The Burning Idolatry
“What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols? Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all. “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Habakkuk 2:18-20 NKJV
There’s so many things in our lives that we overlook or maybe just take for granted.
There are many culturally accepted practices.
There’s rituals that we may partake in.
All seems harmless. It’s done out of fun.
One of the things that Jesus purposely went against was the traditions of man.
Even if the traditions of man at some point may have been intended for the Glory of God they become infected with evil.
Some of these traditions have been concocted from the mind of a crooked heart.
It is very dangerous.
Many will scoff at this and say
“It’s all in fun”.
“No harm, no foul”.
Oh, the excuses men make when the power of conviction hits the heart!
Without knowing it, idol worshippers are glorifying demons in their sacrifice.
This is especially sad for the ones that know the Truth of the Gospel.
We get caught up in the things of this world. Just because everyone else is doing it certainly doesn’t mean that a follower of Jesus Christ should as well!
There is a tradition in Santa Fe, New Mexico that has been around since 1924.
Every year since, this tradition has taken place on the Friday of Labor day weekend.
Without fail the crowds are overwhelming and tickets for the event usually sell out.
This event is called;
The Burning of Zozobra.
Zozobra is a Spanish word for anxiety, worry, or sinking, or simply the “gloomy one”.
The mythical man-made 50-foot-tall idol is stuffed with thousands of pieces of paper.
These papers are called “glooms”. They consist of everything from worries, doubts, anxieties and misfortune are written down and stuffed into this hollow man made puppet.
Anything one can consider “gloom” is written down and placed inside. Whatever life trial, tribulations and hardships that come to mind can be burned away.
According to the legend, he casts a spell of darkness and hopelessness over all of Santa Fe.
The goal of the whole ritual is to bring the evil out into the light of day and set him on fire. In the flames the wickedness burns away.
It goes on to include a spell on the children which are called “gloomies”. He hypnotizes them by taking the joy of their hearts and filling it with sorrow all so they become his slaves.
The torch bearers come to chant to summon the ” fire spirit”.
Burn him, burn him! Chants from the crowds. How easy it is to get involved with the crowds.
Then Old Man Gloom comes to his fiery demise.
For many of the residents of Santa Fe this is considered their new year. A fresh start to burn down the struggles of the year.
Up to 60,000 people from around the country and world attend to watch the burning sacrifice of all of the past faults and failures.
And from the ashes a new beginning.
Many see this as innocent.
By the world’s standards it is.
Harmless, playful. Some put their hope and faith in this ritual assuming that things will change for the better.
Sad. When it doesn’t change and everything stays the same they will still blame God.
Culture has taken a higher place than Christ! Traditions of men have overshadowed the Word of God.
The compromised hearts of so-called Christians have allowed this to take place.
But it’s all in fun, right?
Exodus 20:1-6
And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exodus 20:1-6 NKJV
Could this innocent burning of Zozobra be idolatry?
The Father makes it very clear on the subject of idolatry. No other gods. No other images.
We are not afraid of the consequences, because the Lord hasn’t sent His full judgment yet.
So there’s always one more day to compromise.
For those that decide to worship anyone or anything besides Him, those consequences get handed down to your children and your children’s children.
We wonder why from generation to generation there’s been so many hardships and sorrows.
Many will say they don’t worship it. They don’t bow down to it. But these same ones rush to write down their gloom and stuff it into this man made idol to be burned!
Expecting and hoping that it all goes away.
That doesn’t sound like idolatry at all, does it!
There is only One thing that wipes away every stain and makes all wrong right. There is only One thing that makes us whole, worthy and acceptable, the Shed Blood of Jesus Christ!
One thing that we have become very good at is compromise .
The definition of compromise is to accept standards that are lower than is desirable.
We go against the very commands the Lord gives us, then we wonder why so much evil has overtaken us!
Because we have allowed it!
We have invited it right in. We blindly and foolishly open the door wide.
And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
II Corinthians 11:14-15 NKJV
They creep in, slowly. We don’t notice them. They don’t come in and kick the doors open.They blend in. They talk like us. They act like us. But they are full of deceit. Many come in with sweet sounding words, but we have to be careful what and who we listen to. We have to be aware of what we partake in.
With their words they can make you doubt, rethink and mislead you. It’s the same old trick Satan has been using since the Garden of Eden. And many still fall for it.
The Church is weak because it no longer has enough strength to resist what is thrown at it.
It’s easier to compromise and conform than to contest and challenge.
Why?
The Church no longer stands on the Power and authority of the Word of God.
She has no more reverence, respect and accepts no responsibility.
We were called to be the Light of the World!
We were called to bring people to the Lord Jesus Christ!
He has the true antidote for the heavy laden over burdened heart. He has been the One to speak life and remind us to not worry, have no fear! He is the One that brings beauty from ashes. He is the only Way,Truth and Life. And no one, not even the Burning of Zozobra can or will ever take His Crown and Throne!
The world is going to continue to be the world. It’s going to continue to do its rituals. It will worship idols and other gods.
It will call good evil and evil good.
But for you, stop compromising and complaining!
Be the light like you were commanded to be! Bring even one soul out of the pit of hell!
Pray that you won’t be tested and if you are, lean in the might and strength of your Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
We have the ability and power to save the next generation. To bring up the next for the Kingdom of God. To stand for what’s right in the eyes of the Lord. To have fear and reverence for Him. To love and cherish Him.
But none of this will happen if we continue to compromise with the things of this world.
Oh, the excuses men make when the power of conviction hits the heart!
I pray today that the absolute and true conviction of your heart is penetrated deeply by the Holy Spirit. And by this same Spirit, purges every ounce of anything that is not of Him. Then I pray that He takes those gaps and fills them Himself to make you whole and complete!
Then maybe you will have the Spiritual eyes to see the danger in these culturally accepted traditions of man and their idolatry.
But it’s all in fun, right?
Pastor Ed
