What is Idolatry? By Rev. Neal Neuenschwander Exodus 20:4-6 January 13, 2018

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1 What is Idolatry? By Rev. Neal Neuenschwander Exodus 20:4-6 January 13, 2018 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a zealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. I heard a story the other day about a pastor who happened to see a former parishioner from a distant town. Instinctively, this pastor said Bob it's great to see you. How are things going down at old first church? Bob said, I hate to tell you this, but we don't go there anymore. The preacher after you just didn't do things right, so a group of us decided that we'd have to join another church. Gosh, I hate to hear that, Bob the preacher said. How are things going in the new church? Well, I hate to tell you preacher, but we don't go there either. A new music director came who just didn't do things right, so my wife and I decided that we had to leave them to. The preacher, Gosh, I hate to hear that also. Have you found something else that works for you? Well, Bob said, my wife and I tried several places, but nothing seemed to work, so we decided to do our Sunday worship at home. OK. The preacher said. Well, I hope that you and Mary have been able to find God there. I hate to tell you this preacher, the old parishioner replied, but when Mary and I started to worship, I realized that she didn't do things right. Now, I have to worship God alone. It's a silly story, in many ways, but there is some truth to it, especially when you look at the long history of Christianity in the Western World. It's one thing if were' talking about personal preference then we can usually agree to disagree, but if we're talking about false worship, idolatry, worship this is displeasing to our God, then the debate become for more intense, 400 years ago, this sort of debate led to a 30 year war in northern Europe and a puritan revolution in Great Britain a revolution that eventually died out. Before that happened, hundreds of cathedrals were sacked, and thousands of statues found in those church were destroyed as idols pagan idols. 900 years before that, Muslim generals argued that the main reason they could defeat Christian cities and towns in war was our practice of idolatry using statues or paintings of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in worship.

2 3100 years ago, the armies of a Jewish King named Joshua destroyed not just church but cities people, property, livestock, and pets to stop the practice of idolatry. So, this commandment we are studying is dangerous. Before most folks accepted the separation of church and state, one's understanding of this commandment literally led to war. There are 4 historic positions described in this morning's bulletin: Reformed Christians, like Jews, were the strictest Christian sect. As it says in the Heidelberg catechism, (quoted here in #1), God cannot and should not be pictured in any way.' No stained glass, no statues, no anything--because of commandment #2. They would love this sanctuary just the way it is. Historically, low church Christians like Presbyterians and Methodists and Baptists have adhered to this view. On the other end of the spectrum, Roman Catholics have long maintained the veneration of images is NOT idolatry the reverence paid to Mary and Joseph and many other saints is very different from the reverence that we pay to God. Thuy s, their churches are full of images: stained glass images and statues of many well-regarded saints. Historically, high church Christians like Episcopals and some Protestants from the cultural elite have adhered to this view. Orthodox Christians, interestingly enough, have a mediating position. Quoting the verse of scripture which says that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, they welcome icons that picture Jesus in some way, but they do not picture God the Father as an old man, nor do they picture the Holy Spirit with a dove. Finally, Jews haven't had the power to destroy anyone else's sanctuaries for the last 2000 years, but you will not see human beings portrayed or nature scenes portrayed in any Jewish place of worship. Occasionally, you might see a kaleidoscope of stained glass, but that glass will not portray any image instead, the Torah the Torah scroll is front and center. That's what you've got to see, and this is true across traditions: orthodox, conservative, and reformed. When it comes to prohibition of idolatry, they're all the same. But what does the second commandment actually say? 2 words are really important: 1 st. The Hebrew word pesel (translated idol in our text). That word is derived from a Hebrew verb that means to cut or hew. So it's clearly a reference to something carved out of wood or stone. Thus, if you're going to be literal, in that sense, pottery does not qualify, since it's molded and not cut, but, since this morning's text goes on to say that you shall not make a likeness of anything found on earth or sky or sea, Christians and Jews have long agreed that pottery made to look like animals or fish or people could be used as idols. So could molded plastic, I suspect. Except for the Amish, most Christians generally think that we can put them on walls or shelves in our own homes, but we cannot bow down to them or worship them. The other important word in this passage is panah --usually translated as jealous. This is a description of God himself. I am jealous God -- in some versions of the text. But the translation I

3 prefer is zealous: full of energy, full of passion, full of zeal. It's derived from a Hebrew word that means red. One way of thinking about this is saying that when human beings start doing things that are sinful or hateful or stupid, God sees red! Another way of thinking about this is saying that God s love for us passionate and intense much like a red hot coal. Still another way to think about it (depending on your ethnic origin), is to say that Father O Malley was right God's Irish! I won't go quite that far, but I like the thought that the God we find in Scripture is a red hot lover his passion for us is powerful and intense! You don't part the whole red sea for people you don't care about You don't feed em for 40 years in the wilderness. And you certainly don t send your son to die for people whose devotion is a matter of indifference to you. The God we find in Scripture is zealous in the best sense of the word. He is passionate and intense. Given that reality, what does this term idolatry really mean? I'd call it displaced devotion putting someone else or something else in the place of God. In this country, people often talk about material things as idols, saying things like It's idolatry to buy a luxury sports car. Is that true? Some say it's idolatry to buy expensive season tickets for the dodgers or the rams. Is that true? Others say it's idolatry to buy a 6,000 square foot house. Is that true? I'd say it depends If those who buy these goods are quite generous in their giving, devoted to their families, and committed to their God, probably not. But if their devotion to these items is so excessive that it takes away from those things, probably so at least to some extent. A material thing might be an idol if you expect that thing to save you or make you great. If your whole self-image is caught up in the being the owner of that house or car or season ticket pass, then it could be an idol especially if the acquisition of the objection or preservation of it leads you into sin. Success can be an idol if you re willing to do anything to get it no matter how many others might get hurt in the process. Money can be an idol if you organize your whole life around it or use it to accomplish purposes that

