Digging Up the Gods
"You shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire." — Deuteronomy 7:5
A Museum With a Question Attached
A woman working on a government-funded project described her situation.
Her island's economy had declined, and the response was to build a large museum as a tourist attraction. It would house artifacts of the region's original inhabitants. Her part of the project involved excavating relics.
Almost every artifact recovered was an idol, a statue, or an image of the gods those people served.
These objects were being carefully cleaned, restored, and placed in positions of honor, in a purpose-built structure, where people would pay money to come and view them.
Stated that way, the description of the building becomes difficult to distinguish from a temple.
What God Told Israel About Preservation
Was God interested in preserving the culture of the original inhabitants of Canaan? Read His instructions:
"But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire." (Deuteronomy 7:5)
"You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it." (Deuteronomy 7:25)
"And you will destroy their name from under heaven." (Deuteronomy 7:24)
Blot the names out of the record. That is not cultural preservation. It is the opposite.
And He explained why: because of the wickedness of those nations, and to keep His own people from being ensnared into honoring what they honored.
"Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish." (Deuteronomy 8:19)
The Modern Scale of It
Projects that excavate and restore the religious artifacts of ancient peoples are enormously popular worldwide. They are funded by governments, celebrated by scholars, and visited by millions.
Consider what is actually happening. Images made for the worship of spirits are dug up, restored to their original condition, placed in positions of honor, and viewed by paying visitors who are told to admire them.
This is not neutral archaeology. It is the systematic restoration of what God commanded be destroyed.
And the visitors — including a great many Christians — are drawn into giving honor to what those objects represent, usually without any awareness that this is what they are doing.
What This Does Not Mean
This does not mean history is bad, or that every museum is a temple, or that no believer may study the ancient world. Scripture itself records the names and practices of pagan nations so we may learn from them.
The distinction is between studying something and honoring it. Between a text that explains what a people believed and a shrine that displays their god for admiration.
If you cannot tell the difference in a given case, ask the Lord before you go — which is the subject of the lessons ahead.
Point to Ponder
God told Israel to blot out their names from under heaven. We restore them, light them beautifully, and sell tickets.
Verse to Remember
"You shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire." — Deuteronomy 7:5
Question to Consider
Have I ever paid to view what God commanded to be destroyed — and never once considered what I was doing?
Today's Practice
Think back over exhibitions, museums, and heritage sites you have visited whose central content was the religious objects of another people.
Ask the Lord whether you went with His leading or simply out of curiosity. There is a real difference, and the next lessons will develop it.
Where you went without asking Him, confess it:
"Father, I went where I never asked You about, and I gave attention and honor to what You commanded be destroyed. Forgive me. Cleanse me by the blood of Jesus Christ. In His name I break every curse that came upon me and my household through that, and I command every spirit associated with it to leave now."
Then decide how you will make such decisions in future.
Prayer
Father, I have treated the gods of the nations as history and art. You never treated them that way.
Forgive me for the places I have gone without asking You, and for the honor I gave without intending to. I did not know. I am asking now.
Cleanse me from every place I have walked and every image I have admired that grieved You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I break every curse that came upon me through it and command every spirit associated with it to leave.
And Lord, give me the habit of asking before I go, not after I return. In Jesus' name. Amen.
There is a difference between studying what a people believed and admiring their god under museum lighting.