Reflections: Do we worship our work?

In studying Hosea’s prophecy, I saw a recurring theme of Israel’s failure to acknowledge God’s presence and provision. They had chosen instead to worship pagan gods, including idols made by human hands, with only token acknowledgement of God as just one of many. 

Chapter 13 refers to the futility of worshiping such handmade items. God reminds Israel through Hosea that the ability to make such items is a talent provided by their Creator God, to be used for His glory. I wonder if Hosea was reminded of Israel’s history, recorded in Exodus 35 and 36, when God specifically gifted craftsmen and artisans, empowering them by the Holy Spirit, to create beautiful objects for the temple—not to be worshiped, but as a reminder to worship the God who provided the materials and the ability. 

As a child, hearing Bible stories about idolatry such as Israel’s golden calf incident, the idea of worshiping a handmade object seemed rather silly to me, akin to worshiping an outfit my mom sewed or a piece of furniture made by my dad. Use it? Yes. Be thankful? You bet. Worship it? Made no sense. 

As an adult, I’ve realized the concept goes deeper. God, through his creative power, has provided everything we are and everything we have. Worshiping those things, in word or in our actions and priorities, seems presumptive, as if we ourselves were the Creator—which we’re not! 

It’s easy to point a finger at pre-exile Israel, but what about me? I don’t plan to start bowing down to a craft project any time soon, but do I worship my work in other ways? Both my husband and I are sometimes guilty of thinking about work when we should be enjoying time together, with family, or at church. Cell phones have made it so tempting to “just answer a quick text” or derail a planned outing by stopping to take care of something. 

In Hosea 14, the prophet looks ahead to a time when Israel will return wholeheartedly to worship of the true God. At that time, they will realize the foolishness of idolatry: “. . . We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands.” Listening to reports from people in Israel now, even with the current chaos, it’s encouraging to hear about them finding ways to pray and observe Sabbath, even as danger threatens and duty calls, and to hear leaders acknowledge their dependence on God. 

Obviously, I’m thankful for God’s provision through work, but God Himself set the example of rest—not because He was tired, but because He knew people needed parameters in order to keep the focus on Him. Considering the Bible as a whole, our work should include diligence (Colossians 3:23), thankfulness, stewardship of talents and acceptance of the duty to provide for families and meet obligations—but it should never include worshiping that which was created and provided by Him!