What Idolatry Truly Is

I have just started reading Isaiah in my daily reading and am loving it! Yesterday I read chapter 2 and learned a great deal about what idolatry truly is. God said this concerning His people: "Their land is filled with idols." (v.8) He then goes on to name all their idols. What I noticed is that the sin of idolatry is associated, in God's eyes, with the sin of pride. Actually what I saw in this chapter is that they are basically one in the same. I would define idolatry as "exalting something or someone in place of God." I would define pride as "exalting self above all else." It is clear that God is condemning the pride of Israel as you read of at least 15 phrases that speak of man exalting himself above God such as these:

• "haughty looks of man"
• "lofty pride of men"
• "haughtiness of man"
• "lifted up"
• "uplifted hills"
• "high tower"

God is speaking of the future "day of the Lord" and says 2 awesome things. Two times He says, "the Lord alone will be exalted in that day", as opposed to man being exalted. Then He says, "In that day mankind will cast away their idols", linking pride with idolatry.

The end of this chapter is phenomenal! He says, "Stop regarding man." I believe He is saying to stop exalting self. "For of what account(value) is he(man)?" God is not saying that man has no value, but that, compared to Him, we are not that valuable to be "lifted high". This thinking will help us in deciding each day who we will exalt. Will we exalt self, "in whose nostrils is breath"? Or will we exalt God, who has "splendor of majesty"?

What I have learned about idolatry is that my idol is actually me. We tend to say that our idols are things outside ourselves such as money, sex, stuff, our jobs, family, etc. These, I believe are simply outward manifestations of who our idol truly is, who we are exalting above God. Our idol is self which would also be pride. I once read a great book by Jim Berg in which he said that our daily choice is "pleasing God or pleasing self". I understand what he meant but I don't like that expression because it can mislead some to think that there is no pleasure in serving and pleasing God. I think the daily choice is actually this: Exalt God or exalt self.

Please pray for me bro., that I may "stop regarding man(self)" daily and exalt our GREAT GOD!

James