1 John 5:21, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."
It seems difficult to read this verse and then quickly scan life habits and come up with an immediate "red flag" that you need to review in response to the warning.
1 John 5:21, (Amp) says: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods) – [from anything and everything that would occupy the place of your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen. The additional assistance in that version of the verse can move your mind a little further, but let’s explore ourselves in the mirror of God’s word and find out more.
God is to be worshipped, or He would not be God. An idol would be something that takes His place in our lives, so an idol would be something that we might worship. We don’t typically bow down on our knees to anything or anyone in the Western World. So, what is worship?
Matthew’s gospel makes that quite clear as it echoes the Old Testament. Matthew 15:25 says of the woman of Canaan, "Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me." Isaiah 44:17, speaking of a man who has made a graven image of wood, "he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god."
The woman of Canaan looked to the Lord Jesus for help. The man that forms his own god looks to his god for deliverance. The woman of Canaan got true deliverance and eternal life. The man described in Isaiah does what is offensive to the true God in his futile exercise. To us, his worship seems silly at best, but it actually hits close to home.
What do we depend on for help, or to say it better, what do we worship? Isaiah 31:1 says, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." We do have things that we depend on, just like those described in the above verses. We are even known to put thought into it before we say, in our minds, "deliver me". How about that stash of money that is in an investment or savings account? That will deliver us when the going gets tough. Nothing wrong with saving money, but is it money that delivers us? There are a lot of excellent safety features in newer cars. I’d better make sure my daughter has a car with the latest safety technology to deliver her in a bad accident. Does safety come from an array of air bags, sensors and active restraints, (man’s technology)?
We can go on in this same way about doctors, modern medicine, cell phones, intelligent electronic items, health foods, natural remedies, various technologies, material possessions, the government and the created earth itself. How many have looked forward to being delivered from the stress of the day by the calming effect of an alchoholic beverage? Even chocolate can be a feel-good medicine that we might depend on to substitute for a lack of satisfaction in our lives, because our satisfaction is not in Him. Looking for deliverance in these places will start you on the path of eventual self destruction. In fact, all idols that we fabricate do lead to self destruction if we don’t turn from them to God.
We are naturally proud, yet we are naturally fearful. You would think that proud people would not be fearful. Surely, fear would drive someone to humility. Why doesn’t it? Fear is a good motivator if we fear the true God. Instead, we fear the unknown and our fellow man. We build idols to deliver us from the unknowns and what men might do to us as we choose to disbelieve God’s promises. Moses, in Deuteronomy 1:25-34 explains to the Israelites the error of their ways as they succumbed to fear instead of believing God’s promises. He says: "They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’ "Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."’ "Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry…"
Not only did the Israelites not believe what God had said, but they made Him into a god of evil intent toward them. They were saying that He was not holy, perfect and true. In their pride, they thought that God could not really be better than themselves. We really do the same when we erect our protective walls around us to ease our fear, and count on them to protect us when we ought to remember that only God delivers. Think on this summary in the last verses of Hebrews 10, which illustrates God’s thoughts toward our self-destructive, unbelieving fears that lead us toward idolatry: "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.
But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."
So God, in His loving and understanding way, patiently and continually teaches us to depend on Him. "For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." Psalm 103:14. His Word lights our way, particularly as we only begin to understand part of what it means to "keep yourselves from idols."
It seems difficult to read this verse and then quickly scan life habits and come up with an immediate "red flag" that you need to review in response to the warning.
1 John 5:21, (Amp) says: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods) – [from anything and everything that would occupy the place of your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen. The additional assistance in that version of the verse can move your mind a little further, but let’s explore ourselves in the mirror of God’s word and find out more.
God is to be worshipped, or He would not be God. An idol would be something that takes His place in our lives, so an idol would be something that we might worship. We don’t typically bow down on our knees to anything or anyone in the Western World. So, what is worship?
Matthew’s gospel makes that quite clear as it echoes the Old Testament. Matthew 15:25 says of the woman of Canaan, "Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me." Isaiah 44:17, speaking of a man who has made a graven image of wood, "he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god."
The woman of Canaan looked to the Lord Jesus for help. The man that forms his own god looks to his god for deliverance. The woman of Canaan got true deliverance and eternal life. The man described in Isaiah does what is offensive to the true God in his futile exercise. To us, his worship seems silly at best, but it actually hits close to home.
What do we depend on for help, or to say it better, what do we worship? Isaiah 31:1 says, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!" Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." We do have things that we depend on, just like those described in the above verses. We are even known to put thought into it before we say, in our minds, "deliver me". How about that stash of money that is in an investment or savings account? That will deliver us when the going gets tough. Nothing wrong with saving money, but is it money that delivers us? There are a lot of excellent safety features in newer cars. I’d better make sure my daughter has a car with the latest safety technology to deliver her in a bad accident. Does safety come from an array of air bags, sensors and active restraints, (man’s technology)?
We can go on in this same way about doctors, modern medicine, cell phones, intelligent electronic items, health foods, natural remedies, various technologies, material possessions, the government and the created earth itself. How many have looked forward to being delivered from the stress of the day by the calming effect of an alchoholic beverage? Even chocolate can be a feel-good medicine that we might depend on to substitute for a lack of satisfaction in our lives, because our satisfaction is not in Him. Looking for deliverance in these places will start you on the path of eventual self destruction. In fact, all idols that we fabricate do lead to self destruction if we don’t turn from them to God.
We are naturally proud, yet we are naturally fearful. You would think that proud people would not be fearful. Surely, fear would drive someone to humility. Why doesn’t it? Fear is a good motivator if we fear the true God. Instead, we fear the unknown and our fellow man. We build idols to deliver us from the unknowns and what men might do to us as we choose to disbelieve God’s promises. Moses, in Deuteronomy 1:25-34 explains to the Israelites the error of their ways as they succumbed to fear instead of believing God’s promises. He says: "They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’ "Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there."’ "Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry…"
Not only did the Israelites not believe what God had said, but they made Him into a god of evil intent toward them. They were saying that He was not holy, perfect and true. In their pride, they thought that God could not really be better than themselves. We really do the same when we erect our protective walls around us to ease our fear, and count on them to protect us when we ought to remember that only God delivers. Think on this summary in the last verses of Hebrews 10, which illustrates God’s thoughts toward our self-destructive, unbelieving fears that lead us toward idolatry: "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.
But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."
So God, in His loving and understanding way, patiently and continually teaches us to depend on Him. "For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." Psalm 103:14. His Word lights our way, particularly as we only begin to understand part of what it means to "keep yourselves from idols."
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