In the mid
eighties I had a girlfriend that was in a long distance relationship with a boy
in another town. At some point, I
remember her telling me she was weirded out: he had made a statue of her and
proceeded to worship it. We may think
this commandment is one North Americans don’t really practice, but I strongly
disagree.
2. You shall not make to yourselves any graven image,
or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Ex. 20:4 (pesel-
carved idol)
In my mind, addictions
are idols, images we carve out in our lives to give our attention, time,
affection, finances, in excessive (thus sinful) attachment. (Anything which takes over God’s place of importance
in our hearts.) Many of the idols of
today are based in technology: tv, computers, social media, video games, cell
phones, tablets, etc. In work places,
church pews, at dinner tables, at school, while watching tv, doing homework,
and even in beds at night, devices never seem to be turned off. One kid I know used her device three times a
minute for most of her waking, non working hours.
Addiction is
characterized by an inability to abstain from something that may cause,
"Impairment in behavioral control or cravings" plus may cause
significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. Addictions affect your day to day life and the
lives of those around you. If you want
to know if it’s an addiction, go completely without for one week. Can you do it? Can you even go one day without? How agitated are you without it?
Here are some
things we could have as idols today:
Tv, movies, stars, singers, music…
Internet, computer/ video games, Facebook,
Snapchat…
Devices: cell phones, tablets, game systems,
i-pods…
Cars, houses, money, clothes, shoes, decorations…
Our appearance, clothes, shoes, working out…
Drugs, alcohol, smoking, money, gambling…
Food, junk food, coffee, tea, chocolate, chips…
Work, parties, position or power…
Sex, pornography, sexual fantasy, self pleasure…
Ourselves, our spouse, children, friends…
As Christians we can hold different idols such as:
Pastors or teachers, the local church…
Bible studies, a way of doing things, specific group…
Remember when
thinking about this one, it can be anything
in excess that takes the place of importance due to God Almighty and interferes
with our relationship with others.
Nor should we be idolaters, even as some of them, as it is
written: "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
1Cr. 10:7
Therefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. v.14
Commandment
# 2 – broken often, daily