Readings for today: 1 Samuel 4-8, Psalms 79
John Calvin once said the human heart is a factory for idols. We produce them at a rapid, almost continuous clip. Unwilling to allow God to be God, we try to cut Him down to our size. We try to remake Him in our own image. We try to reduce Him to a level we can understand or comprehend. Even worse, we try to control Him or manage Him or compel Him to act on our behalf. We make deals with God. We try to bargain with God. We treat God as if He’s somehow owes us something in return for our obedience. It’s all nonsense, of course. The idols we create for ourselves, whether they take the shape of a statue or totem or some other sacred object or they are just an idea in our minds, are empty. They are worthless. They hold no power whatsoever which is why God hates them. He hates what such idols do to us. Do to our conception of God. Do to our understanding of God. Do to our faith in God. Idols warp and corrupt and pervert our relationship with God which is why the Bible is full of warnings against them. They are dangerous. They place us at great risk. Those who trust in them find only death and despair.
Ancient Israel was an idolatrous nation under the corrupt leadership of Eli and his sons. They treated the Ark of the Covenant like a sacred totem. They believed it gave them power. They believed it represented God. So when they are being oppressed by their enemies, they send it into battle assuming it will guarantee them a victory. Tragically, they find out it’s just a nice box. It has no power of its own. They are routed in battle as God exposes the emptiness of their idolatry. Of course, the Philistines make the same mistake. They believe the Ark has great significance as well which is why they bring it before the idol of their own god, Dagon. Once again, God exposes the emptiness of their idolatry by cutting off Dagon’s head and hands and forcing him to bow before the Lord. Furthermore, He sends a plague and oppresses the Philistines, thereby showing He has no need of idols to do His work. He has no need of a people to do His work. God’s power is not bound by anything or anyone in this world. He will accomplish His will according to His purposes. And soon, the Philistines send the Ark back home where it belongs.
Can you identify the idols in your own life? They will be the things you hold more dear than God Himself. It could be something bad for you like an addiction or a dysfunction or an unhealthy pattern of behavior that you refuse to deal with or let go of. It could be a good thing in your life that you’ve elevated to an ultimate thing like your spouse or your children or your job or your lifestyle. What do you believe you simply could not live without? What do you believe is too much to give up, even to God? What gives you nightmares at the thought of losing it? What are you most protective of? What makes you most anxious and afraid? These are great questions to reflect on as you ponder where you’ve allowed idolatry to creep into your heart. Once you’ve identified your idols, surrender them to the Lord. Do what the Israelites did under Samuel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that are among you, set your hearts on the Lord, and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths and only worshiped the Lord.” (1 Samuel 7:3-4 CSB)
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 9-12, Psalms 80