Idolatry in Action

You shall not bow yourself to them nor serve them, for I, Jehovah your God, am a jealous God Deuteronomy 5:9

Bow – Serve – Idolatry comes in two related flavors.  The first is shachah, to bow down in submission or reverence or worship.  Hollywood has exploited this flavor of idolatry with its scenes of pagan rituals.  Of course, that external obeisance is only a small taste of the real heart commitment to another god.  Isaiah 2:12-17 uses this same word to show us that all who are proud and arrogant are licking the shachah flavor – and they will all be judged because of this.  You don’t have to flop before a statue in order to retain pride and arrogance in your heart, do you?  In fact, if we think about those actions and attitudes which elevate us above others or contribute to our disdain of others, we might just discover that the shachah tendency runs deeper than we thought.

But that isn’t the end of the story.  God tells us that there is another flavor mixed into this lethal brew.  It is avad, a very important word in Hebrew thought.  Avad is the umbrella word for labor.  It includes both work and service, and in the context of this commandment, that means that work can also be seen as worship.  When work is dedicated to the Lord’s purposes, it becomes worship.  When it is not dedicated to the Lord’s purposes, avad is service to false gods.  The commandment prohibits providing economic leverage to those idols that oppose God’s plans.  The attitude of arrogance and pride will find its expression in opposition to God, even if the false gods are telling you just how “good” the work is.  Work and worship are intimately connected.

What does this mean for the daily grind?  First, it implies that a follower of the Way sees all daily activity in a spiritual context.  I don’t go to work just to fill my time so that I can get money to fill my desires.  If I am a follower of the Way, work is the place God puts me to experience His engineering of my life.  I come with contentment because I know that He orders my day.  I serve with gladness because I am where He wants me to be, whether at the register in Target or at the gas pump or at the boardroom table.  If I am not there because God wants me there, then my avad probably serves another god.

The same can be said for my purposes.  No matter where God places me, I still serve (work for) Him.  Isn’t this exactly what Paul suggested?  But if I find that what occupies my effort is directed toward desires not in line with the will of the Father, then my avad is passive rebellion, denying God’s authority and ownership of all my endeavors.

David said that all the earth will worship (fall down and serve) the Lord.  If the sun, moon and stars sing His praises, and if every hill and valley, ocean and stream shout out the magnificence of the Holy One of Israel, can we do any less and claim that we are obedient to this second commandment?

Today, you may walk humbly before your God.  You may serve Him with contentment and joy.  Or, you can look to others gods in your attitude and actions.  It’s really up to you, isn’t it?