Attractions of Idolatry

Recently I was listening to a lecture for my OT survey class. In the lecture the Professor was discussing the book of Judges and the attractions of idolatry that the Hebrew people were dealing with. In his comments the Professor stated that the Hebrew people continually gave into their idolatrous temptation and the attractions that it gave. For the Hebrew people it was merely impossible not to fall in to the attractions of idolatry unless they strictly and intentionally kept their eyes focused on God and His amazing grace in bringing them out of Egypt and His loving care in providing a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. Here are the attractions that the Professor gave that idolatry had for the Hebrew people.

1) Worship and an access to a god or goddess was guaranteed
2) Selfish
3) Easy
4) Convenient
5) Normal or what everyone else was doing
6) Logical and made sense in our world
7) Pleasing to the Senses
8) Indulgent and very satisfying
9) Erotic and full of pleasure

First as I was thinking about the professor's comment about focusing on God intentionally and not falling into the attraction, I have to say that it is the same for us today. We today must continually focus intentionally and strictly on God. God has given us amazing grace on the cross and continues to give us grace daily. God has also in His loving care for us provided a new life filled with new hope and new joy in Him and His daily provisions. We are the same as the Hebrew people thousands of years ago.

Secondly I believe that we face the exact same 9 attractions in our idolatry today. Our idols might not be wooden or brass figures or animals sitting on our wall or in a stone temples that we must walk to. But our idols are all around us; money, power, sex, celebrities, our stomachs, family, jobs, friends, cars, other big boy toys, our lives, and the list could go on. And we might not have to walk to a stone temple but our idols do have other temples like; stadiums, movie theaters, malls, computers, houses, skyscrapers, and the list goes on.

So our attractive idols are just like the Hebrew people from Judges, they might change names, places, and sizes, but they are still there and they are still as attractive. Tomorrow I would like to open up the attractions and look at some of the ways our idols are just as attractive in the same categories.