Deuteronomy 4:19. "And beware lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the hosts of heaven, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven."

God is so immense in His greatness, power, and goodness to us, that the things He has created can sometimes seem to be the ultimate in greatness, rather than He Himself. We look up to the heavens and think nothing can be greater than the infinite universe. As we learn about its workings, and come to understand its complexity, we can start to think of it as an end of itself. It can seem beyond comprehension that the stars, galaxies, and celestial bodies working in perfect harmony and beauty can be nothing more than one part of God's creation, planned out and held in being by Him alone.

The universe is an obvious example, but we do this with many things. We can feel intense love for another person and think that this must be the ultimate love, there is no greater love than this, and forget that the greatest of human loves is merely an imperfect reflection of the love of God. We can so enjoy the richness and abundance of the food and drink God has blessed us with, that they become our main source of contentment, and we think we cannot live without that abundance. This is how idolatry comes about, and it is very easy to slip into because the things that God has given us are so good.

So we are being warned here. Yes, look to the heavens with wonder, awe, and appreciation. Yes, try to learn the workings of the universe through science and observation. Yes, love each other with intensity. Yes, eat and drink of all the wonderful things God has given us. But never forget that none of these things is the ultimate good. The ultimate good is God, who created all of them for all of us out of His infinite love for us. He is the only one who should be worshiped.