“Those who make them will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.” Psalm 115:8.

Bible has a lot to say about trust. Who or what we trust is very important to the living and creator God. Yesterday and the day before yesterday we talked about those who trust in man and the princes of men. Today we will learn briefly what the Bible says about those who trust in idols.

Bible says those who make the idols will become like them. The preceding context says these about the idols. “They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, they have feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.”

Isaiah 42:17 says, “But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame.” Those who make and trust in idols as their God will become insensitive to spiritual truths. They remain dead in their spirits. Secondly, they will be turned back in utter shame. Because knowingly or unknowingly, they end up in the displeasure of God.

The first two commandments out of the ten commandments reveal the displeasure of the living and creator God toward making and worshiping idols. (Exodus 20:3-4). The Israelites were delivered from Egypt, which had an idol worship system in the land, by the one true living and creator God. Therefore it was important to give this command to them as the first out of ten commandments. It is applicable to all of us as the LORD God is the creator of all and the ten commandments reveal the will of God which  must be kept in our hearts.

The first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (20:3). Beloved, did you notice ‘other gods’ in small ‘g’ and ‘Me’ in capital ‘M’ in the first commandment cited above. The other gods-physical idols or mental images-are not the ‘true God’. The idols would never represent the truth and glory of God. Idols and images always degrade/hide the full truth and glory of God. No idol or image can ever represent the creator, living, and glorious God. This is why the use of idols in worship and services is prohibited by the first two commandments of the ten commandments.

There is only one God who created the heavens and earth and everything in it. He made our first parents according to His own likeness, uniquely different from the animal world. The creator and living God is eternal from everlasting to everlasting. He is not part of the creation. He is out of creation because he caused and created the universe around us. This is why it said ‘you shall have no other gods before Me.”

Now the Second commandment (vs.4) explains in detail and say, “you shall not make for yourself an idol, or like likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” You see the first and second commandments strictly prohibit having any other gods or making of any idols or images to remember or worship God. It also says the reason before and after –You shall have no other gods Before Me because there is no other true God. Then it says bad consequences of idol making and using them for worship. It says, “for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

I have heard people saying an idol or image in front of me helps to focus my attention to worship God. However, the question is how can you disobey the first and second commandments which clearly with no shadow of doubt forbid and disallow making/using idols and images for worship and services? It is a matter of trust, doesn’t it? Can you still worship and serve the living God in faith without disobeying the first and second commandments. I believe it is possible. It is left to us to make that choice based on the two commandments in front of us. When we think about it-do we really need idols and images-physical idols or mental images-to praise and worship God?

Listen to what Moses said to them. He said referring to the incident of the living God giving them commandments from the mount of Sinai. He said,  “Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form-only a voice.” Deuteronomy 4:12.  Then verse 15 says, “ So watch yourselves carefully since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, lest you corruptly make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.”

In other words, our trust must be on God and His promises/ words recorded in the Scripture. We must not transfer our trust to man-made or mental images. When we use idols or images, to a certain extent, we truly trust that figure representing the truth about God. However, no idols/images can represent the whole truth and glory of God. Our allegiance and trust, like Moses, said must be only on the voice of the LORD which is faithfully recorded in the pages of the Bible. Listen, when the commandment was given, they heard only a voice –the word of God. They have not seen any form –but only heard a voice from the LORD. The LORD’s voice is fully and faithfully recorded now in the Bible. May we trust His word and promises faithfully recorded for us, not forms, idols, or images?