Idols, Icons, and the Real Thing

Come away my lover, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the spice-laden mountains. (Song of Solomon 8:14 NIV)

Idols are everywhere! They even compete on TV once a week. We also see icons every day. Some even work for us on our computer screen! In this world of virtual reality, when the technology that is supposed to help us work faster actually creates more and more work, we are desperate for something real. God wants us to see him for who He is, not just for his actions but as a person with life to share.

As a musician I have fun following the competition on American Idol, but I'll never be one of the screaming, adoring fans. As we can see from the show, an idol is something or someone who is imperfect and subject to judgment. Idols are always created or exalted by man and are not holy as someone or something worthy of worship.

The Lord even mocked the idea of wooden idols like the ones established in Israel during Isaiah the Prophet's time, about 700-680 BC. Check out the passage in Isaiah 44:9-23 where he explains there is no difference between the idol carved from wood and the firewood made from the same wood.

No one stops to think,
       no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
       "Half of it I used for fuel;
       I even baked bread over its coals,
       I roasted meat and I ate.
      Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
      Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"

He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
"Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?"

Isaiah 55:19-20 NIV

Most of the time when I think of an idol, I think of deception, something that is made to seem more than it is.

In 787 AD, a debate ensued during the Ecumenical Council of the Orthodox church. This debate concerned the use of icons which was a very prominent part of Byzantine architecture and art. They questioned whether it was acceptable to use pictures, statues, and art to portray Christ since the third Commandment stated that "You shall not make for yourself an idol. . ." (Exodus 20:4 NIV). They eventually decided to continue to accept this practice with the distinct understanding that these were icons to look through to get a representation of what God is like. The understanding included the fact that worship of idols was forbidden, realizing that they should never worship paint and canvas, it would always be worship of God himself. Yet, it was acceptable to honor the painting as you would any fine work of art. Enter a Greek Orthodox church today and you will drink in image after image of gorgeous artwork on every inch of space inside.

An example of a modern icon would be Coca Cola. No one looks at a bottle of Coke and says, "This is America," yet the bottle or even just the appearance of the logo brings a lifetime of imagery: "Coke is It, the Real Thing", and "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. . ." It is almost impossible to look at the container and think only of a carbonated, caramel colored beverage. You will invariably look through the image into something greater, even if it is only the idea of your thirst being quenched. It represents a cultural ideal, going way beyond the substance of what it is and how it tastes.

So, icons can be honored or venerated, but they cannot be worshiped as holy. They are a symbol or a reminder to look through to what they represent.

Have you seen the movie Wall-E? The people in that culture were in permanent "virtual reality." They did nothing but stare at their computer screens for the entire day, pressing buttons, making choices based on the computer's suggestions, never even walking but instead floating around on mobile chairs. Two people finally broke free of this trap when their hands finally touched each other in a casual, accidental move. They were able to look around them and found an actual swimming pool to splash in, actual scenes to look at, actual feet to walk on, and they began laughing for real. They came alive in a sense which they had not before. Those around them continued to be oblivious for a time, but these two sojourners never went back to virtual reality once they had found the real thing.

What about us? Does a series of idols march across our consciousness all day? Do we idolize work, or the antithesis of work (weekends)? Is there a person who influences us in a god-like manner, whose example we would follow without question? Or one who replaces God, even for a few moments, as worthy of worship?

Are we content with icons? Do we mistakenly mark the icons as holy without looking through them to the living God?

Do we know the God who wants to share life with us? He has given us his word, the Bible, as truth on which to base our reality. He himself is real and can be present with us tangibly through the Holy Spirit. He can guide and direct us through his word, provision, and even by speaking directly to our own spirit. He can use written words like this article to inspire, but he wants to draw us to closer relationship with himself.

Choose a way get real with God this week. Set a date if you need to. I'm thinking of what I used to do, before I knew what e-mail and the internet were. Some friends and I would sit for hours studying the Bible together, praising Jesus with choruses and praying for one another. Those occasions are far too few for me now. I've been practicing, making it a point to hold the pages of my real Bible and not a Palm Pilot, and singing a capella in the car, endless verses of "Jesus Loves Me" and other old choruses with my two-year old. A prayer walk alone can also do wonders.

My goal is to be alive to him, to real reality, stretching out my hands to a blue sky containing heaven, somehow expressing my complete gratitude to and for the Holy One, who is my All in All. And I want to be alive to those around me, to be who God created me to be for them.

Here's a great song to help you begin or continue that quest!

. . .once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.

-- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams