Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 8:
" Thou shalt not graven image or any likeness of things that are high in the heavens, the earth beneath or that is in the waters below the earth. "
When man loses the notion of the true God, he has an inner void and he is forced to make an image of a deity. Even atheists (without God) are religious in spite them and idolize a being or substance. This happens in the heart (the deeper zone and ignored by ourselves), then in thought and ultimately translates into a representation in a form or another. The man may then fall into the grossest idolatry, the root cause is to have lost the image of God.
The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God (Colossians chapter 1, verse 15). We have no other images to worship, we have no other means, no other mediator, that Jesus Christ alone. But beware, we must not worship a form of Jesus Christ, because we have no physical description of him. For example, if we pray in us making a mental picture of someone, this "image" becomes an idol. Films, drawings, tables can influence us, especially children.
The image we have of the Lord Jesus, therefore God is a spiritual and moral image. Jesus said: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" and so when we meet Jesus Christ, we meet the Father who is revealed through the Son.
Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 9:
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, you do not serve them, for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God there."
Here is a list of performances that idolatrous worship and before which they kneel or prostrate themselves:
- Statues, crucifixes, icons, symbols, photos ...
- men or women, everyone can have his idol play, philosopher, politician, child, pope, guru, actor, singer ... There are a large number of singers and bands who made a pact with the devil or have been initiated into occult sect. Through their music and the words they preach, they encourage their fans to surrender to Satan. This is particularly obvious in the Hard-Rock, the black-metal ...
- angels or saints, believing that one can not speak directly to God but he must go through intermediaries that can invoke when needed. St. Anthony, St. Joseph, St. Pierre, etc. ... plus all the saints "local".
- Satan or demons: Talking with the devil, worship, make a pact with him, or even sell his soul to the devil, do black masses.
Spirits manifest themselves in all kinds of appearances. For the religious, this may be the Virgin Mary, Krishna, and for "hard" under the guise of a goat, snake, dragon ... but for children they are the nicest forms such as fairies, elves, Santa Claus ... and 1ES hero cartoons and comics. According
tastes and ages, the devil has a sampling of idols that match the needs of everyone. Children need wonderful, this is normal and that comes from God who is the only really wonderful. When they tell stories of the Bible, when they speak of heaven and above the Lord Jesus, it satisfies their need for wonderful.
But parents who do not know God are obviously forced to tell their children all kinds of fables, tales and legends. So we give them idols to replace the Lord Jesus, for example Santa Claus ... Children
prayers and make him write him letters. And it is parents who instill this in their children! Not only do they lie to them and thus lose their confidence, but they lead to idolatry.
- Virgin (Madonna or Our Lady of this or that ...), sometimes considered as co-redeemer and mediator. Some people worship, pray only other 1a (Ave Maria, Rosary novenas, pilgrimages to the high places ...)
- nature: for some it is nature as a whole, for others it are things like the moon, sun, stars, trees, fire, 1'eau, animals ... The Bible says "they worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25).
- Money: The Bible says that greed (love of 1'argent) is idolatry (Colossians 3: 5).
- body: Those who do it live for him.
- the sex, they only think it is an obsession. Films and pornographic books are very popular and obscene jokes. All these things defile us.
Some passions can become idols to which we sacrifice our health, our family or our lives: Work, sport. music, motorcycle, car, house, food ...
God is jealous because he loves us and wants s1 we join with other minds than he is a prostitute (this first term that is used by the prophets). And if one is a prostitute, who should be our spouses legitimate, that is to say our Creator, is jealous. God loves us while being fair and it does not leave sin unpunished. This commandment has something special compared to others, for his transgression has consequences for the offspring. Leviticus 26:1
:
You do not make no idols, you do you will raise nor graven image, or statue, and you will place in your country any figured stone, to bow down before her, for I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 4.15-17:
Since you have not seen any figures on the day the LORD spoke to you from the fire at Horeb, see carefully your souls, lest you fail and you do not corrupting you make a graven image, a representation of some idol, the figure of a man or a woman, the figure of an animal that is on earth the figure of a bird that flies in heaven
Deuteronomy 27:15: "Cursed is the man
making a graven image or a molten image, an abomination to the LORD out of the hands of a craftsman , which places it in a secret location! And all the people shall answer and say Amen! THE INHERITANCE
Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 9 and 10:
"I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and who shows mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments. "
Patriarchs before dying call their son and in order of birth, laid hands on their bequeathing their legacy. But it was not just material goods. To those who knew the Lord as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there was something much more important than that: It was
spiritual heritage, the promise of the Lord. In laying hands on their children, they were join the alliance that they themselves had with God. The children in turn transmitted it to their own children. Similarly, there is a spiritual legacy for the idolaters who taught their children to three or four generations. These are the direct consequences of the sin of idolatry.
But what is wonderful is that for those who love God and keep His commandments (to love is to obey), he shows mercy to a thousand generations. So the blessing is greater than the curse. We all have inherited the punishment inflicted on our first parents: travail, labor and painful death. But there is nothing more terrible than spiritual death, that is to say, be separated from God.
For all these curse, God provided a remedy that is Jesus Christ. But for those who reject the solution that God offers is death, eternal separation from God always Dour.
We can also see from this verse 10 of Deuteronomy chapter 6 of that if we belong to God, there is a new blessing which starts from Up to a thousand generations after us us. This does not mean that automatically all our descendants will be saved because it will themselves repent of their sins, but at least they will not suffer from the sins of their ancestors, they shall be holy (that that is to say apart) (1 Corinthians 7: 14).
To be free of this inheritance, simply abandon this spiritual heritage that our ancestors have left us. It is not clear what punishment it is, but in all cases, there is a spiritual consequence, that is to say disability, blockages, which prevent links some people to cross the narrow gate to give the Lord. For others who are committed to God, but have not been released, this may hinder their spiritual walk. It is as if one were walking on the road, dragging a shot. There may also have psychological consequences (the soul): depression, anxiety, desire for self-destruction, etc. ... debility and physical consequences ...
Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 9:
"When you come into the country which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations. "
By living in an idolatrous world, we tend to unconsciously imitate others, making "like everybody else." The Church of Christ should instead influence society, but unfortunately it is often the company that influence the Church and made them enter foreign things to the Lord. These are perhaps not rude practices, such as kneel before a statue, but they are ideas, beliefs, customs and traditions that come from the world. Idolatry puts us in touch with the evil spirits of the invisible world. Paul said that he who sacrificed to an idol is in communion with a demon. (I Corinthians chapter 10, verses 19 to 22).
What to do with our personal idols:
Deuteronomy 7: 5-6: Here, instead, how you deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, smash their pillars, cut down their idols, and burn fire their graven images. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee, that thou become a people for His own possession out of all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 7: 25 to 26: You burn with
fire the graven images of their gods. Thou shalt not covet not take you for money and gold that is on them, for fear that these things do you become a trap, for they are an abomination to the LORD thy God. You will not introduce an abomination into your house so that you're not like this thing, utterly destroyed, you will get it in horror, you will get an abomination because it is a cursed thing .
For information: pierre.danis @ wanadoo.fr
