Jim Gallagher

Genesis 31:34
“Now Rachel had taken the household idols, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. And Laban searched all about the tent but did not find them.”

Later in Israel’s history, the Law of God will be imparted, and idolatry will be forbidden. One of the main reasons is that a manmade icon cannot adequately represent an infinite God. No matter how skilled the worker, or how beautiful the image, it will be a poor representation of God. The actions of Rachel reflect that idea, as she sits on her gods to hide them from her father. Any God small enough to fit in your pocket, is certainly too small to aid in time of need.

While it may not be common in our culture to fashion stone or metallic icons and call them god, it is very common for us to lose sight of the…