Babylonian Idol

Daniel 3

 

During the height of the Cold War, on October 31, 1983, Korean

  Airlines flight 007, departed Anchorage for Seoul

    -it was another routine day, another routine flight

       --but unknown to the crew, the plane’s navigation system was off

            by 1.5o—I know, 1.5o­­ doesn't seem like that big of a deal

              ---if a baseball player runs from first to second base and is

                   off by 1.5o, he will miss the edge of second base by a

                   mere 20”...a mistake that is easily recoverable

       --but a 1.5o error on a trip of 3773 miles put the plane across the

           invisible line into the airspace of the Soviet Union

             ---while the plane’s crew was unaware of their error, Soviet

                   radar was not...fighter jets were scrambled...they

                   intercepted the Boeing 747...fired 2 heat-seeking missiles

                   that sent all 269 passengers and crew on board spiraling

                   into the Sea of Japan...there were no survivors

 

It was a such a small error...a compromise so insignificant that no

 one noticed—at least in the beginning

 

When we hear warnings about “big sins,” we tend to dismiss them

  -we reckon that, as reasonably mature Christians, we’re beyond that

     --those commandments are simply reminders of what terrible

         sinners other people are

  -in doing so we, in effect, reduce the power and authority of God’s

     Written Word...we make it out to be “advice for other people”

     rather than the record of God’s revelation of Himself to us

      --so let’s approach today’s text with a fresh awareness that God

          has inspired Daniel to convey not only a story, but also His

          truth for us

 

Read Daniel 3:1-2, 4-8, 12-25

 

Understand that any message from Daniel 3 could legitimately go in a

  half-dozen different directions...for example, we might focus on

    -their obedience to God rather than to man (like Peter in Acts 4-5)

    -the king’s foolish assumption that their life/death are in his hands

    -their incredible, unconditional faith

    -their readiness to put their lives on the line (literally) for what they

       know to be true and right

    -and, of course, the true hero of the story, God, and His amazing

       power to deliver them from the flames

 

Instead of trying to touch on all of these, like I’d originally intended, I

  keep being pulled back to the theme of idolatry

    -idolatry is one of those sins I mentioned earlier

       --it’s a biggie—it’s number 2 on God’s Top Ten list

           ---and we typically figure that commandment applies only to

                people who kneel before and pray to and worship statues

           ---it’s definitely not a problem for us...or is it?

 

Let’s begin with God’s standard—the foundational requirements of

  the first and second commandments

    -Exodus 20:3-4a à  You shall have no other gods before Me. 

       You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in

       heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 

       You shall not bow down to them or worship then; for I, the Lord

       your God, am a jealous God...

 

The meaning of the Hebrew word we translate “before” means “in

  front of, beside, or behind”

    -in other words, no other gods—period

       --God has no desire to be our #1 god...rather, He demands that

           He be our only God

             ---anything short of that or less than that is treasonous faith

       --the essence of the first commandment is that our heart must be

           solely focused on God, the only God

 

Perhaps this analogy will help

  -Carla is my wife

     --as of today we have been married for 20 years, 8 months, 1 day

  -for some crazy reason, Carla insists that she be my only wife

     --she won’t be satisfied if I tell her she’s my number one wife or

         my favorite wife

  -why is that?  is she some maniacal, over-possessive woman who is

     so insecure that she feels the need to legislate my loyalty?

 

No

The reason has nothing to do with her...it is all because of the

  relationship we have

    -marriage is designed by God to be exclusive...it’s designed to be

       built upon the really hard stuff of commitment and sacrifice and

       unconditional love

    -it’s not a question of emotional attachment...it is a question of

       consistently demonstrated unswerving loyalty...and consistently

       demonstrated unbroken fidelity

         --it’s the only way marriage has a chance

 

What thoughts would run through your mind if you came to our house

  and photos of my old girlfriends plastered to the walls?

    -what would you think of Carla?

       --what would you know about me?

    -do a quick Dr. Phil on our relationship—how strong would you

       suppose our marriage is?

 

See that’s the whole thing about God and His own self-admission to

  being quite jealous

    -He’s not confessing some sort of sin, of course, but He is clearly

       declaring His perfectly holy attribute

         --our God is a jealous God!

              ---it has nothing to do with some insecurity or some

                   character flaw...it’s not based on envy

    -suppose I told Carla that I’d like to go on a date with someone

       else and she reacted—well, like you’d expect her to react—would

       you see it as an inherent weakness in her or would you instead

       interpret it as a indication of her desire to preserve our marriage?

         --God’s jealousy is actually His intense zeal to protect, defend,

             and maintain His relationship with us

               ---God’s jealousy, His demand for our loyalty, is truly a

                     display of His passionate love for us

 

Not to sound like a psychoanalyst, but...how does that make you feel?

  -how does it make you feel that the Creator of the universe...the

     King of Kings...the Lord of Lords cares so strongly about you and

     your relationship with Him?

       --more importantly, how should you live in response to that truth?

  -have you given careful consideration to the possibility you actually

     may be straying from heart of these two essential commands?

