Avoiding Idol Worship

Your name, O Lord, endures forever; your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation. For the Lord will give justice to his people and have compassion on his servants. The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. Psalm 135: 13-18 NLT

I have always pictured idols as these little dolls made of clay with gold or silver paint on them. But when I read these verses today, this is what I heard:

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold....

Of course, the idols of today are silver and gold! People worship money and the power and fame that comes with money. 

And so many people are working for more money so that they can buy things that do not make them happy. Then they have to make more money to buy more stuff. That’s the “shaped by human hands” part. Also, they become just like the money -- they are things rather than human beings. 

But how does one prevent such idol worship? Does that mean we have to quit our jobs and remove ourselves from both silver and gold? No, I don’t think that is the answer. However, we have to be careful that we are not allowing our livelihoods to become our pursuit over money. Does that make sense? We are to make money in order to live off the money (as well as save it and give it away) but we should not be working to make more money to buy stuff that will never make us happy. 

God, you want us to know you and worship you. Your main competition seems to be money -- making more and more of it. We don’t seem to know how to stop because it feels like we need so much. Yet, you are all we truly need. Help us to change our priorities and focus on you rather than on money. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Copyright Amelia G. Sims 2012