Exodus 32 details God’s discussion with Moses following the Israelites’ idolatry.
The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;
They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”
The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation” (Exodus 32:7-10).
Why is God so hotly opposed to idol worship? Let’s explore two reasons.
Idols are empty of value
Isaiah used sarcasm to reveal the emptiness and worthlessness of gods that humans use as substitutes for the One True God. In a lengthy passage, Isaiah ridicules those who choose idols over God.
The blacksmith works it with a tool over the coals, shaping it with hammers and forging it with his strong arm; he becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.
The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine.
He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it.
Then it can be used as fuel. Part of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down before it.
Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Ah, I am warm by the fire!”
The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, bows down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god!” (Isaiah 44:12-17).
I remember sitting by my father’s bedside as he was dying in a St. Louis hospital room. Dad was brilliant, but an infection had rendered his brain useless.
He was a successful attorney, but the money he had acquired over the years was of no use to him.
As a state senator who served Missourians for 25 years, he had a wall covered with awards and recognitions. None of those mattered as he lay in a plain cotton hospital gown.
Only one thing was important for my father at the time of his death: his relationship with God. The fact that Dad had a relationship with the Lord was a significant comfort to his family and me.
As I returned to Independence, I talked to God about my father. As I prayed, I wondered aloud if Dad had any regrets. He had invested years of energy into the priorities of work, political influence, and money.
As he entered God’s presence, did what was most important to him take on a different significance? I can’t answer that question for my father or any other human. However, I can examine my priorities.
Have I served earthly idols that are as worthless as Isaiah indicates? If so, what changes should be made?
The Harm of Idolatry
The Canaanite god, Molech, required child sacrifice. The various fertility gods of the land were associated with temple prostitution.
Even though the gods of this world are empty of power and worthless, service to them comes at a cost.
The worship of nationalistic views has brought about one million Russian casualties in their war with Ukraine. They have inflicted horrific losses on civilians and combatants alike in Ukraine. Possibly, 20,000 or more children have been abducted from their families.
All of this is to serve the idolatry of national pride and imperial designs.
I don’t know what idol fuels the conflict in the Middle East. I am certain that God is not behind the actions of the different sides in war. Tragically, nationalism comes at such a great cost.
I could fill volumes of pages that highlight what harm takes place as humans serve as substitutes for God.
I think you get the point. Why does God hate idolatry? Humans become like the gods they serve. The great harm that takes place on Planet Earth corresponds to the level of human idolatry.
We do well to take to heart Paul’s admonition: “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14).
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 