FAITHFULNESS - Champions by the Fruit of the SpiritSampel

Faithfulness vs Idolatry

Bible Story: The Ark is captured 1 Samuel 5:1-12, 6, 7:3, Exodus 1-6

Theme Verse: Exodus 20:4

We are kicking off this unit with the fruit of the spirit of “faithfulness.” This word has many meanings, including dependability, piety, trustworthiness, truth, belief, and even attachment. But as I studied the word “Faithfulness” in the Bible, the largest use by far was “loyalty” to God.

Today’s match fight is faithfulness against Idolatry, the first and maybe the most important attack on our loyalty to God. The 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-6) begin with these two commands: 1) You shall have no other gods before me, 2) You shall not make an idol to worship. At the end of verse 6, God mentions that He is a jealous God and how very important it is to Him that we love Him and keep His commandments.

In today’s Bible story, the Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant, and placed it alongside their idol Dagon. In the morning, they found their idol toppled flat on his face! They put their idol back upright, but the next morning, he was toppled again, with his head and arms broken off! God also punished the people with tumors and rats. Please look up more of the story from the Bible.

There are places around the world where it is common to make idols. They are made from wood, stone, or even paper. They are given parades, ceremonies, candles, time off work, and celebrations. Some places have idols that are so foreign to the Bible that it is obvious that we should not worship them. Other idols are made from the Bible, even idols of Jesus himself, and so it is hard to know what to do. God makes it clear to us in the 10 commandments that He does not want us worshiping ANY IDOLS.

There are other places around the world where idols are not common at all. In these countries, we tend to make other hidden idols for ourselves; like sports, TV, or famous preachers. Idolatry in any form is a sin against God. He desires our whole hearts. The best example I can think of would be the marriage covenant. How would it look in your town, village, or city if a new bride disrespected her husband and ran around with whatever men she wanted? It would be terrible!

In the same way, if we chase after other gods in various idols, we are like that bride who is disrespecting her husband. First and foremost, in our Christian walk, we must be a faithful bride to Christ. That means NO idols and publicly refusing to participate in something that would dishonor our God. Even if we are worshiping an idol of Jesus himself, it is not ok. A bride should not worship an idol of her husband but should instead enjoy being with her husband, enjoy his company, and respect him in front of others.

In some countries, not participating in parades for idols could even risk our lives! In other countries, it is very easy to be faithful, as no one cares about idols. Either way, it is very important to God, and He can see our actions.

Are you willing to take this first step in being faithful to God? Can you commit to being loyal to God and fight this sin of idolatry?

Questions:

1. What if my parents have idols in our home?

2. Is there someone famous in your community that people idolize?

3. What celebrations in your city or community are for worshipping idols?

Life Application:

Choose an activity NOT to participate in because it may have idolatry. It may be a custom to remove your shoes, a parade you choose not to participate in, a sports game you choose not to attend, or not buying flowers when others do.