How We Corrupt Worship

To our modern eyes, the scene seems outlandish, wildly pagan, and outrageous. “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” they shouted, as they prostrated themselves before a newly fashioned golden calf. Their idolatrous worship quickly gave birth to illicit celebration: “and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:4,6). But is this that far from the idolatrous worship we justify today?

Worship is of utmost importance. There are some things that are important, and there are other things that are absolutely central to existence. It’s not an exaggeration to say that nothing is more important than worship. We were created to worship. We are always worshipping something or someone. And worship is the destiny of every single human being (Philippians 2:10-11).

Here’s the point: we better get worship right.

And it’s not easy. In fact, worship is easily corrupted. Our sin nature, this godless world, and the Enemy resist true worship at every possible turn. We ought to know, then, not only what true worship is, but how worship can be corrupted. The first way we corrupt worship is with other gods.

The first commandment prohibits false worship: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). But the second commandment indicates that worship can also be derailed by idolatry: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image…you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20:4-5). Aaron and the children of Israel corrupted worship by worshipping other gods. Aaron could argue all he wanted that worshipping the golden calf was a “feast to Yahweh” (Exodus 32:5), but this was in no way pleasing to the Lord. In fact, God’s wrath burned hot against this people who had “corrupted themselves” (see Exodus 32:7-10).

King Jeroboam, motivated more by politics than religion, made the same grievous mistake. To keep the ten tribes loyal to himself, he set up two golden calves, one in Bethel and the other in Dan. Ironically, he also said, “Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (I Kings 12:28 cp. w/ Exodus 32:4).

Almost immediately in the narrative, Jeroboam’s sin was condemned by a man of God (I Kings 13:1-3). The one true God, the God of the Bible, will not tolerate false worship and idolatry. Later, God announces, “I have spurned your calf, O Samaria, My anger burns against them…The calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces” (Hosea 8:5).

For Israel, and for us, this is non-negotiable. You cannot worship other gods. A.W. Tozer wrote, “Among the sins to which the human heart is prone, hardly any other is more hateful to God than idolatry, for idolatry is at bottom a libel on His character. The idolatrous heart assumes that God is other than He is – in itself a monstrous sin – and substitutes for the true God one made after its own likeness. Always this God will conform to the image of the one who created it and will be base or pure, cruel or kind, according to the moral state of the mind from which it emerges.”[1]

Sadly, idolatry is pervasive in the church today. A popular form of idolatry is the belief that God loves everyone, therefore he accepts everyone just as they are. Churches that teach this are engaging in idolatry! Another form of idolatry taught in many places is that God showers blessing on those who do good and wants each person to have a happy, prosperous life. This is a false conception of God. It is idolatry! Many individuals create a god of their own imagination, instead of studying to see how God reveals himself in Scripture. This is idolatry! Others assume that God is like a “cosmic vending machine,” available to help me when I really need him but not making any true claims on my life. Again, this is idolatry!

We have not been permitted to worship a god of our own choosing. We do not worship thoughtlessly, randomly, or “willy-nilly.” We do not worship however (and whomever) we want. No, God has revealed himself plainly in His Word, and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

A.W. Tozer speaks directly to the so-called “pagan” scene of the introduction: “Let us beware lest we in our pride accept the erroneous notion that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects of adoration, and that civilized peoples are therefore free from it. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. It begins in the mind and may be present where no overt act of worship has taken place.”[2]
   
[1] Tozer, A.W., The Knowledge of the Holy, 5.
[2] Ibid., 5.