American idols

In Deuteronomy 17 God gives instructions to Israel regarding a king. He tells them that it is permissible to set a king over them, provided that that king is taken from their brothers. Then the Lord gives very important counsel for the king. In verse 16-17 He says, "Only he (the king) must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never return that way again.' And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself silver and gold."

With this instruction the Lord is identifying three very popular idols that potentially can steal away the king's affections. Horses represent the idol of power; wives the idol of pleasure; silver and gold the idol of possesssions - a list not that uncommon throughout the ages. In fact, we'd have to say these are American idols as well. These things (power, pleasure and possessions) have a way of exercising control over our hearts and in time causing us to drift from the Lord.

The antidote to this is found in verse 18-20. The Lord declares, "And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutesx, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel." The antidote is to be a man of the Word; to daily seek its counsel, learning the fear of the Lord which is really learning to let God be Lord of our life and nothing else.

The fact is the human heart is an 'idol factory". We continually manufacture idols who will serve our desires. In Isaiah 44 the prophet shows how foolish that practice is. Though we do not manufacture idols out of wood, our creation of idols is just as foolish. Our idols like the idols of Isaiah's day are lifeless creations. They do not speak, nor move, nor do they life within them. In fact, they are really apt to suck the life out of those who worship them. Isaiah calls them a "lie", which can only delude the heart and lead it astray.

Instead of manufacturing our own idols we should allow the Word to direct us to Christ. In Him we will find a power, a possession and a source of pleasure that will satisfy our deepest soul needs both now and into eternity. Nothing on this earth can provide what the human heart needs most. We must look to the Word which will point us to the Living Word, Jesus Christ. May God give us wisdom to eschew all manmade idols and to follow hard after Christ.