American Idols

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see;
they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!
(Psalm 135:15-18)

This psalm is written by a Jewish traveler in the era before Christ, who was contrasting faith in the true God with the creatively fashioned idols of other nations. These idols were physical creations: they had shape, weight, and could sit on a shelf. If they were unearthed today, they would be quickly transferred to a museum and lauded as works of art.

Are the idols in our society the works of our hands?

I heard Pastor Mark Driscoll speak on the subject of idolatry recently. He said that some people had visited a foreign country where there were shrines to idols in every living room – it seemed unbelievable and so “old world.” Driscoll commented, “Did the idols have a remote?” In other words, Driscoll said, we quickly notice the idols in other cultures – but hardly realize those in our own.

Look around… what do you see?