The book of Leviticus warns us not to put anything before God. Leviticus 26:1 reads:
“You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God.”
During the time, there were some people who lost faith in God. Because of this, they crafted idols for themselves to worship. Among these was the infamous Golden Calf. God took insult in this, of course. That is why He created this law.
At the present time, however, idols that we create for ourselves come in all shapes and sizes. When we speak of “idols”, this does not necessarily mean that another deity is involved. An “idol” or anything we “bow down to”, pertains to the other things in our lives that we choose to put before God. The passage above tells that above everything else, God should be prioritized.
When we speak of “other things” that we humans tend to put before God, we are talking about the content of our lives. Content pertains to changing and sometimes unpredictable or uncontrollable things that make up our life. These range from friends and family, to careers and possessions.
