The word idol means ‘an image that represents a false god’, ‘an appearance of’ (Blue Letter Bible, 2025). Although this is a New Testament word, idols have made their appearances in the Old Testament. Often, they are referred to as gods. Regardless of the language used, it’s still an image that is worshipped instead of the one true God.

We can read the bible and think idolatry is something that the Israelites and pagans struggled with during their time. None of us would bow down before a statue or visit a shrine like other religions, right? And that’s where we’ve gotten it wrong. Idolatry starts in the heart.

For some of us, our idols have a different name or a different face. They may not look like a golden calf, but we’ve put them in positions that only God should fill. We may not bow down before them, but we’ve given them a platform, an ear, and their voice is louder than the word of God. Most of all, we’ve given them the glory that belongs to God.

Idolatry isn’t just an Old Testament problem; the golden calf still exists today. The question is, why is idolatry a sin, and why do we create/ worship idols?

1. Idolatry breaks God’s covenant and the first commandment.

To understand idolatry and why it grieves God, we’ll have to read a bit of Exodus. After the Lord delivered the Israelites from slavery (Exodus 12-14), He made a covenant with them. He promises to remain with them if they obey His voice and are faithful to Him. In doing so, they will be set apart as a nation (Exodus 19:5-6). In Exodus 20, the ten commandments are introduced. He begins with,

Exodus 20:1
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

This was necessary because the Israelites had lived most of their lives in a foreign land that didn’t fear the Lord and worshipped a multiplicity of idols. It was for this reason that Moses asked God what name he should give Him before approaching them (Exodus 3:13-15a).

For the Israelites, they needed to know who it was that delivered them, so that they would give honour and glory to the One who deserves it. They were also a people that were led by what they could see “physically” and couldn’t comprehend serving a God that they could not see (sounds familiar).

Exodus 20:3-4
³ “You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

This was the very first command that was given to Moses, which would later be communicated to the people of Israel. They should not have any other gods besides Him, neither should they fashion or form a god for themselves that resembles anything that God created. He makes it clear that such an act would bring judgement until the fourth generation because He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5).

It’s important to remember that the jealousy of God is not like human jealousy, which is rooted in insecurity. God’s jealousy is justified because He is the One who created them, chose them to be His people, and made a covenant with them.  He didn’t deliver the Israelites so that they would go back to their old lifestyle. They were delivered to be a testimony, to showcase God’s glory.

Exodus 20:6
…but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

If they kept His commandments, they would receive protection, provision, and prosperity. Should they stray away and rebel against Him, there would be consequences. Once again, God reminds them of the first command,

Exodus 20:22
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: ²³Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

After witnessing God manifest himself as fire from heaven and listening to His thunderous voice, the people of Israel got the message. Moses reassures them that God did this so that the fear of the Lord would grow and it would keep them from sinning against Him (Exodus 20:20).

Moses is then asked to come to the top of Mount Sinai, where he would receive instructions on how God wanted His people to fellowship with Him and the laws that would govern them. Moses was there for ’40 days and 40 nights’ (Exodus 24:15-18).

2. Idolatry reveals a lack of trust in God.

While Moses was still on Mount Sinai, the people of Israel stayed at the base of the mountain. They were warned not to come near the mountain unless they were priests who were consecrated because it was considered holy (Exodus 19:21-22). Unfortunately, they forgot the instructions that Moses had given them.

Later in Exodus 32, it tells us that the people of Israel thought that Moses was taking too long. In their eyes, he had “delayed” and ‘did not know what had become of him’ (Exodus 32:1-2). The God that they had given their “yes” to had somehow abandoned them.

Exodus 32:2 (CEV)
“Make us an image of a god who will lead and protect us. Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows what has happened to him.”

Aaron, who was meant to be a representative, listened to the people. He tells them to remove the gold that was given to them by the Egyptians during their mass exodus (Exodus 12:33-36) and fashions a god that resembles a calf, a created thing.