4 are in opposition to our God. Even good things can be idols if they are misused. I began my sermon today with the story of a man who expected his church to be perfect or nearly perfect: theology done just right, worship done just right, care giving done just right. If you expect your church to be perfect or nearly perfect outstanding in every way then you will be disappointed, not because the church is particularly flawed but because your attitude is flawed. You put the church in place of God. Sometimes, I meet with a prospective bride or groom who thinks that the person he or she is about to marry is perfect or nearly perfect. But a year or two later, all of this is changed, because the bride or groom begins to see that the person they have married is human.--they cannot fill the role of God. They can still have a wonderful marriage, but they simply cannot idolize the person that they wed. Even the Bible can be an idol. That s because it is not God. It is the word of God, but you do not have relationships with words. You have relationships with people, and the person our Bible describes as God is zealous and passionate. That's the person you need to worship. The Bible helps you get there, but it cannot take God's place. The bottom line is simply this: an idol is any person or anything that takes the place of God. Thus, idolatry is really not about the object. It's about you--the way you use it and organize your time around it. The bad news of this text is that there are some very clear consequences for idolatry consequences that affect not just you but your children. That passage made me think of Bernie Madoff and the way his whole relational network of family and friends was decimated by greed. The appearance of being clever more successful than everyone else, more prosperous than everyone else--became an idol in his case. The good news of this text is that there are very clear consequences for fidelity as well. According to this passage, those who remain faithful to our zealous savior God will be a blessing not just to their children or grandchildren or great grandchildren. They will be a blessing for 1000 generations. Think about that a minute. Assuming that one generation extends about 25 years, on average, then 5 generations ago, all of us would be coming to church on horseback or on foot 10 generations ago, our nation would be a colony of Great Britain 20 generations ago, the Roman Catholic Church owned about 1/3 of the whole continent of Europe. 50 generations ago, a young man named Mohammed decided to raise an army and share his brand new faith by force. 100 generations ago, the nation of Persia (that we now call Iran) was a super-power that controlled the people of Israel and every other people in the Middle East. 150 generations ago, an old man named Abraham had this crazy dream that his aged wife would

5 one day bear a son, and the offspring of that son would be as numerous as the stars. 200 generations ago, the very first pharaoh of upper and Lower Egypt reigned. At 25 years each, 200 generations extends 5,000 years. But God says he will love the offspring of those who are faithful to him for 1000 generations. If you take this promise literally, then your fidelity to God can bring blessings to your family in the year 27,000. Not ,000 That's 25 millennia from now. Some people say this is deliberate hyperbole. Perhaps. But the main point is still clear. Do you ever wonder if your life matters? Do you ever wonder if you've made a difference? There's your answer. If you love the Lord and seek to follow his commands, then your life will be a blessing for millennia to come. That leads to the last question of this morning: How do we claim this promise for others and for ourselves? 2 principles are key. 1. Focus on yourself. Especially given the long history of conflict around this commandment, we must focus on ourselves. Kim always taught our children that when you point a finger at others, there's 3 fingers pointed back at you. Those fingers should remind you to ask tough questions of yourself. What do your choices say about the object of your worship? Who do you trust to save you? Who do you trust to help you? Who do you trust to guide you? One of the first Bible study I knew several years ago used to put it this way: if you were legally charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Sure, you might go to church every now and then, but What would your check book say? What would your calendar reveal? What does your diary reveal? How much dust is sitting on the Bible you claim to read at home? 2. If your level of devotion is not that great, consider some alternatives to improve it The real essence of this passage is devotion. God gives his passion freely, and he wants ours in return. But we get busy and we get angry. We get distracted and we get tired. Soon, if we re not careful, there s no devotion in us. We re going through the motions but feeling nothing in return. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to change this. Starting at the end of this month, our Wednesday afternoon Bible study will be studying the Gospel of John. That gospel gives us such a beautiful look at God! It s a bit abstract, now and then. That why it helps to study it in groups. It reminds me a symphony with several recurrent

6 themes. It s less a treatise than a work of art. Our Wednesday night women s group will be showing you how to discern the voice of God. No skill is more important and more central in the Christian life. Our Saturday morning men s group will be focusing on the book of Colossians, an ebullient celebration of Jesus: who he is, what he did, what that means for you and me. Each one of these groups could help you deepen your devotion at the start of this new year. You can also try journaling, meditation, and contemplative prayer. There s no one right way to do it, because all this is just a means to an end: connection with a zealous God--a god who loves us, a god who saves us, a god who seeks our loyalty and calls us to himself. The second commandment tells us that God promises great blessings to those who keep him first. What can you do to be one of them?