The 2nd of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shall not have man-made idols",
may seem largely irrelevant, until we recognize that in contemporary
life there are many subtle forms of idolotry lurking around us.
We may think it absurd that people need to be told by the prophet
(Isaiah, I think) not to make an idol of wood with their right hand and
then hold it up with the left hand to worship it. Yet when we
think of the objects and images that we worship in our modern day,
(some author once categorize them as symbols of power, money, fame, or
sex), aren't they also established by people? In this sense,
every generation continues to commit the same sin of idolotry, of
worshipping man-made symbols.
For example, even Christians will easily admire, or even envy,
successful people who constantly make it to the news, whether as
powerful CEOs, rich investment gurus, glamorous stars, ... To
some degree they have succeeded as a combination of their talents and
the right opportunities. Yet very easily we can commit the
logical error of over-estimating the role of their innate talents, or
to believe that they have special powers to change our lives. The
constant fixation and yearning to emulate them becomes idolotry.
To recognize idolotry is to admit to God that He alone has the power to
change and direct the events in this world. Of course these
powerful people have a degree of influence toward people around
them. But as Christians we need to have the proper regard for
them, but place our hope and trust rightly and solely in God.
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