The Foolishness of Idolatry

Worthless Treasures

 

Isaiah 44:9-11 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

9All makers of idols are nothing,

and the things they treasure are worthless.

Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend,

so they are put to shame.

10Who fashions a god or casts an idol

which profits him nothing?

11Behold, all his companions will be put to shame,

for the craftsmen themselves are only human.

Let them all assemble and take their stand;

they will all be brought to terror and shame.

 

What is an idol? It is anything worshipped over and above or in place of God. And what is idolatry? It is extreme devotion to a person or a thing or any possession, like giving one’s heart, passion, and desire to a habit, an addiction, a possession, a person, or to money, fame, fortune, or hobby, or self, and/or to sin. It is to give one’s devotion, commitment, dedication, and fidelity (faithfulness, loyalty) to things created rather that to the creator who made us. And it is putting self and selfish desires above God in life practice.

 

Those who are idolaters are not true worshippers of God. For they put their idol above and/or in place of God. And idolatry is sin in the eyes of God. It is a violation of God’s commands (New Covenant). And those whose minds, hearts, emotions, passions, and desires are in the direction of whatever idol they worship are not of God. For they are the wandering and the drifting, whose thoughts and desires are outside of marriage to Christ. They are adulterers who give themselves to their idols in place of surrender to God.

 

And some (or many) are also adulterers who give themselves to their idols, whose thoughts and desires are outside of marriage to their spouses. And their idols might be addiction to pornography and/or to self-gratification, in place of becoming one flesh with their spouses. Or it could be extra-marital affairs, either in person or via the internet, etc. For they are those who are wandering from home, not necessarily physically, but in their minds and hearts and emotions. Their hearts are not really with their spouses.

 

For the lusts of their flesh rule over their minds and hearts and passions and desires. They get first place in their lives – not God – not spouse. And you can’t serve two masters. You are either devoted to God or to the flesh, but the two don’t mix. But such idols as this or any other idol in the eyes of the Lord profits them nothing. They may give them some temporary emotional high, but when the high fades, then what? All that does is to push them further away from God and spouse (if they are married) and leaves them empty trying to fill the emptiness with what will never give them peace.

 

Deluded Hearts

 

Isaiah 44:18-20 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

18They do not comprehend or discern,

for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see

and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

19And no one considers in his heart,

no one has the knowledge or insight to say,

“I burned half of it in the fire,

and I baked bread on its coals;

I roasted meat and I ate.

Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it?

Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

20He feeds on ashes.

His deluded heart has led him astray,

and he cannot deliver himself or say,

“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”

 

They do not comprehend or discern, not because they are incapable of such, but because they have willfully shut their eyes and ears to what they do not want to see or have to face. And this includes people who are pastors and elders of “church” congregations, or people who have professed faith in Jesus Christ for many years, and perhaps have even taught the Scriptures themselves, or who have gone to Bible college or seminary, so they know what the Scriptures teach. They are not ignorant, but they can play dumb.

 

So they end up bowing down to their own creations, which are the “gods” they have created for themselves to worship as though they are truly God, but which were made with human hands and were created in human minds. And that is absolutely senseless to worship what they created with their own hands or minds. And it is absolutely foolish to not worship The Creator, but themselves, which many of them do, for they become their own idol. And Paul talked about this in Romans 1:21-25 BSB (Berean Standard Bible):

 

“21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.”

 

For their deluded hearts led them astray, and so they refuse to believe that what they are believing is a lie. They want to believe the lie because it does not confront them in their sins. The lie tells them that all they have to do is to make a verbal profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now they are forgiven all sins and heaven is guaranteed them for eternity, but regardless of how they live. But the truth says to come after Christ we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God in practice or not have eternal life with God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The Foolishness of Idolatry

An Original Work / August 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

[A Prayer of worship of God only]