Satan’s Devices: Idolatry
FBFC Men’s Thursday night Bible study
Ron Miller
13 August, 1998
"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not MAKE unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:" – Exodus 20:3-4
The ability to follow God’s Word comes as a result of our sincerity in serving Him. Should we decide to ignore His Authority over everything, then we, as humans, will certainly substitute Him with a "god" of our own corrupted desires.
Notice that the MAKING is equally forbidden as the worshipping. What in all God’s Creation can be greater than the Creator? When we rely on someone or something to relieve us of our pressure, we spurn God as our Creator and our Comforter. When we reach for someone or something in a time of celebration rather than praising God for his grace, we secretly affirm that Satan was right all along, we owe God nothing. It’s no wonder God made this the second Commandment right after:
"I Am the Lord your God, Which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." – Exodus 20: 2-3
Satan knows that man’s attentions are so easily distracted. He knows that he can stay behind the scenes, drawing the due affection and the proper attention away from the Almighty. So, as God has ordained, he fills the Earth with distractions that man can "worship". God’s true children are those who make every effort to sacrifice the obvious pleasures of the world, the flesh and self-gratification for righteous servitude to the Creator.
The End Times will be the game, how we live today is only practice.
The guaranteed test of idolatry is the following: Ask the idol. The idol won’t answer.
"[Fill in the blank], will you always be there for me?
"Will you love me even if I abandon you?"
"Can you hear me?"
Sounds silly, doesn’t it? This is exactly what we should be doing when we bow to addictions, when we agree to questionable behavior, when we put ourselves above others. Satan doesn’t actually want you to expect the idol to fulfill all your needs or answer your prayers. What Satan wants is the illusion that you are in control of the situation, barring God from working closely with you to overcome the flesh.
Read: 1 Kings 18:25-40; Isaiah 16:12
So Satan would have us build idols and worship them. This will be evident in End Time Prophesy. God will have us brake down idols and destroy them. If an idol is truly great, then many people will be appalled by it’s destruction, and many eyes may be opened afterwards.
Read: Exodus 23:24; Exodus 34:13; Numbers 33:52; Deut. 7:5,25,26; Deut. 12:1-4; Judges 2:2
Next: A Biblical account of Satan’s agenda.