I tell my sons to do a lot of things (clean their rooms, mow the lawn, turn the computer off, go outside, etc.). I’ll admit that some of these commands come from a selfish place because I don’t want to mow the lawn and they are old enough to do it. But there’s something else behind my instructions to my sons: I’m looking out for their long-term good. I want my boys to be responsible, to have other interests than TV and computer games, to contribute to the good of the family.
Hopefully, we appreciate that our Father has the same intention behind His commands. As Moses told Israel, they should “keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good” (Deuteronomy 10.13). Our good is the purpose behind all of God’s commands, including His commandments regarding idolatry (Exodus 20.3-6). We might reason that the “good” here is to not displease the Lord, and while that’s true, there’s another “good” our Father has in mind. As we will see in this lesson, we become what we worship. And that fact can result in disaster… or in glory.
The Blind, Deaf & Dumb.
Isaiah 6 records the prophet’s vision of the Lord and his call to deliver God’s message to Israel. In the first part of the chapter (vss. 1-7) Isaiah beheld the Lord’s glory and quickly realized his peril because “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (vs. 5) However, a seraphim purified Isaiah by touching the prophet’s mouth with a burning coal from the altar (vss. 6-7). Isaiah then responded to the Lord’s inquiry of “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” with the well known response, “Here I am! Send me” (vs. 8) However, note the message Isaiah was commanded to proclaim:
Isaiah 6:9–10 (ESV)
9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Did the Lord really not want Israel to hear? Did He not want them to repent so that He could heal them? Other passages in Isaiah would seem to contradict this message. The book began with a plea to the people: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, ESV) Furthermore, the Lord promised that the day would come when he would bind “up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow (Isaiah 30.26). So, why would the Lord instruct Isaiah to “make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy…”? What was the Lord’s point?
Consider a portion of Hezekiah’s prayer when the Assyrians appeared to be on the verge of subjugating Judah: “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.” (Isaiah 37:18–19, ESV) Hezekiah understood that other nations had fallen because they put their trust in gods that were made by men. Significantly, this was one of the Lord’s complaints against His people: they had put their trust in gods they made with their own hands (Isaiah 44.9-17). Now note how the Psalmist described idols AND those who worship them:
Psalm 115:4–8 (ESV)
4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.
Do you see it? Not only did the Psalmist describe idols as mute, blind, deaf, etc., but that those who trust in idols become just like them! Now note the Lord’s rebuke of Israel in Isaiah 42.17-20: Israel trusted in idols instead of the Lord, but Israel had become blind and deaf… just like their idols!
Returning our attention to Isaiah’s call in Isaiah 6, the prophet inquired, “How long, O Lord?” (vs. 11). The Lord declared that the work would not be complete until destruction was accomplished (vss. 11-13). The Lord was not making the people deaf and blind to His will, rather their idolatrous worship had made them just like their gods. Destruction was coming on Jehovah’s people because rather than trusting the one, true God, they kept “on praying to a god that cannot save” (Isaiah 45.20).
Significantly, we see the same kind of language in Exodus 32. Recall that Israel commanded Aaron to fashion a god for them (vs. 1) and he obliged by forming a golden calf (vs. 4). Now note how Israel is described in the passage:
- Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.
- Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),
What does Israel sound like? What else could be described as “stiff-necked” and something that “breaks loose”? A cow! Israel had become just like the idol they made!
Exchanging Glory For Vanity.
In Psalm 106 the Psalmist reflected on Israel’s idolatry at Mt. Sinai (vs. 19). Note the indictment in vs. 20: “They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.” Exchanging their glory not only meant that they exchanged worship of glorious Jehovah for the worship of worthless idols. It meant they exchanged the opportunity to be like God (Leviticus 11.45) for something far less than God. Significantly, as the Lord’s judgment on Israel was approaching, He frequently warned them that they were exchanging their glory for vanity:
- Israel had been stubborn, like a heifer, in her devotion to idols (Hosea 4.16-17). Her glory would be turned to shame (Hosea 4.7).
- Israel “went after worthlessness, and became worthless” (Jeremiah 2.5). They had “changed their glory for that which does not profit” (Jeremiah 2.11).
- And when God destroyed Israel it was because they “followed vanity and became vain” (2Kings 17.15 NASB).
Throughout this study we’ve noted that our real idol is ourselves; we exchange God (our glory) for ourselves (vanity). God offers lasting satisfaction, but we exchange it for temporary pleasures which leave us empty. God provides eternal treasure, but we exchange His reward for our own successes which all ultimately result in failure. God leads us to His righteousness, but we exchange His will for our own viewpoints which leave us bitter and isolated. Idolatry leads to emptiness and vanity, because we become what we worship. And if what we worship is ourselves, how could we become anything but empty and vain? Thankfully, there’s an alternative…
Worshiping Glory.
We began this lesson by noting Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in Isaiah 6. Recall that Isaiah understood his peril when he beheld the Lord’s glory, but the Lord responded by sending a seraphim to purify His prophet. Isaiah showed reverence for Jehovah and was made more like Him (vss. 1-7). Israel became vain like their idols, but Isaiah shared in the Lord’s glory. Similarly, while Israel became stiff-necked like their idol (Exodus 32.9), Moses desired to see the Lord’s glory (Exodus 33.18ff) and his face shone as a result (Exodus 34.29ff). Israel acted like a cow, but Moses reflected the glory of the Lord.
What does this mean for us? Consider Paul’s words in 2Corinthians 3.18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” If we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into His glory; we become what we worship.
So, what are you becoming? The key to eradicating idolatry from our lives is to regard the Lord as holy, set Him as the object of our worship and strive to reflect His glory. Only then will we forsake temporary pleasure, because we will recognize the surpassing value of His glory. Only then will we count our own successes as meaningless because they pale in comparison to His glory. And only then will we surrender our viewpoints because we will understand that His will is the only path to glory.
We become what we worship. And if we are worshiping Jehovah, we can’t even comprehend what we are becoming. “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2, ESV)
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