Idols do not match a family blessed by God. They have been present in societies since the beginning. But when God delivered the 10 Commandments to the people of Israel, the second ordinance was one of the largest, most detailed, and most prominent because the Lord presents himself as a jealous God who does not accept any kind of idol among his people.
Reading: 4″
Leia em Português
Continuing the series The 10 Commandments of the Family, we will reflect on what an idol is and the consequences for a family that gets involved with it. We will also see how a family can get rid of an idol and live spirituality healthy as the Word of God guides us.
An Idol Tries to Take the Place That Is Only of God
God is incomparable, the Eternal who loves us infinitely. And everything that tries to steal God’s place in a family is an idol. It can be an image of any material, money, career, nature and even the ego itself. India currently has more than 33 million “gods”. And all over the world, more and more, the human being has been focused as a kind of god or idol for himself.
A. W. Tozer said that “the essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of him”. In other words, the attempt to replace who God is with something else is what characterizes an idol. It is up to us to seek to discover who God really is, in some sincere way, because in his grace He is always ready to reveal himself to us.
I remember that a Japanese friend from my childhood had in his house a kind of altar for an idol of his grandmother. My grandparents also had different types of sacred images, and I was never able to understand why a family cultivated gods or turned to other “mediators” instead of communicating with God Himself, who is always willing to relate directly to us.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
1Timothy 2:5
What’s wrong with a family having their own idol?
Whenever a person or family establishes any kind of idol, it is setting a trap for itself. Considering that God is always looking for a personal relationship with us, when we turn our backs on him in search of an idol, we take a path towards deception. And it will be increasingly difficult to get out of this embarrassment. There have been families trapped in idolatry and curse for centuries. And the worst thing is that they don’t even realize this sad reality.
They served their idols,which became a snare to them.
Psalm 106:36
An Idol is a Deception for Men
God is the Creator of all things. And from the beginning, He always warned men to stay away from idols. The Bible says that idols are a deception for men. But they have always been present in the most different cultures of all time.
What profit is an idolwhen its maker has shaped it,a metal image, a teacher of lies?For its maker trusts in his own creationwhen he makes speechless idols!
Habakkuk 2:18
Why isn’t an idol something neutral, but an evil think?
The most serious issue about idols is that behind every idol there is the presence of demons. The Bible is very clear about this in several passages. In other words, an idol is never something neutral, but a direct connection with evil spirits. And the consequence for the family that accepts an idol is long-term destruction because demons come only to steal, kill, and destroy. Any form of idolatry is always associated with demons in the Word of God.
The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.
Revelation 9:20
An Idol is an Abomination to God
The Lord is a jealous God and always wants to bless us. That is why He is radically opposed to everything that does not favor us. He clearly says in his Word that an idol is an abomination, and in no way should it be accepted in our homes.
But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.
Jeremiah 16:18
How to Know if Your Family Has Idols and How to Get Rid of Them?
It is very likely that your family had idols at some point in the past. Although the Lord God guided mankind against deception and the evil consequences of idolatry, this practice was always very common until a certain individual decided to repent personally.
So you need to evaluate your life sincerely in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is an idol in your life, or in your family history, that needs to be rejected.
And the way to get rid of any form of idolatry is by declaring in your own words that you renounce those idols and give your heart exclusively to the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit will guide you through a path of adjustments and new habits if you sincerely repent and accept the good plan he has for you and your family.
And they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this.”
2Kings 17:12
Conclusion
For your family to live a healthy spirituality, you must decide to evaluate your heart sincerely and reject any form of idolatry. As you ask for help from the Holy Spirit to show you idols that need to be rejected from your life, He will lead you to complete deliverance. And the result for your family will be true peace and prosperity in your home.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4-6
Prayer: God, I recognize that there is nothing to compare with the You. For your love, I reject all pride, all fear, all idolatry, and every curse that exists in my life. And I declare that my whole life belongs to the Lord God alone, and I will live out all your plans for my life, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?
Leave your comment below