Exodus 32:4
And he [Aaron] received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 

They credited their salvation and deliverance to God’s creation rather than the Creator. It was not the golden calf that brought them out of Egypt; it was the ‘I Am that I Am’. They gave the glory that only belongs to God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, to an idol (a false god).

It sounds crazy, right? After seeing the hand of God, His wondrous acts in Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea, why wouldn’t they want to worship the one true living God? The problem was, they did not know the Lord for themselves. Unlike Moses, who God spoke to face to face (Exodus 33:11), the Israelites only saw His hand.

Instead of waiting patiently, the Israelites were quick to find another god or “jump ship”. They created an idol out of comfort, familiarity, and security. If following this unknown God, whom they can’t see, wasn’t going to work out, then another god will. If this wilderness process becomes hard, returning to Egypt was always an option. All of which shows that they didn’t really trust God.

And just like them, we can find ourselves calling upon gods that have the appearance of but cannot save us. During our time of need, who is it that we call upon? Do we call upon the name of the Lord, or do we seek our answers, fulfillment, or identity outside of His presence? Do we run to the Lord, who is our strong tower (Proverbs 18:10), or do we run to the strong friend who gives godly advice?

Whether it’s our favourite Christian influencer on social media who posts content at just the right time. Or ChatGPT / AI because it gives us answers immediately, without us having to read the bible or spend time with the Lord in prayer. These are just a few of the examples. Only God can reveal the idols to you when you seek Him in prayer. Who, what, and where we run to first reveals where we put our trust.

3. Idolatry reveals a lack of awe [reverence] for God.

Aaron built an altar before the golden calf, and offerings were made (Exodus 32:6-7). It may not seem like a big deal, but they had transgressed another commandment from God. They were instructed to build an altar for God, and God alone. They were to sacrifice burnt offerings unto Him so that His name would be remembered (Exodus 20:24).

An altar was a place where people had an encounter with God, made sacrifices, built memorials to remember victories, and it was also a place where covenants were established. The people of Israel had abandoned the Lord their God at the altar for another, and that is considered unfaithfulness.

Exodus 32:8
They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 

It’s easy to read this passage and shake our heads at how quickly the Israelites forsook God and don’t even realize that we are just the same. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are not always faithful. Even at the best of times, we can get it wrong because of sin. It takes the grace of God to be faithful to the right things.

The Lord’s statement to Moses was, “They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them”. A question we must ask ourselves is, have there been moments in our lives where we have turned aside quickly from the Lord’s instructions?

Have we turned aside quickly and worshipped something else because our needs were met faster than God? Have we turned aside quickly because we’ve gotten what we desired or prayed/fasted and don’t “need” Him anymore? Have we neglected the altars that we’ve built for the Lord because we’ve lost our awe for Him?

Often, idolatry happens because of familiarity with God, or we have forgotten the Lord and His benefits (Psalm 103). One of the reasons the Israelites were encouraged to observe certain days and maintain tradition was to remind them of what the Lord had done and to share their testimonies with their children. It may seem unnecessary, but for a people who were prone to spiritual amnesia, they needed to be reminded.

Psalm 106 summarizes the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness from the book of Exodus to the book of Numbers. Psalm 106:19-22 also recounts what took place,

¹⁹ At Horeb they made a calf
    and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
²⁰  They exchanged their glorious God
    for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
²¹  They forgot the God who saved them,
    who had done great things in Egypt,
²²  miracles in the land of Ham
    and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

Sometimes, we attribute our success to the work of our hands or to people (who are instruments in God’s hands). During the moments when we’ve placed other things above God, is because we’ve forgotten. We forgot that He created us for Him. We forgot that the blessings that we have come from Him. We forgot that all the glory belongs to Him.

It’s when we remember the good deeds that God has done that we can put Him in the right place. That is how we can worship Him in sincerity and in faithfulness.

God bless,
Susan.