Throughout
the bible, symbolism is used to convey messages. After the death of Jesus,
Christians avoiding persecution would make little fish drawings to guide others
of the same belief to a place of meeting. Mankind has always had symbols to
show ownership, loyalty, groups, clubs, etc.
Everyday examples include sports teams, corporations, products and
organizations such as the Masons, Moose Lodge, NRA and so forth. But the above
picture is suddenly disturbing to me.
The
above picture would be at home in ancient Canaan, Egypt, or Israel. It would
have been seen fashioned by Aaron while Moses was on the Mount receiving the
Ten Commandments. It would be worshiped in ancient times by idolaters, and
specifically spoken about by Elijah, Elisha, Moses, David and Jesus. Paul has
written and warned about it, The Gospels speak judgment against it. The bible
calls it Baal, an idol.Many people associate this statue with Wall Street, but in fact it is two blocks away, although still in the “financial district.” It is eleven feet tall, sixteen feet long and is not owned by the city of New York, but by the artist. It was sneaked into the city in December 15, 1989 under a sixty foot Christmas tree, and placed over night. (Why sneak it, and at Christmas?) It is made of bronze, although it is polished to keep the golden color. It was “inspired by the 1987 stock market crash. It is said in tourist brochures “shows an aggressive or even belligerent force on the move, but unpredictably.” My question is belligerent to whom?
Mentioned in Exodus 32 and I Kings 12 in the Old Testament, worship of the golden calf is seen as a supreme act of apostasy, the rejection of a faith once confessed. The artist wants to place four more in major cities around the world. It has become a bigger tourist attraction than the Statue of Liberty, with crowds gathered around it daily. People rub it’s nose, horns, and other perverse places for “luck”. At night, drunkards are said to perform acts with it that cannot be mentioned here.
So, my question to you dear Christian, is has your spirit been bothered by this and other things? Do you see symbols that are in the bible, around you or in your city? Do you see the bible’s history repeating itself in America today? Read some of your scripture today, and see that God is a jealous God and is not mocked. The Ten Commandments is a good place to start. Pray for our country, but more important, pray for the salvation of sinners. Remember the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:38
