Day 11: Cast down the Idols!
Judges 6: 25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. 26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town.
28 Early the next morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed. 29 The people said to each other, “Who did this?” And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.
30 “Bring out your son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole.”
31 But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!” 32 From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.
When we hear the word idol, most of us probably picture something from the Old Testament. A little statue made of wood or stone sitting on an altar while people bow down to it. We read those stories and think, “How could they possibly worship a piece of wood?” But the truth is, idolatry didn't disappear when the statues did. We just got better at disguising our idols.
Gideon learned this lesson firsthand. Before God was going to use Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites, God gave him a job that probably seemed completely unrelated to the battle. He told Gideon to tear down his father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then Gideon was to build an altar to the Lord in its place.
Think about that for a minute. Gideon wanted God to change his nation, and God started by telling Gideon to clean up his own backyard. Before God used Gideon publicly, He dealt with what was being worshiped privately.
That's a good word for us. Our idols usually aren't little statues sitting on a shelf. An idol is anything we give the place, devotion, attention, or allegiance that belongs to God alone. We can make idols out of good things. In fact, some of the most dangerous idols aren't bad things. They're good things that have become ultimate things.
Parents can idolize their children. We can love our kids so much that their happiness, success, approval, or activities become more important to us than following God. Adults can idolize their careers. We can pour every ounce of time, energy, and ambition into climbing the ladder while our relationship with God gets whatever is left over. We can idolize sports teams and athletes. We can know every statistic, every injury report, every trade rumor, and every detail about somebody we've never met while struggling to make time to know the God who created us.
And politicians? Heaven help us!!! We can get so emotionally invested in a candidate or a political party that we start talking about them like they are the answer to everything. We can defend them when we should be questioning them, trust them when we should be trusting God, and allow our political identity to become more important than our identity in Christ. We ruin relationships, won’t talk to family members, and allow Satan to harden our hearts all over people who don’t know we exist and say what you want to hear to get your vote… At least in Papua New Guinea they will pay people for their votes! That’s 100% fact.
We can idolize money. We can idolize our houses. We can idolize comfort. We can idolize entertainment. We can even idolize ministry. Yes, you can be so busy doing things for God that you don't spend time with God.
Here's a simple way to recognize an idol: Look at what gets your time, your treasure, and your talent. What do you spend your time thinking about? What gets your money? What gets your best energy? What are you willing to sacrifice for? What can you not imagine living without? What gets you more excited than God? What gets you more angry than sin? What occupies your mind when you have nothing else demanding your attention?
Gideon didn't just move the Baal altar to the other side of the yard. He didn't put a little sign on it that said, “Baal is important, but God is more important.” He tore it down. He cut it down. He destroyed the altar and built an altar to God in its place.
That's the picture I want us to carry today. Some things in our lives don't need to be managed. They need to be torn down.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful Lord,
As I look at what gets my time, my treasure, and even my talent, I am convicted that it is often not you. I am sorry for the things I have placed before you. Help me see even the things I haven’t even noticed yet, that I placed before you. You are King of kings and Lord of Lords, and I put you on the throne of my heart. I exalt and worship you, and you alone. Help me know when I am drifting in my worship. Give me the strength to cast down any idols in my life.
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen