Tag: Idols

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God will always find our conspiracies

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Again the Lord spoke to me and said, “I have discovered a conspiracy against me among the people of Judah and Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their ancestors. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods. Israel and Judah have both broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.” Jeremiah‬ ‭11:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is nothing hidden from God. And, of course, he knows our thoughts, our ways – everything about us from before we were born even all through our external existence.

He sees all, for all time, for everyone in a constant instance, a moment of continual present or NOW.

However, to talk about with Jeremiah or us for that matter, God says, “I’ve discovered” something. I read this like a Dad who has found fireworks contraband under my son’s mattress or my own Mom who thought she discovered Marijuana in a baggie in my desk (it was dried parsley, but it looked like drugs) long story.

God has these conversations with us as though he has expected such good from us, but alas, we’ve been secretly seeing another god. He tells Jeremiah about the plethora of very visible idols throughout the city.

They weren’t exactly hidden. In fact they were blatantly visible, like David’s son Absalom, having intimate relations with his father’s concubines on the roof. God says, look around – idols are everywhere! “you have as many gods as you have towns. You have as many altars of shame—altars for burning incense to your god Baal—as there are streets in Jerusalem.” It wasn’t as much a conspiracy as an outright rebellion.

God does tell Jeremiah something that has been consistent throughout all human history and it’s the hard part of our story – “They [we] actually rejoice in doing evil!” The only thing, the necessary thing for us to do is repent (turning 180°) from our sin. To have and a regular and ongoing admission of our natural desires to have our own way, a confession of those desires as well as the behaviors that follow. I would like to think that I am never trying to hide my sin from God nor for him to ever see it as a flaunting of rebellion against his law or love. I regularly sin, but I do not regularly rebel or openly display my idols in the cities and streets where I live.

PRAYER:

Dad,
It makes it especially egregious to think of my sin as any means of taking on another love like some kind of adulterous affair. I so want to be loyal and grateful for the relationship, the covenant you have made with me. Of course, I hate that fact that my sin, my thoughts and behaviors would EVER be seen as a public display of rebellion against you. You know my weaknesses, you know my faults and shortcomings, you see my heart. Even still I come before you humbly in repentance and confession, not pretending that I have no sin not that I do not sin. Thank you for your Word and thank you for your Holy Spirit who calls me to obedience!

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Me and my sophisticated idols

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.” Psalms‬ ‭115:3-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​It is interesting to read about idols after listening to Matt Terry speak out of 1 Thessalonians 1 this past Sunday, February 6, 2022. He talked about the “other” side of God’s character that doesn’t get enough airtime – his wrath, fury, justice and holiness. He’s right. I’ve only thought and spoken about God’s love, mercy and peace. God will however judge all and everything. He has too. If God doesn’t judge right from wrong he would owe so many civilizations an apology for destroying them just for the complete and total giving of themselves to idols.

The Psalmist makes the logical argument. Idols are merely things made by humans. We’ve got this ridiculous idea that idols ONLY mean statues, buddhas, carvings or tiny stone figurines that hang from your car mirror or sit on your fireplace mantle. No wonder our “modernized” minds laugh at that and think we’re so advanced.

Who would sacrifice, give money, food, time or children to some weird dime-store tchotchke? Yeah, plenty of cultures still do this, but now they are considered religiously enlightened? Geez.

Well, that’s the big lie! Our idols are much more sophisticated, even digital. And there are thousands of them that demand our time, treasure and talent. They are now hidden in books, movies and games. They’ve gone digital and live on the internet. They are accessible every hour of every day and can be visited (worshipped) in public or in private and no one would even think twice about questioning it. Our idols are everywhere, ubiquitous, obvious and more deadly than ever. And we pretend they don’t exist at all. Idols have gone the way of fairytales and little red devils sitting on shoulders. Yet, they’re more expensive and time consuming as ever! It’s so much easier when we don’t think they exist, we pay, we play with fire and pass it off as entertainment, innocent little time passers or worse – mental health and wellness antidotes.

The Psalmist facts are still true, we just can’t believe we’ve been duped!

Our idols do have mouths (speakers or earbuds) and eyes (cams, infra-red and lidar). I’m not sure about digital noses, hands and feet or mouths, but our idols have far more human characteristics than some stuffy old stone or wood carvings.

Our idols can be blockchained, streamed, and have creepy conversations with us because of advances in artificial intelligence that more than mimics our own minds! Let’s be honest God has MORE reasons to hate our idolatry today than he did the ancients of old because theirs were so obvious. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and it’s not like He will quit being jealous of our god-affairs or giving ourselves away to someone other than Himself. God’s love for me isn’t possessive like our human love. He isn’t controlling either. Your will, my will, is ours to do with as we wish.

But, and this is the core truth, God knows that EVERYTHING we substitutionally worship is FAKE, harmful, destructive and a LIE. So in the tragically delightful story of freedom to do what we want, we have the destructive story of choosing an alternative to God himself! How insidious is that?

I would love to say to myself, go ahead Glenn chase after things that make you look cool, feel better, give you a self-confidence boost – but I must face reality when those things (idols) don’t truly fulfill, truly know or care about me.

They CANNOT respond as God, because they are anti-god. Even if one of my idols is a person or the ideal of a person, they still can’t be God. There is only ONE true God and that God HATES for us to have constant affairs with modern-marvels or idols.

I don’t know maybe I’m all whacked about this. I just know that anytime I set or have my affections on something or someone that is not God, I better ask the Holy Spirit about it and check the idol list again. Let me know if this is just me being weird or there is something to all this.

PRAYER:

Dad,
You have given me EVERYTHING! And I know you have always wanted the best for me. Help me destroy my idols and keep them from coming back.