It makes sense that God hates idolatry
Throughout Scripture, God expresses His displeasure for idolatry, and anything or anyone associated with it. Isaiah 43, 44 and 45 are teeming with verses in which God declares Himself as the only God, who can be compared to no other.
Isaiah 43: 10b, 11 “Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.”
Isaiah 44: 9 “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.”
Isaiah 45: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.”
— But, what is idolatry, and why does God hate it? —
Maybe you grew up in a Christian culture and have always heard that idolatry is sin. Perhaps you’ve thought very little of it, since you’ve never crafted a golden calf or found yourself bowing before weird, bronze statues!
So, let’s start with the foundations…
☞ God is physically unseen. When people cast idols or serve and worship something else, they are essentially placing their trust in what is physically seen or what they believe is sure, that is, something that they can rely on.
For example,
A cast idol (like the golden calf in Exodus 32) is seen, those who make it can trust and worship it.
Career excellence, or a spiritual leader, is something or someone that people may think will always be there (be sure of), and therefore that they can depend on it to take them places.
☞ Idolatry, at its root, shows a lack of faith in God. How so?
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see."
☞ If a person has no faith in God (who one cannot see), then that person will build something that they can see, in order to be safe.
☞ If a person cannot put their hope in God and be sure of His faithfulness, then that person will put their hope in something else that they feel they can have security in, such as a spiritual leader, academic success, or an object.
— So how does this explain God's hatred of idolatry? —
☞ Well, we've shown that the root of idolatry is lack of faith.
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."