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This verse is taken from:
1 Corinthians 10. 7-14
“search the scriptures” John 5:39
The Israelites had experienced five blessings, vv. 1-4, but, instead of this leading them closer to the Lord, they commit five sins: lust, v. 6; idolatry, v. 7; fornication, v. 8; presumption, v. 9; and murmuring, v. 10.
Idolatry, in their case, involved worship of the golden calf in direct disobedience to the second commandment, ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image’, Exod. 20. 4. Forms of idolatry in the Old Testament included worship of natural things, such as stones, the sun, moon, and stars, as well as images of false gods. The first allusion to idolatry in the Bible is the account of Rachel stealing her father’s images, which were the relics of the worship of other gods, Gen 31. 19. Following this, and during their long residence in Egypt, the Hebrews fell into idolatry. Finally, God judged them by allowing them to be overcome and led into exile by the Gentile nations around. This exile was to purify the Jews of their idolatrous tendencies.
The first and second commandments are directed against idolatry of every form. Today, in eastern countries, idolatry in the form of the worship of graven images continues and this is the case even in the wider sphere of professing Christianity where, for example, icons of Mary are the object of worship.
In the western world, idolatry is seen more in the form of covetousness - the love of money and possessions, for ‘covetousness ... is idolatry’, Col. 3. 5. It should be the constant exercise of believers to ensure that nothing replaces the Lord in our heart’s affections. The central place should be reserved for Him alone. Have we rejected the Lord from reigning as sovereign in our hearts? In an age when materialism governs the lives of so many, may we, as believers, ensure that our affections are not prone to wander from the one who is the fountain of living waters. The words of William Cowper’s hymn seem a suitable ending to today’s meditation:
‘The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be:
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee’.
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