S114P6 – Golden images: no sweet elixir

Deut. 29:16-18

You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.

Death by poison can be long and excruciating.  For those who employ this method to take the lives of others, the first consideration is how to go about the crime undetected.  The person being poisoned cannot know it, or the plan fails.  Some toxins are easily ingested because they are easy to camouflage.  Their flavor is sweet or subtle and can blend in with similar or stronger flavors in food or drink.  Other toxins are more difficult to employ because they give themselves away by their harsh or bitter taste.  It is one way the body detects that something is amiss.  The more palatable the poison, the more likely it is to trick the recipient into thinking that nothing is wrong. 

This passage describes the worship of false gods as a poison that can take root within us.  Beyond the individual, it also can take root within a faith community.  What is crucial to note is that the poison is bitter.  There is something wrong that should throw up a red flag when false worship happens.  This is not a sweet poison that can be camouflaged easily.  An example of this bitterness can be seen in multiple places in scripture depicting human sacrifice as a method of worshiping false gods.  This requirement of some forms of idolatry certainly should send alarm bells ringing because it just tastes bad.  Although extreme, this example is a telltale sign that there is something gravely wrong with that practice of worship.

Idolatry might present itself as sweet and charming at the start, but the result is bitter death and destruction to the one who practices it.  This is not an instant death but a slow progression, and there is a bitterness to the process that is obvious.  When we compare any form of worship to that which is instructed by scripture, we should be able to tell whether the practice glorifies God and brings positive spiritual results.  The Lord gives us this defense mechanism so that we do not drink the poison unaware.  Train your taste buds to know the sweet flavor of the Spirit.  Father, give us wisdom to discern between the sweet worship of You and the bitter idolatry of the false gods presented to us.