–– Neil Kruger
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James K. A. Smith, in his book You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (2016), observes how shopping malls have become modern-day cathedrals that subtly train our desires, shape our worldviews, and teach us what we ought to value as most important. The South African landscape is littered with these ‘centres of culture’ that promote consumerism and convenience.
If we add to the mix the sort of modern urban lifestyle that thinks of idolatry as the superstition of a bygone era of unsophisticated people, devoid of the advances of the scientific revolution, who bowed down to images made of stone, wood and metal, that means we have a pervasive cultural context wherein Christians should thoughtfully consider how the first and second commands of the Decalogue address the issues of materialism.
WHAT IS MATERIALISM?
Materialism, properly considered, involves a worldview that believes that all of reality is reducible to matter. In effect, materialism affirms that matter is eternal, and so doing, it explicitly denies that a transcendent God exists. Materialism manifests itself in a preoccupation with worldly pleasures, bodily comforts, physical gratification and an inordinate desire for wealth. It is an excessive love for things-and the means to acquire those things-in direct conflict with love for God.
Paul warns that materialism—the love of money and, by extension, the love of possessions—will characterise the last days (2 Tim. 3:2). God’s people are not immune to its temptations. Recall, for example, how Solomon’s fall is partly attributed to a love of worldly pleasures and wealth in 1 Kings 11. Nor should it be thought that materialism is only a temptation for the rich. Paul duly instructs the rich in this present age not to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches (1 Tim. 6:17-19), but the poor can equally be ensnared by materialism, as there is no temptation that is not common to man (1 Cor. 10:13).
GOD FORBIDS IDOLATRY
Materialism, even if dressed up in sophisticated ways, claims the allegiance that properly belongs to God alone. God’s exclusive claim as being deserving of our greatest love and affection, our worship, is revealed clearly in Exodus 20:1-6, where God describes Himself as jealous for the worship that is rightfully his.
The Importance of the Preface
The preface to the Ten Commandments—I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery—sets the context for God’s exclusive claims to worship.
First, God Himself spoke these words. They are not arbitrary stipulations, but reflect God’s character. These commandments are emphasised as a direct self-revelation from God. Second, God claims to be the exclusive Lord of Israel and reveals Himself by name (cf. Deut. 6:4). Third, God was ultimately responsible for leading Israel out of Egypt and thereby rescuing the nation from the bondage of slavery. God’s grace in salvation precedes His giving of the Law. From its inception, these exclusive claims are set in the context of grace.
The Meaning of the First Command
The first command – You shall have no other gods before me – is a prohibition against the worship of any other god. Yahweh requires undivided loyalty. He is not to be worshipped in a hierarchy among rivals. The language of “shall have no other” resembles the exclusivity of marriage. This command, expressed in simple terms to the common man, reminded the Israelites that the God who rescued them from Egypt is alone worthy of their devotion.
The first commandment is clarified throughout the Pentateuch. What becomes evident is the danger of syncretism: worshipping other gods in addition to Yahweh. The first command challenges people to decide what is most important in their lives. Choosing the Lord involves the exclusion of all rivals.
The Meaning of the Second Command
The second command, in turn, forbids making idols of anything in creation, worshipping those man-made idols, and attempting to worship God through the means of idols. Idols were thought to localise the presence and the power of the divine beings they represented. Yahweh, as the living God, could not be entrapped or manipulated by such folly, and attempts to do so fundamentally misunderstand His glory and majesty.
Whereas the first command prohibits the worship of false gods, the second prohibits worshipping God in false ways, and it therefore lays the foundation for worship of God to be directed by the word of God. In addition, Yahweh provides a reason to motivate us to resist idolatry: God is a jealous God, that is, he is zealous for his own glory. Once again, echoes of marriage are present. God’s jealousy is His fervent and passionate protection of what is rightfully His, and He refuses to share His people with another god.
IDOLATRY IN AN AGE OF MATERIALISM
This brief survey of the first and second commands establishes two fundamental principles: (1) True worship is exclusive; and (2) Idolatry is the essence of false worship. Exploring these two principles can assist believers in thinking rightly about idolatry in a materialistic age.
First, Christians should be reminded of their foundational doctrinal commitment to Trinitarian Monotheism. Materialism appeals continually to unsatisfied cravings for more. However, unlike materialism, which can only offer diminished returns, the longing of the soul can only be fully quenched in a living relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Scripture reveals God to us, and this God can be known personally. In fact, the Bible indicates that knowing the Triune God is eternal life (John 17:3)
Second, Christians should identify materialism for what it is, stop making excuses for tolerating it, and kill it at its root. Douglas Stuart, in his commentary on the book of Exodus, identifies nine attractions of idolatry in the Old Testament period. This identification can likewise help believers in the New Covenant as they seek to fight the snares of materialism, and root out its influences in our lives and church communities:
(1) Idolatry/materialism promotes selfishness; (2) Idolatry/materialism minimises the importance of righteous behaviour; (3) Idolatry/materialism promotes convenience at the expense of sacrificial service; (4) Idolatry/materialism offers false guarantees; (5) Idolatry/materialism falsely presents itself as an expected way of life; (6) Idolatry/materialism falsely positions itself as reasonable; (7) Idolatry/materialism pleases the senses; (8) Idolatry/materialism promotes indulgence; and (9) Idolatry/materialism provides access to promiscuity.
CONCLUSION
Materialism viewed through the lens of its fleshly attractions alerts the Christian that far more is at stake than lifestyle preferences. Paul addresses this head-on in 1 Timothy 6 and offers the antidote, summarised in three words: contentment, stewardship and generosity. The Thessalonians were commended for turning from their idols to the true God (1 Thess. 1:9).
The same gospel that enabled the Thessalonians can rescue materialists today. The same Spirit continues to work in the lives of believers, teaching them to be more content, to steward what God has entrusted, and to be generous with God’s gifts to them…to be rich in good works.