Scripture teaches that believers have always had to be discerning when it comes to the things people create. In the Old and New Testaments, artisans were often involved in creating objects of worship. They built ornate temples so people could come together and worship false gods. They also forged statues of those gods--called "idols"--so people could worship them in their homes.
Rather than honor the true living God, the artists used their creative skills to glorify imaginary deities. It's likely that some of the pieces they created were awe-inspiring--perhaps even masterpieces. But they violated the first and second commandments:
"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them." (Exodus 20:3-5)
One of the best-known examples of idolatrous art can be found in Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered the construction of a golden statue that was 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide. Then he summoned all of the leaders in the region to attend the unveiling ceremony. To guarantee a positive reaction to his creation, Nebby decreed that when he gave the signal, everyone had to fall down and worship the statue. Those who didn't, he warned, would be thrown into a furnace and burned to death.
Among the invited guests were three Israelites: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They worshipped the one true living God, which meant they couldn't bow down to an idol. So when the signal was given, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood their ground. And true to his word, the king had the men thrown into the furnace. You probably know how the story goes from there: God protected them from the flames, and King Neb was so impressed by their Divine rescue that he declared the God of Israel to be the only God.
But that's not the point I want to make here. You see, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have just skipped the whole dedication ceremony. They could have refused to have anything to do with the creative work of idol worshippers. Their fate would have been the same either way.
However, Shadrach and his friends chose to attend the ceremony because they were active members of the government. They probably admired the artistic aspects of the statue and the craftsmanship that went into making it. Yet while the three men chose not to honor the creative work with their lives (by bowing down to it), they didn't ignore it or boycott it, either.
What's more, earlier in the book of Daniel we learn that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had been schooled in the Babylonian language and literature (Daniel 1:3-4). Because the young men excelled in those areas, the king placed them in positions of influence and authority where they were able to help others learn about God and come to know him.That should also be our goal in learning about our own culture. Movies, television, and music (along with art and literature) reveal the heart and soul of who we are as people. When we understand the culture we live in, we can apply that knowledge as we introduce others to God. The more we know about what people are really connecting with, the better prepared we'll be to introduce God in a context they can relate to.
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Taken from "Wisdom On...Music, Movies & Television" by Mark Matlock, copyright 2008 Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here:
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