What is Idolatry 2: An Illustration

A week and a half ago, I questioned the traditional understanding of idolatry in our culture. At least for me, I was taught that anything that is basically more important to you than God is an idol. Thus, money, gadgets, popularity, clothing, etc. could easily become idols. I question this, because if basically everything is an idol to us, then the term can easily lose its meaning, and we might actually be ignoring what are real idols in our lives.

Today, I first want to thank those who commented. They have caused me to think and wrestle with this question. A couple of definitions were offered. B says that an idol is anything that you can't imagine living without, and in our culture she suggests that people are probably usually our idols. While I think this is a big part of the issue, it seems incomplete. I certainly can't imagine living without air or food, and drowning and starvation certainly make me shudder. Also, I can't imagine living without my wife, and I'm not convinced God wants me to.

Jesse posits this: Something which makes God smaller by being magnified beyond its natural state. This really seems to be on to something here, and I think what he poses as symptoms are most likely symptoms, not the idols themselves. However, unfortunately, his illustration, as he admits, seems to devolve back into the original definition I'm questioning. I don't see how the ACC has been elevated to 'God' status.

Lorraine asked about the rich young ruler idolizing his riches, and interestingly enough, the sermon in church yesterday was about that very story in Mark (Mark 10:17-31). This, of course, got me thinking again, and an illustration popped into my head of what I'm thinking, so I thought I'd share it here.

Frequently in the Bible, the relationship between God and His people is illustrated by marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33), and "adultery" is often used to describe idolatry (Jeremiah 3:6-9). It's this that I want to flesh out a bit. I'm going to present common definitions of idolatry, apply them to marriage, and see if we call those things adultery.

Is it adultery, if something is more valuable to me than my wife? Well, if work is more important to me than my wife, and I spend more time at the office than I do with her, I have certainly sinned against her and neglected her, but that isn't adultery.

Is it adultery, if I can give up my wife more easily than something else? This is similar to question above, and it gets a similar answer. This certainly suggests a really bad relationship with my wife, but I haven't cheated on her.

Is it adultery, if I spend more time or money on something or someone than my wife? Perhaps, but not in and of itself. Many men, for example, love their cars, cars that their wives never drive (a hotrod, classic car, etc.). They might spend tons of money on the car, far more than on gifts for their bride, but no one would accuse them of committing adultery. Likewise, if time is the issue, then anyone deployed overseas would commit adultery every time they go.

If I am committing adultery, there is a good chance I am spending more time and money on that other person, but the opposite is not necessarily true. I may spend more time and money on someone else other than my wife, but that cannot define adultery.

Is it adultery, if I refuse to give up something for the sake of my wife? This is like the rich young ruler. He wouldn't give up his riches to follow Jesus. Well, if I refuse to give up smoking, eating fatty foods, or hanging out with the boys, is that adultery? Certainly not. Again, it's wrong, perhaps, but not adultery.

Adultery is very specific. It is basically replacing my wife with a substitute. This can pretty much only be done with another person. I decide that I don't want my wife - emotionally, physically, intimately, etc. - and I find another to fill her shoes.

While I know that every illustration falls apart at some level, it seems to me that true idolatry needs to replace Yahweh for a substitute god. Whatever role(s) the One True God is supposed to fill, I would need to decide that I want someone or something else to fill it/them. Thus, it seems to me that idolatry requires another god, like adultery requires another person. Indeed, this is why Jesse's definition - reducing God and elevating something else - is so intriguing to me. This is what I want to look at next time.

Until then, keep the comments coming. I found them very helpful last time, and I can't wait to read more. If I don't respond in the combox, don't get discouraged. Chances are that I'm waiting to respond to you in a post.

Image of idol courtesy of MorgueFile.com. Photo of my wedding created by Beth Cummings Norman.