Daniel // Week 3
Theologian A.W Tozer, in his book, This World: Playground or Battleground?, writes this about the nature of idolatry:
“Idolatry is of all sins the most hateful to God because it is in essence a defamation of the divine character.”
In Exodus 32, just 40 days after God had rescued Israel from the oppression of Egypt, the Israelites create and worship a golden statue. Their leader declared, “This is your God, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Ex 34:4)
Although God proved his faithfulness to Israel through the Exodus, Israel, at this time, felt abandoned once again. Instead of recentering themselves on God’s character, they defame His character by turning to an idol made by their own hands. They convince themselves that this idol was the one who delivered them. They believed a lie that started them down the slippery slope of idolatry.
God told Israel in Exodus 20:4, “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.” This commandment was intended not only to protect the honor of God’s holy character, but also to protect Israel from glorifying the creation over the Creator. No created thing was intended to give true life and hope to humanity – only a holy God can do that.
Generations later, Daniel finds himself in a similar situation as the post-exodus Israelites. After the Exodus, Israel was without a homeland, wandering in the desert. Daniel was banished from his homeland, an exile in Babylon.
This begs the question: will Daniel make the same mistake Israel did? When Daniel is tempted with idolatry, will he give in like Israel did when worshiping the golden calf? Or will He trust in God’s character and the goodness of His commandment?
This week, we read Daniel 3, where Daniel is commanded by the King of Babylon to “fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.” (Daniel 3:5) The stakes for disobeying this decree are high, and Daniel will have to decide whether he will trust in God’s care for him or trust in the ways of Babylon.
Idolatry lures us in by promising to fulfill us in ways that God already has. When we give into this temptation, we are demonstrating a lack of trust in who He is, and in doing so, defame His character.
But our God is not like the idols of the world. He is all-loving, all-powerful, all-good, all-holy. He can’t sin against us and He can’t be anything but good to us. It’s not in His nature. Look at what Paul says about this in Acts:
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24-25)
No created thing deserves our worship because God Himself has already given us everything we need. He alone fulfills. He is not needy like the idols of this world. Rather, He receives our worship as a response to His holiness. If worship is a response to God’s holiness, then nothing else is worthy of it.
Idolatry starts in the heart. It starts with a lie, a trust in a created thing, a desire to use creation to fulfill what the Creator gives.
Let’s take some inventory of our lives. Perhaps there are lies we are believing that could be surrendered to Christ before they lead us into idolatry. Consider the following questions. If it’s helpful, record your thoughts in your journal.
Is there a need that you believe God isn’t going to meet or doesn’t want to meet? What is something you are using to meet that need instead of God?
What idols do you see as most prominent in your culture and surroundings? Which of these are you most likely to worship? Take these temptations to our empathetic and forgiving God. Ask him for strength to deny these idols.
As a closing prayer, fill in the following blank:
“Jesus, I trust that you are better than ____. When I struggle to believe this, help my unbelief.”
