God’s Word for You
Zechariah 13:2 The names of idols
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, September 8, 2022
2 “And on that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they will not be remembered. And I will remove the prophets and the spirit of uncleanness from the land.
With a quick, “on that day,” the prophet keeps us in mind of the crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and also the destruction of the temple: the time when the Old Testament church gave way to the New Testament church. Judaism had looked forward to the Messiah’s coming, watching for his approach, and recording God’s messages through the prophets about Israel’s sin and God’s forgiveness. But a day is coming, says Zechariah, when all that will end, and God’s people will no longer say, “He is coming, and he will…” but “He came, and he did….” At that time, there will be another purge of the old idols.
The old idols had been a problem for God’s people from ancient times. There are no mentions of idols or false gods before the flood (only terrible sins and violence, Genesis 6:11-12; Jude 1:14-15). But soon after, when Noah’s sons and grandsons were still alive, false images and bizarre mythology sprang up. Isaac’s brother-in-law, Laban, owned his own private set of household gods (Genesis 31:19). These things continued to be a problem, infecting the worship life of God’s people, through the golden calf (Exodus 32:4) to the idols of King Jeroboam I (1 Kings 14:9) to the very last kings of Judah, who each did evil, just as their fathers had done.
While some kings destroyed the idols and purged the land, the names of the false gods remained and their mythology lived on, so that people recast and recut the idols in later generations. But now more than the statues would be destroyed. Their names, their reputations, their stories—whatever power they held over people’s hearts—would be undone forever. Nobody worships Baal anymore. Nobody prays to Marduk or Asherah or Dagon. “I will not take up their names on my lips” (Psalm 16:4).
But the prophet means more than that. He foresees groups of false worshipers that did not yet exist in the land, the Pharisees and Sadducees, as well as the experts and teachers of the law, who did not worship idols, but had an idolatrous worship. They elevated their own opinions and their own interpretation of God’s word above God’s word itself, and this is what Jesus was constantly combatting and exposing in his ministry, saying, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod” (Mark 8:15). He also said: “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers” (Luke 20:46-47).
Finally, and more importantly than a dead and inanimate idol, a tottering trinket on a shelf, the Lord will destroy the false prophets and wipe out the spirit of uncleanness from the land. This is especially the case with the New Testament Church. There is no room for idolatry or false teaching, since all false teaching leads people away from Christ. Their religions are those of “unclean spirits.” This is the only time “unclean spirits” are mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, unclean or evil spirits are almost always a reference to demons inhabiting poor possessed men, women and children (Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:27; Acts 5:16), but sometimes are false teachers in general (Revelation 16:13).
Today there is even an idea of “non-denominational preaching,” but what is that but misapplied law and no gospel from false, evil, and unclean teachers? Preaching that only tries to shoe-horn people into living better lives is nothing but Mormonism, making the law nothing but a suggestion and the gospel nothing at all. No blood of Christ means no forgiveness of sins, and without forgiveness, we cannot approach God in prayer today or in person tomorrow (Zechariah 7:13; Isaiah 59:2). We must always proclaim Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins (1 Corinthians 2:2). This is the worship God wants from us, to remember that he made peace through the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:20). We are no longer alienated from God, but we are made his children by his Son’s blood. If someone tires of this teaching and wants to run ahead to other things, they are scampering away from the flock. They are not leaders or shepherds; they are lost sheep. We must go after them (Matthew 18:12), because they are one of God’s lambs. We may need to bring them kicking and screaming and sobbing back into the flock (if we can), but is that too much to ask for a soul, a child of God? Through patience even a ruler can be persuaded (Proverbs 25:15), and a kind word cheers a person up. Guard your faith, your life, and your doctrine closely, and do not be quick to pursue teachings that go beyond the forgiveness of our sins, righteousness through Christ, and the gracious gift of peace. Cherish God’s greatest gifts, and never forget that Jesus is your Savior.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.