american idols

I've been reading through the Old Testament book of Jeremiah for awhile now, taking my time to try to get a feel for what was going on that sparked such an outcry from the prophet and the God he served.

Israel was as mess by the time Jeremiah hit the scene, and his repetitive call was for the people to repent and return to serve the God who had done so much for them, who loved them so much, but who was ready to pronounce judgment on them for their sin and rebellion. As I read through the chapters and hear again of Israel's problems, there's one issue that keeps exploding off the pages at me- the issue of idolatry. Regardless of other issues, the center of so much trouble was Israel's unwillingness to follow God. The people repeatedly ran after the false gods of their neighbors, serving wooden idols instead of the living God. They continually traded their status with the Creator of the universe for a worthless "bag of beans," temporary pleasure at the foot of worthless images.

Bad, bad people. How could they be so shortsighted and foolish? How could they toss aside the truth that they had known for the lies that seem so obvious to us? How could they desert their God for the temporal pleasures and empty promises of this world? Wait a minute...am I thinking of God's people then or God's people now? The similarities are too close to be comfortable, and before I judge those who lived so long ago, I'd better check the mirror and the situation around me, because I can see some real connection.

Perhaps more than any other issue, we continue to struggle to with idolatry, even as our ancestors did. Because anything you and I place before our commitment to following God becomes our idol. It can be ourselves, our ambitions, our careers, other people, money, fame, or a host of other imposter-gods. Doesn't even matter if it's intrinsically good- if it crowds out our love for God and claims first place in our lives, it becomes our idol, and we become its servant. I'm not feeling real good about that whole concept right now, both because I know my own heart, and because I see so many who claim to follow Jesus, but demonstrate allegiance to other things through their actions and attitudes.

Let's not kid ourselves. If God promised and delivered judgment upon the people He loved, those He called the apple of His eye way back then, will He not do likewise today? We're fools if we think we deserve or will receive a different dispensation for our spiritual adultery. It's way past time to wake up and set things straight. Got to get rid of the false gods (which are no gods at all) and get back to where we need to be...before the throne of grace, committed to following the path of the one, true, living God. Get that First Commandment right and everything else will pretty much fall in place. But mess it up and all else will go sideways as well.

Just ask Israel.