Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
This commandment speaks volumes against the practice of worshiping or serving any and every false god that arises from human or satanic devising. When The Lord says "Thou shall have no other gods before me", He means that we should not have any gods behind Him, next to Him, or in conjunction with Him, for He has clearly stated that He will not share His glory with any graven images. Idolatry is not only restricted to the literal worship of graven images, but it also applies to the much broader field of giving people, ideologies, and any material thing, the preeminence in our lives that is God's alone.
For instance some people worship Hollywood stars and follow them in fashions that are in direct contradiction to the Biblical principles of modesty and decency. Others follow basket ball and football stars to the various arenas, where the human agent is exalted to heaven for achievements on and off the field. When some Christians are faced with the prospect of choosing between prayer meeting and the super bowl, prayer meeting takes an immediate backseat, whilst we can be seen and heard, applauding the praises of fallen men, as if their accomplishments were solely the result of their own might and power.
And there are other lesser and inferior gods that we worship such as self, or a boyfriend or girlfriend who gets all of our attention, whilst Christ is put on the back-burner, to be called upon only in times of danger or disappointment. In order for us to avoid the snare of worshiping and serving other gods, we must give the one and only true God the first place in our affections and considerations, leaving all other material, social and financial interests subject to His perfect will. In days of old the Philistines had once captured the ark of God, wherein dwelt the Shekinah glory, and in order to forge a strong bond of cooperation between Jehovah and their god Dagon, they reverently placed the ark right next to their idol in the temple where he was worshiped.
But the following morning they made a startling discovery when they found Dagon lying face down before Jehovah, with his body badly mutilated in several places. This they believed was a bad omen, however they again lifted their idol into the place set for him as before, but the next morning they found that his head and arms were amputated and his body was badly mangled, a sign that God was very displeased with their attempts to assimilate their idols with the worship of God. Let's read:
1st Samuel 5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. 6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.
This experience of the ancient philistines has pertinent lessons for us living today, in an age where there are a multitude of different gods, both material and abstract which exist in the real world, or as phantoms in our imaginations, and who are served and worshiped in place of Christ who created and redeemed us by His blood. These things ought not to be, and The God of heaven is now calling on us to separate ourselves from all false gods and their worship, so that the praise, honor, and service that is His due, may be freely rendered with a willing and understanding heart. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which shows us the folly of serving any false gods, and we hope and pray that the appropriate response of surrendering our lives totally to Christ may be our experience today, and from this point forward. Let's read:
Psalm 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: 6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: 7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. 8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. 11 Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield. 18 But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!