The big news this weekend has been the pushback over a golden statue of President Trump unveiled in Florida this week. The shocking thing about this blatant act of idolatry is that so-called Christian and Jewish leaders were there to pray over the Golden statue on the world stage (Exodus 20:3-6, Leviticus 19:4, Acts 17:29).
The wickedness and ignorance of President Trump and MAGA are obvious since they are obsessed with earthly things that cannot save them, no matter how much they pray and believe:
- Power
- Military might
- Money
- Gold
The world is notorious for putting its hope into temporary things that are man-made (Ecclesiastes 5:10, Isaiah 31:1, Philippians 3:18-19). God’s people are called to be different from this fallen kingdom (James 4:4, 1 Peter 2:9).
Our hope and satisfaction come from God alone (Psalm 62:5-6, 1 Timothy 6:17). Unfortunately, the dedication of a golden Trump statue is a reality check that many conservatives in America have turned to idols just as the Bible predicted (Ezekiel 14:3-5, Matthew 24:10-12). God’s people are specifically warned not to turn or trust idols (Deuteronomy 29:17, 1 Corinthians 10:14).
What Is an Idol
We often think of idols as foreign gods or their representations, but idols are still everywhere in today’s society. An idol can be anything we put our hope or faith in. An idol is defined as “An object of extreme devotion or a likeness of something/someone.”
Idols reflect the contents of our heart (Colossians 3:5). God’s people are commanded to love only God with all their heart and being (Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30). Lest we forget that God is a jealous God and will not tolerate us putting our hope into worldly idols (Exodus 34:14, 2 Corinthians 11:2).
That is why the Bible has a lot to say about idols and why they are dangerous for God’s people (Acts 15:29; 17:16, Romans 1:23, 1 Corinthians 12:2, 1 Peter 4:3). Anything we show devotion to more than God is an idol in our lives.
These idols cannot save us and may lead us astray from God (1 Corinthians 8:4-6, James 4:4, 1 John 5:21, Revelation 9:20-21). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about idols and why God’s people must avoid them, regardless of how happy they make us.
Tᵊrāp̄îm
The Torah tells us that after the fall, man’s heart became corrupt and full of evil (Genesis 6:5). From then on, mankind turned to idols instead of listening to God the Creator (Exodus 32:1-4, Deuteronomy 4:15-19, Judges 2:11-13, 1 Kings 12:28-30, Psalm 106:19-21).
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for idol is tᵊrāp̄îm, and it can also mean “Idolatry, teraphim, or image,” depending upon the context it is used in. It was this worship of idols that made God’s people happy and led them astray from Him in the wilderness (Numbers 25:1-3).
That is why God commanded his people not to turn to idols like the foreign nations around them (Deuteronomy 5:7-9; 6:14; 7:25-26). Although Judaism forbids idol worship, God’s people clearly disobeyed and worshiped other gods over the years:
- Golden calf
- Baal
- Asherah
- Chemosh
- Molech/Milcom/Malcam
- Dagon
- Golden calves
- Tammuz
- Hosts of heaven (Sun/Moon/stars
- Sikkuth and chin/Remphan
When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He reminded His followers not to turn to other gods or the ways of the fallen world, but to love God with all of their hearts and minds (Matthew 22:37-40).
Our Rabbi taught His followers that they could only serve one master, because He knew that their hearts were corrupted (Matthew 6:24; 15:19). He knew just how divided God’s people’s hearts were (Jeremiah 17: 9, Matthew 15:8).
Our Lord knew God’s people had wanted and expected a mighty military and political leader to save them instead of God (Isaiah 9:6-7, Zachariah 9:9-10). He knew that God’s people were still obsessed with earthly power and greatness, instead of a Heavenly Kingdom (Matthew 6:20, Luke 12:33).
Virginia
In other big news this week, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the will of the people because it favors the Democrats and not the president. The majority of the citizens clearly voted to redraw the districts.
Apparently, the GOP leadership has seen that they are losing their grip on the nation and some of their power. So the president and the GOP are nervous because they know the people aren’t happy about the economy or the Iran war.
Unfortunately, the supposed conservative party has turned to earthly idols because they are afraid of losing the midterms (Proverbs 16:18, 1 Timothy 6:10, James 4:1-3):
- Money
- Control
- Power
The irony is that many conservatives are trying to say that liberals are gerrymandering the elections by doing the exact same thing our Republican party has already done in other states. Their hypocrisy has blinded them to their own thirst for power.
Pride and earthly greatness have led many conservatives astray from the faith and the party’s once-Christian values. They have turned to other gods to save them instead of God, and that is idolatry (Hosea 13:4, Acts 4:12). Pres. Trump and earthly greatness are the names of their teraphim!
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