How Much More Graphic Could It Be?

The LORD said to me, “Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins. They have committed both adultery and murder—adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me. Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day! On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house. [Ezekiel 23.36-39] 

The allegory of Oholah and Oholibah is shocking at best. The point of their story is to reveal the graphic nature of idolatry and its symptoms.

Idolatry is turning away from God and consequently to something else. The core driver for idolatry is self indulgence with its accompanying impatience. Human ego is there at the center of idolatry as first seen in the Garden of Eden when Satan 'started the ball rolling' with the question, "has God really said...?"

While idolatry's symptoms are many, the single most profoundly implicating symptom is the death of children (burning as sacrifices). There were 73 million abortions performed in 2024.

We must ask ourselves then the perfectly legitimate question, "How do we recognize idolatry today?" The answer to this question will supply all the identifiers we need to disclose our modern idols. So, how do we recognize idols today? 

Idols may be identified and revealed in the answer to this question, "What, in modern society, promotes self indulgence and impatience?" As this question is digested, it might soon be realized that it would be easier to answer the question, "What, in modern society, doesn't promote self indulgence and impatience?"

What is self indulgence? Doesn't God want us to have good things? Yes, God indeed wants to give good things to His people. He wants to give those good things on His terms. It is an idol - a false god - that says, "Has God really said...?" and begins to offer ego-pandering alternative provisions on demand with no consideration for God's terms. Having made this statement, what then comes to mind? Here's a hint: debt, insurance medicine and technology.

Surely, to call debt, insurance medicine and technology "idols" is purely radical and off-base, right? Well then, if 73 million babies "sacrificed" last year alone is not due to these Biblically identifiable idols that touch nearly all of us, then, what is? Are the few little primitive dolls on the popular reality TV series "Survivor" to blame? We simply must understand that the millions of dead babies are directly proportionate to the idolatry they implicate.

Oholah's and Oholibah's story is graphic for a reason, to encourage deep reflection. The truth of their story is ugly but revealing. No less graphic is the truth of idolatry today.

Not the least significant part of the subject passage above from Ezekiel is this: Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day! The problem of idolatry then was "in the church" (the Temple) and violated the Sabbath day. If we can see it, this is all one problem: the combined problem of idols infiltrating the Church and therefore Jesus, the Sabbath Rest (Colossian 2.16-17), being ignored. Yes, Jesus was very clear about His followers' devotion:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24, Mark 8.34, Luke 9.23]

Debt, insurance, medicine and technology are man's own way to obtain what God promised to those faithful to Him. The overwhelming number of abortions (dead children) tells us how serious the problem is. How much more graphic could it be?

Father, forgive us for our self indulgence and impatience. Forgive us for ignoring Your written Word and Your Living Word, Jesus. May we be found giving up our own way in every circumstance in which we recognize it and choose instead to follow Jesus - to walk by faith in You alone! So be it.