The Problem of Idolatry Today

money, economy, avarice, wealth, WWJD, rich

The Old Testament prophets have much to say to us today.  In their time they were speaking the words of Yahweh to a people who were utterly lost and trying to find their way.  Yahweh had rescued them from slavery in Egypt and led them to the Promised Land.  Time and again the people of Israel strayed from the Lord, and time and again the Yahweh stayed faithful and loved them with an everlasting love.

One of the issues that the prophets consistently railed against was the issue of idolatry.  Idolatry is still a problem for the Church today, and thus the message of the prophets is just as relevant now as it was then.  In this essay, we will address three things: examples of idolatry in the writings of the prophets; the background surrounding those issues; and how this message is still a contemporary one for the Church today.

Jeremiah Against Israel’s Infidelity

One of the prophets that comes to mind regarding idolatry is the prophet Jeremiah.  Chapter 2 of the book of Jeremiah is a good example of this.  Jeremiah uses marital language to highlight the idolatry that the people have committed.  The first nineteen verses of this chapter recall the purity that the bride, Israel, had with her husband Yahweh. The graphic language he uses is shocking.

For example, in verse twenty he calls the nation a whore who plies her trade under every green tree.  He calls them a donkey in heat (Jeremiah 2:24) lusting after foreigners (2:25). This would also include the foreign nations’ way of life and gods.

The green tree image is highly significant to Jeremiah’s critique of idolatry. Green trees were emblematic of pagan goddesses in the region of Judah and the surrounding nations.  There is also some evidence that the green tree imagery indicates worship of the pagan gods, Asshur and Ishtar. The people chased after the promises of false gods instead of the true God who saved them.

Micah Against the Leaders

There are many more examples of idolatry in Jeremiah, but let’s turn to another good example in the prophet Micah. It is a critique many can identify with today.

Micah 3:11 describes a horrible sin of the priests of Israel. In that verse he describes priests making money off their teaching and prophets practicing divination for profit.  Micah issues a scathing indictment of the priests and prophets for twisting the words of Yahweh and perverting them for economic gain.

In ancient Judaism, the priests and prophets were placed in essential roles as intermediaries between Yahweh and the people.  The priests performed essential ritual functions, and the prophets heard their message directly from Yahweh.  In the time of Micah, the abuse of their sacred office and the economic idolatry it entailed was sacrilegious.  Money had become their god instead of what they were charged to do.

Relevance Today

Idolatry is just as much a problem now as it was in the time of the prophets.  The Catechism defines idolatry as “divinizing what is not God” (n. 2113). We are called to place God above all things, but whatever we cling to and look to for security puts something else in the place of God and is idolatry.

The language Jeremiah uses in the passage above may seem hard to place in today’s context, but a deep self-examination is needed to see whether or not we fall prey to these same tendencies.  As the Israelites chased after the false promises of fertility goddesses, many in our pews chase after the false promise that immoral sex will make them be acceptable to their peers.  Adultery, fornication, and womanizing are as much acts of idolatry as worshiping an image of Ishtar if they take the place of God in our lives.

Some may say that the sins mentioned are not a problem for them, but Satan has many more idols to dangle in front of us.  It could be the constant need to be busy, a career, or even an obsession with social media.

The passage from Micah 3 highlights the idolatry of money.  Money is something that we all need to survive: to pay bills, feed our families, and even to fund a ministry.  However, there is a reason that Paul calls the love of money the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).

Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that all we need is more money to make us happy.  The fact is that true happiness can only be found in God, and the idolatry of money leaves one unhappy no matter how much is attained.  The priests in Micah 3:11 were able to be bribed to do things, and the false prophets took pay to deliver favorable oracles.

Idolatry and the Church

This sin of economic idolatry is one that can easily creep into the Church and Church leadership.  It seems that some of the most popular preachers have succumbed to this. They tell people what they want to hear and fail to rightly preach the scriptures and the Gospel.  Those churchmen who rightly deliver the word of truth must work much harder to correct the errors of others.  However, this sin does not stop with the leaders as the leaders spread this message to their congregations, and the sin proliferates.

The message of these prophets is a word of truth for our day too and one that must be preached often. The world is turning more and more hostile to the faith, and there are more potential idols than ever before.  Idolatry is a real threat to the Church and the souls it seeks to serve.

In Micah 3 the sins of the priests and prophets were ultimately judged by God with the destruction of the temple.  Likewise, the Church today will have its faithfulness judged in the same light.  Is it faithful to God and leading souls to Him?  Or is there an idol that has been placed ahead of God that will destroy the Church?  Idols are not just a thing of the past; vanquishing them is a pathway to the future.

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1 thought on “The Problem of Idolatry Today”

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