No Real Rivals

Only worshiping Yahweh means that we reject “rival gods” — and when say “rival” I don’t mean actual rivals “with Yahweh,” but more like rivals “for our worship.” I mentioned this in the sermon Sunday, and I wanted to add some more comments.

This is actually a topic that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 8. He is talking about food sacrificed to idols, and he clarifies in verse 4: 

… we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 

In other words, the false gods of this world are actually no gods at all in comparison with the one true God, Yahweh. I mean, we call them “gods,” but they’re not really gods. They can’t punish you if you don’t worship them. Paul continues in verse 5:

For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

The one true God, Yahweh, is in a category all his own. There is no one like him. The “gods” and “lords” we talk about — the idols of our society — only have the influence we give them. No doubt, there is a demonic influence behind these “powers” (see Deuteronomy 32:16–17; 1 Corinthians 10:20), but they can’t actually do anything to you. These “gods” can’t stand on their own.

There’s actually a funny story in the Bible about this. It’s in 1 Samuel 5. 

The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant, which represented the presence of Yahweh. And so they take the ark and they brought it into the house of Dagon, which was one of their “gods,” and they set the ark up beside Dagon, an idol statue. The next day they come in and Dagon, the statue, had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark. And the Philistines said, “That’s weird.” So they put Dagon back. 

The next morning they come back and again, Dagon is laying facedown, bowing toward the ark, except this time the statue’s head and arms had been cut off. And everyone sort of freaked out and Yahweh gave them all tumors. True story.

The point is that Yahweh doesn’t share the stage, as it were. He’s not one among many. He alone is the one true God, and he alone is worthy of all our worship.