The Ill Logic of Idolatry
August 25, 2009
“After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir [that is, the Edomites] and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore the LORD was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, ‘Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?’ But as he was speaking, the king said to him, ‘Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?’ So the prophet stopped, but said, ‘I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel’” (2 Chronicles 25:14-16).
Consider how illogical idolatry is. King Amaziah defeats the Edomites, then bows down to their idols. The logical inconsistency is articulated by the prophet: “Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?” One does not have to be especially godly to get this logic. Businesses buy out their successful competitors, not the fledgeling ones. After the post-season, the Yankees sign on the stars who beat them, not the ones they beat. The old adage says, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” not “If you beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Yet Judah’s king goes against every shred of common sense and worships the very gods whose people he defeated.
Regretfully Amaziah’s idolatry is not the Bible’s only cautionary tale of this illogical trend. God delivers Israel from Egypt and Israel in turn bows down to a golden calf (Exodus 32). A craftsman cuts down a tree and uses half of it for a fire and worships the other half (Isaiah 44:15). Humans worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).
If we slow down long enough to think about it, most of us would agree that our temptations toward idolatry are not logical. It does not make sense for us to give more of our heart to the family or house or job or possessions God gave us than we give to God himself. It does not make sense to lust over a human body when the Creator of that body has superior, lasting beauty to be adored. It does not make sense to idolize control over our lives when God has been competently running the universe for thousands of years. In light of the reality of God, no idolatry makes sense.
So why do we find ourselves reacting like Amaziah when the illogic of our idolatry is exposed? “Stop!” we cry. “Say no more!”
We respond like this because the deepest problem of idolatry is not that it is illogical-an issue of faulty, misinformed thinking. Idolatry is ultimately ill logic: it flows from a sick, dysfunctional heart that does not want to deal with the reality of God. To reckon with him requires trust, obedience, and relinquishment of control, since God, unlike idols, cannot be manipulated. Idolatry is ultimately a sickness of the heart.
Thus the path to escape idolatry is not a mere logic check. It is brokenness, contrition, repentance, and submission to God from the heart. Once we acknowledge his Lordship and relinquish our control, the logic will follow.
As we consider the idols that attract our hearts, let us recognize the illogic of our ways, but more importantly, let us repent of the ill logic of a heart rebellious toward its creator, yielding ourselves again to the joyful declaration: “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!” (1 Kings 18:39)
Repenting daily with you,
Pastor Chris