Written by Deanna Brooks, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
After the Israelites left Egypt, God told them:
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God. (Ex 20:3-5a ESV)
We don’t know when man first turned to idols, but Joshua tells us, “Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods” (Jos 24:2b).
Later, when Jacob took his family back to his homeland, Laban came after them, accusing them of stealing his gods (Ge 31). In Genesis 35, Jacob tells his household to put away all their foreign gods and purify themselves, Then, they go to Bethel to build an altar to the LORD, whom Jacob affirmed had been with him wherever he had gone.
In Egypt, the Israelites were exposed to the gods of the Egyptians, so when God led His people out of slavery, He wanted them to understand there is one God.
The Israelites were constantly tempted to worship the gods of surrounding peoples. It was not until the Babylonian captivity that the Israelites became mono-theistic. That captivity cured them of worshipping idols.
What do we think of when we hear the word “idol”? A simple definition is anything or anyone that we love and desire more than God, our Heavenly Father, our Creator.
Jesus addressed this desire when He said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mt 5:6).
Most of us know what it is to be hungry and thirsty. Jesus wants us to have that same longing for righteousness.
So, what becomes an idol in our lives? Bowing down to a golden calf is not something most of us do, but is it possible we have other things that take the place of God?
It is sometimes said that there is a “God-shaped hole” in our hearts, and we seek to fill that hole. Satan tempts us to fill that hole with something other than God. People attempt to fill that hole with family, job, money, possessions, and many other things, but only God can give the peace and fulfillment that fills the heart.
When Jesus was talking to His disciples in the upper room, He told them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27).
A few minutes later He prayed, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (Jn 17:15).
We live in the world, and many things attempt to take our focus off of Jesus, of doing His will, of making Him LORD of our life.
When we hunger and thirst after righteousness, striving to do God’s will, the peace Jesus left will fill our hearts.
In 1772, William Cowper penned the words to “O for a Closer Walk with God.” One of the stanzas reads:
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.
We turn our hearts toward God, seeking His righteousness to fill our hearts. Second Chronicles 12:14 says of Rehoboam, “He did not set his heart to seek the Lord.”
The question we need to answer is, “Do I value anything more than my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Redeemer?” If we answer “yes,“ what changes do we need to make so we hunger and thirst for righteousness?