, he saw the calf and the Israelites dancing around it and he became "hot and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain." When I read this, I can't help but think about a child being left at home alone. His/her parents come back and say "I left you home for (fill in the blank) minutes/hours, and this is what you do?" I imagine that's how Moses must have felt. The rest of Exodus 32, sees Moses destroying the calf (v. 20) and Aaron trying to defend himself. This real life event has been the subject of sermons, Bible classes, debates, and I'm sure books, however in this article, I want us to consider the following.

1. Don't allow people to cause you to waver in your faith. What did Aaron fall victim to here in this passage? Peer pressure. He was pressured by the people to build an idol. In verse 22, he tells Moses that the people "are set on evil." When I was teaching a Bible class through the book of Exodus about a year ago, we discussed how much pressure Aaron must have felt. He was one man out of thousands that he and Moses were trying to lead. Oftentimes it is human nature that we follow what is popular, just like Aaron did. We've all done it, but it is wrong. Sometimes people treat celebrities as "idols" to the point that they eat, drink, talk, dress, and even believe the way they do. Friends this will always lead you away from God. I have yet to hear of a celebrity that holds all the same values that I do. It is impossible to mimic a celebrity 100% and still maintain a proper relationship with God. Sure there are some good ones out there to look up to, but they all have their faults, and are likely to disappoint you at least once. You know who will never disappoint you? Jesus. He should be our ultimate role model, or "idol" as the football players said.

2. Anything that you put before God is considered an idol. We are told in Exodus 34:14 that God is jealous. In Exodus 20:3, we are told that "you shall have no other gods before me." I've never personally seen anyone out worshipping a golden calf. However, we worship idols everyday and don't even know it. Think about that ball game or concert that you attend or watch on TV on a Sunday morning, night, or Wednesday night instead of going to church. Super Bowl Sunday is this week, are you going to make the choice to watch the game or go to church for worship? In Hebrews 10:25, we are told not to "forsake the assembly." Meaning we are not to miss church just because we can. Friends, a ballgame, concert, or whatever you enjoy doing in your leisure time is not worth losing your soul over. If you allow yourselves to prioritize these activities over your relationship with God, then you are no better than the Israelites and their golden calf.

Is it wrong to have hobbies and material blessings? No. Is it wrong to look up to celebrities? No. What's wrong is when these things take the place of God and become idols. I've never been a huge NBA fan, but I always enjoyed watching Kobe Bryant. The accounts that I have read about him and the other eight victims of Sunday's crash are heartbreaking. But you want to know what's infinitely more heartbreaking? The death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Do we ever grieve over Him like we do when someone on this physical Earth passes away? I think we can all do a better job of remembering what he went through on that day. Never let any "idol" come between you and your relationship with Him. He is the only one we should idolize.

In Him,

Carver Moore

We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.

Our service times are as follows:

Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am

Sunday morning worship: 11 am

Sunday evening worship: 5 pm