First of all, I’ll presume very few of you feel particularly tempted to

  worship some statue

    -and because the temptation is much more subtle than someone

       demanding you to bow down to some 90-foot tall golden image,

       you’ve never taken seriously the sin of idolatry

         --and therein lies the danger...just like being off-course by 1.5o

    -because there’s no obvious evidence of some horrendous, blatant

       sin, no one—perhaps not even you—realizes how far you have

       strayed over time

 

Paul Tillich uses the label of “Ultimate Concern”

  -he writes that your god is the thing or the person you are most

    concerned about, think the most about, or affects your life the most

 

Tillich’s idea can seem quite abstract, so let me help you clarify it with

  a series of questions

    -these self-examination questions are completely pointless unless

       you approach them and answer them with unabashed, almost

       painful honesty

 

*Who/what controls your life the most?

*Who/what influences your choices the most?

*When quiet, about whom/what do you tend to think the most?

*For whom/what would you be most ready to die?

   -Daniel 3:28b à  [they] were willing to give up their lives rather

      than serve or worship any god except their own God.

*Who do you try to please the most?

*Who/what is the object of your life’s search?

*Who/what do you love the most?

*Who/what defines your life...and give you meaning and purpose?

*To whom/what do you turn when life is difficult?

*Who/what are you relying upon to save you?

 

Chances are, your answers vary from question to question...although

  it’s sure possible the same “who”/“what” will pop up more than once

    -you do realize, don’t you, that your responses to those questions

       —if they are not “God”—are, in fact, most likely idols?

        --and here’s the kicker—chances are, most of those things and

             people are good and wonderful, but  only if and when they

             are in their proper place

Here are few examples of how you may have answered some of

  those questions

   -my parents                -my spouse                            -my career

   -my hobbies               -my rest & relaxation              -my home

   -my country                -my education                        -my church

   -my image                  -my pleasure                          -my wealth

   -my influence             -my authority                           -my good deeds

   -my wisdom               -my gut instinct                       -my reputation

   -my religion                -the American dream             -my children

   -my feelings               -my worship experience        -my happiness

 

Many of you may be having a tough time with the real possibility that

  any of those could be wrong, much less idols—well, you’re not alone

   -some of the most difficult words of Jesus are found in Luke’s

      Gospel...they are so difficult that far too often we try to sugarcoat

      them to make them more palatable or we ignore them altogether

      Read Luke 9:59-62 and Luke 14:25-27

      

Remember the key is to keep people and things in their proper place

  -is it ok to love your children?  spouse?  friend?  neighbors?  lost?

  -is it ok to be a loyal, dedicated worker?  a patriotic American?

  -is it ok to enjoy golf or shopping or fishing or antiquing?

 

Sure...but if any of them controls your life or influences your choices

  *or dominates your thinking

  *becomes your source of strength, comfort, or peace

  *is the object of your love

  *defines the meaning or purpose of your life

  *is where you turn for your hope in this life and the next

 

Then you are bowing at the feet of a full-fledged idol

  -Jesus makes it plain in Matthew 6 à  Where your treasure is, there

     you heart will be also...No one can serve two masters.  Either he

     will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the

     one and despise the other...

       --Jesus isn’t the only one who sounds the alarm

  -1 Corinthians 10:14 à  My dear friends, flee from idolatry.

  -Colossians 3:5 à  Put to death...whatever belongs to your earthly

     nature:  sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed,

     which is idolatry.

But listen to this...the Apostle John, writing the letter we know as

  First John, is clearly addressing believers

   -for example, in 5:13 à  I write these things to you who believe in

      the name of the Son of God...

        --ok, so we’ve established the fact that the people reading this

            are good ol’ born again, baptized, sanctified Southern Baptists

              ---basically, they are about as good as they can get

   -but if that’s true, then why in the world would John be compelled to

      pen warnings like these?

 

1 John 2:15-17 à  Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If

  anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For

  everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his

  eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from

  the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away,

  but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

 

1 John 5:21 à Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

 

In fact, that’s how this fatherly, loving, pastoral letter abruptly ends!

  -why would John be inspired by God to warn believers about this

     obvious, flagrant sin?

       --because this obvious, flagrant sin of idolatry is actually quite

           subtle...like being 1.5o off course

       --and it’s the temptation of every believer since the 1st century

 

Psalm 24:3-4 à  Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?  Who may

  stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

  who does not lift up his soul to an idol...

    -that’s pretty harsh when you think about it...idolatry disqualifies

       you from standing in God’s presence

         --a rather graphic illustration of idolatry is in Hosea 4:12 when

             God calls it prostitution of the heart

               ---idolatry means selling out our heart, our soul for what

                    may have the appearance of what’s right and true, but is

                    in reality a cheap and deadly substitute

 

And what is the most subtle, most dangerous, and most deadly idol in

  the world today?

    -there’s no question:  look in the mirror

         --not to be cliché, but it’s all about me...my wants, my goals, my

             desires, my dreams...everything that matters to us has a

             prefix of me, my, and mine

               ---and we have crowned ourselves king and are willing to

                     use people and things and even God to build our

                     kingdom...to bring us glory...and to fulfill our own,

                     personal American dream

 

And it is all nothing short of shameful idolatry...idolatry that makes the

  90-foot tall statue on the plain of Dura seem like child’s play

 

So what about your idols?

  -are you ready to acknowledge them for what they really are...to turn

     your back on them...and repent of your sin of idolatry?

  -are you ready and willing to echo the words of three men who were

     wise enough to recognize an idol for what it truly was?

       --Read Daniel 3:16-18