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Day 3: Joined to Idols

When God's people went after idols, it was not for the thrill or excitement of kneeling in front of a statue. What they wanted were the things that the idols represented. They worshiped the goddess Ashtoreth (1Ki 11:33) with sexual acts in the temple to obtain more fertility in their livestock and family. They worshiped Baal because he was the weather god, and in agricultural communities, rural people needed rain for their crops.

When they sought out idols, they rarely consciously rejected God. They believed that they were adding the worship of an idol from the local culture to the commitment they already had with God. In Hosea 8:2, they acclaim the God of Israel, saying that they knew Him well. They loved Jehovah but also gave honor to other gods.

God declared a judgment that appeared light to us but was actually very severe: Leave them alone. Like the prophetic illustration that Hosea was living in his flesh, Gomer, his wife of the marriage covenant, sought other lovers for bread and drink, but soon these same loves abandoned her and no longer helped her (Hos 2:7). God knew that soon the nation would go to war and it would be a terrible thing for them to be alone, without God's help. They looked to others for what they needed, so He respected their desires and left them alone.

“Whatever your heart clings to and trusts in, that is indeed your god, your functional savior.” - Martin Luther

Idolatry is certainly the practice of worshiping images and statues. But it can go more than that. Idolatry is the deviation of our worship. It is the elevation and glorification of anything other than God. It is giving more credit, authority, or affection to something that is created in opposition to the Creator.

John Piper defines an idol as:

“Anything we rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance in place of a sincere trust in the true and living God.”

We place our trust in many things, such as our work, intelligence, physical strength, relationships, money, medicine, social status, nationality, even race itself. We elevate ourselves and our merits and abilities. We format happiness with the idea of - Jesus + something, Jesus + money, Jesus + being healthy, Jesus + fun - and only then do we feel comfortable, relevant, and significant.

God loves us and, as a Father, wants the best for us. He can bless us with every benefit and use every kind of earthly resource to sustain us. But we need to recognize in all things that the source of all blessings comes from Him. He is the One who provides everything.

We easily join ourselves to our idols - the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. But Jesus wants us to join Him, to be totally His, as a Husband.

My Prayer:

Father, I thank You for loving me so much, even when I show love first to other things in my life. Forgive me for being so attached to stuff and even people that take Your place. I want to recognize Your goodness and mercy in every circumstance. Open my eyes. I know that the good things I like may not be a sin. But I also know that they were never meant to be the ultimate things and objects of my love. My victories are in You and come from You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.