The Subtlety of Idolatry
Forest fires are ravaging the West. Just this year in California there have been over 8000 fires covering more than 4 million acres costing $1.5 billion in damages with 29 people dead. What devastation! How did these monstrous fires ever show up? They didn’t just fall from the sky as monsters. They each grew from a tiny spark only to spread over thousands of acres in mere hours. It’s sobering to consider how such widespread destruction began so small. The subtle beginnings of a spark compound to exponential ruin.
I think this aptly describes how idols grow in the heart. There is a subtle beginning like a spark. And before long, it grows out of control, only to control a person and lead to destruction. Personal freedom is replaced with slavery. For example, the Lord freed the people of Israel from Egypt by His wondrous grace. And in taking hold of the promise land the people turned their eyes from the Lord onto other things repeatedly. There is a cycle of repentance and rebellion into all sorts of idolatry depicted in the book of Judges. And in 1 Samuel 8, the people want a king. 1 Samuel 8:6-9 says:
“6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’”
The people of Israel rejected the Lord. They wanted to be like the other nations who had a king. They idolized a political solution. This is a good reminder for us in light of our political season. An idol can even be something inherently good though is placed in the supreme position in one’s life. Politics can be good. Though it becomes an idol when made ultimate. And the subtle nature of such idolatry can start out so small. And before you know it, the tiny spark can compound to the exponential ruin of idolatry. May we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind. May the Lord be our sole object of worship as we live out our political responsibilities. Amen