Weekly Torah Lesson – 2
Parasha: K’doshim – Holy Ones
Torah: vaYikra 19:1 – 20:27
Leviticus 19:4 Turn you not to idols, nor make to yourselves molten idols: I am Avinu Elohekah.
** Notice that two different types of ‘idols’ are mentioned in the command. What is an idol? Some erroneously teach that an idol is “anything that separates you from Avinu”. Bowling or football might keep you from spending quality time with your family but it certainly doesn’t fit the Scripture’s definition of an idol. Let’s look at one of the more famous passages concerning an idol.
*** “1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” (Ex 32:1-6 )
** “…come, make us gods..”
To be an idol a human must either make something like a molten statue or a carved piece of wood etc or simply designate a tree or rock to be god to them.
** Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.
They are trying to give their god some credibility by telling the people that this molded piece of metal is Avinu who did everything that delivered them from the Egyptians.
** when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it In the building of an altar, Aaron was encouraging the people to gather together and join him in “worship”.
** Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.”
No man has the authority to designate “holy time” as part of the worship service.
Notice how Aharon designated it as a feast to “the LORD”. A lot of idol worship counterfeit themselves by mixing their worship system with the worship system of the Scriptures.
We see that Aharon has “named” the idol “the LORD”. Does this mean that they will actually be worshipping “the LORD” of the Scriptures?
** Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings;
Now they are offering similar offerings to the sacrifices that are prescribed in the Scriptures to something that they have called “god”.
Does this make their worship valid?
** the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play
The people were eating mahn (manna) for several months. Most of the peace offering goes back to the person who brought it to be consumed by his family and friends.
The people were modifying the worship ritual to suit their liking.
Lets review the situation:
The people made an image to fit their concept of what a god should look like.
They gave it a name. They chose and declared a certain time as a time for worship.
They modified the worship ritual to suit their concepts.
Does it sound familiar to you? Idol worship is embedded very cleverly into our culture.
The average person doesn’t know the difference. Everything that was described above has already been done. Idolatry is the oldest religion on the earth.
How can you tell the difference?
*** “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mt 7:21-23 )
*** “6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men — the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” 9 He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” (Mr 7:6-9 )
*** “21 Yeshua said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”” (John 4:21-24)
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