Idolatry: Representative Worship

To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
As for the idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To prepare an idol that will not totter
(Isaiah 40:18-20 NASB)

One of the ideas in the Bible, Hebrew and Christian Scriptures both, with which I really struggle is the admonishment against idolatry.  In most cases, it seems that the perspective of the Bible is that the person worshiping the idol thinks that the object really IS the god rather than a representative OF the god.  The problem I have is that this is obviously not the case.  I fear it puts Scripture in a place of appearing silly.

That idolatry is representative of the 'god' is obvious for lots of reasons.  First off, I don't think anyone would either accuse an idol worshiper or seriously believe they think for a moment that the gold or whatever object in front of them actually performed the activity in their myths ascribed to the 'god'.  Some statue of Zeus isn't actually the person believed to be on Olympus.  It looks like, represents, the person believed to be on Olympus.  I don't think this is in dispute, not by anyone.

So what's the deal with such a clear and vehement imprecation against idolatry?  There is a clear prohibition against any sort of 'image' of man or beast or fowl in Scripture, I'm curious; why?  The usual answer is that it's distracting from worship of the One true God, Creator of those things normally cast or shaped, and the Creator of the things imaged. 

The point being that He is neither man nor beast, so there is no true representation possible.  The worship of the God of Israel reinforces this concept.  All items that could have been used as a 'focus' of attention during worship of Him were hidden.  The bronze snake from the desert was put in the ark along with the 'budding staff' of Aaron, the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments, a jar of mannah, and so on.  Then the ark itself was secreted away behind curtains within the deep dark recesses of the Temple.  So worshipers would only be able to see the building where they knew those object were housed, not the objects themselves.  The focus remained on the invisible God.

But the people bowing themselves before a figure of a man/bird/fish/lion-thing really didn't think that the object in front of them was whatever deity they worshiped.  They believed their deity was 'invisible' as well.  So why the hiding?  Well, I don't know.  I'll just say it and outright because I think anyone reading this already knows I don't know.  For most people the explanation in the previous paragraph is probably sufficient, so you need look no further for 'ideas' or 'theories'.  I will pose two.

First, I suspect that there is a psychological reason.  It is the Creator of this universe who also created our human brains/minds, and I believe He is well aware of our psychological make up and weaknesses.  So, I suspect that focus on the object seen becomes more important, more influential, and more fixed in our minds than the 'Invisible God of All Things'.  I think the truth of this is borne out unfortunately in churches where disputes over trivial 'objects' and 'trappings' sometimes take precedence over focus on the One True Invisible God.  So, they are distracting, but on a more psychological, deeper level than just what we see when we bow ourselves down to something.  In this way, a cross, statue, painting, window, or whatever can cause the same problem.  Some of you may be thinking Catholic right now, but any Baptists reading this could easily substitute 'carpet', 'drapes', 'paint color', 'furniture', or even people and note the same problem.

Beyond the psychological possibility I think another issue is the understanding of 'holiness'.  Simply put, anything exclusively dedicated to the service or use of God (or a deity) is holy; it's not to be used for common (profane) purposes.  Rather than get into a protracted discussion of holiness itself and how I believe God uses and defines the term, I want to look specifically at why the use of idols may damage His purpose in holiness.

Idols are closely tied to a 'shrine' whether small ones in a home or larger ones in a location, to entire temples.  Things in and around the idol, within the sphere of the 'shrine' are considered holy.  In a sense this is what the Jewish Temple was in Jerusalem.  The object within, but also the grounds around were considered holy.  It's clear in Leviticus and other places that this is what God taught the Sons of Israel.  But it was never the whole understanding of the term.

The people of Israel were also called a 'holy nation', a 'kingdom of priests', and designated as a 'chosen people' making even the normal 'common' person someone holy.  The nation was supposed to be a 'shrine', their communities, homes, and national boundaries.  This changes some fundamental understanding of 'holiness'.  There were prescribed behaviors they were to follow, not just in the Temple, but in their homes, communities, and as a nation.  There were elements of the very basic elements of their lives where God insinuated Himself.  There truly was no 'shrine' in Israel, they were the shrine.

It's the representative idol worship around them that distinguished them and made them different.  That is what made them holy; they were different.  Some, very powerful nations, considered them atheists because they would not worship idols.  They could not conceive of a form of worship that was not 'representative'.  These 'idols' formed the diplomatic means to connect nations, their myths formed common bonds, and their practices enabled trade and commerce.  Israel stands alone outside this 'fraternity' of idolatry.  Like circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and their dietary rules, this refusal to worship like the other nations caused difficulties for them wherever they went, with whomever they dealt.  That was the idea; it was by design; they were holy to the One True God.

So, that's my theory (or two of them), and while not very exciting or enlightening, and not even close to a full explanation; I think that between the three ideas, I have a better understanding of why 'images' are problems for my Master.  But I also think I have a good clear admonition to not let 'things' distract me from my Master; not people, crosses, flooring, clothing, trappings, sound systems, screens, music, or instruments.  None of this stuff or people should be able to drift my focus from my Master.  For, as the people of Israel considered themselves holy, so do I; psychologically and socially.