Do You Have a 90 Foot Idol?

Daniel 3 y'all!

Let me back up. At the end of Chapter two, you know, when we learned that we are God’s favorite? Well, King Nebby figured it out too.

Verse 47, “Surely your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Uh-oh…Chapter 3, he kinda forgot all about what he had just said. Maybe too much time had passed between miracles. Maybe his head got too big again. Seems as though I have forgotten about my God’s wonders in my life when I let too much time go by and not thank Him for what He has done. Or, I’ve let my head get to big that He’s God and I’m not.

Looks like that’s what happened to our dude, King Nebby. Just a few verses back God’s all the rave in the king’s life. God came in and gave him a dream and even told him what it was all about. King Nebby’s magnanimous response is one that would make any evangelist jump for joy!

But, it didn’t stick.

Nope, King Nebby decided that he needed to control who he worshipped and when.

Read Daniel 3:1-7

This is the famous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. We’ll talk more about the fire later this week, but for now let’s focus on what King Nebby thought was a good idea.

He made an idol. Not just any idol, a ha-uge idol 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. That’s no small idol. He wanted everyone around for the dedication of his idol, so that meant Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And how were they to dedicate it? Well, it really wasn’t that big of deal, was it? I mean, all they had to do was worship the image when they heard the music. No goin’. We’ll talk more tomorrow about how they faced such a punishment, but right now, I want to address idols.

We don’t build such things now-a- days. Well, at least, I don’t. I don’t have a giant idol in my house that I command my family and friends to bow to. However, we must be careful not to set up other “idols.”

Anything that we put more value in, effort into, and give loyalty to than Christ is an idol. It’s anything we seek for worth or security.

Maybe it’s money. What if all the money you had was gone? Would you still feel secure in Christ?

Maybe it’s the way you look. What if everything you had that made you feel good about the way you looked was stripped from you? Would you still find your beauty in Christ?

Maybe it’s the way you look. (Didn’t I just say that?) This time I mean, maybe you go on and on about how bad you look so much so that it’s your primary focus. Can you find your worth and beauty in Christ? If not, you’ve set yourself up an idol, sister. Don’t think that idol hasn’t been on my mantel before.

Maybe it’s TV. How much time do you spend watching the boob tube? Daytime soaps?

Maybe it’s friends, or your husband.

What takes your time from Christ? Where do you find your value, in other things, or in Christ?

Don’t set up idols to make you feel better, look better, or sound better. There is one God and He will tear down those idols of lies and bring you freedom and truth.

Can you identify any idols?