Naught Be All Else To Me

The other day my family and I were shopping in a major retail outlet. Imagine my surprise when, as I was browsing for deals, I found a miniature, desktop Buddha (for only one dollar). As an American, I have never seen what many in other countries see routinely: a Buddha statue intended to be worshiped. It struck me that right in front of me in the aisle of that major American shopping center was an object that in other countries is a symbol of idolatrous devotion and solemn religious rituals.

The first two of the Ten Commandments both dealt with idolatry: "'You shall have no other gods before Me'" and "'You shall not make for yourself an idol'" (Exodus 20:3-4). Repeatedly, Israel abandoned God's commands and pursued the gods - the idols - of the other nations. In fact, King Amaziah of Judah went so far as to worship the gods of the peoples he conquered. As a prophet of the Lord insightfully asked Amaziah, "'Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?'" (2 Chronicles 25:14-16). Testifying to God's sovereignty over all false gods, the Bible records an account of when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant during battle with Israel. Triumphantly, the Philistines took the Ark and put it in front of their god, Dagon, in their temple. They awoke the next morning and "there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD!" So they set him back up. But the next day, "there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained" (1 Samuel 5:1-4). Idolatry was not just an Old Testament problem. Paul debated Greeks whose city was full of idols. He also reminded the Corinthians, "'What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"' (2 Corinthians 6:16). The apostle John ended his first epistle with the plea, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).
Neither did idolatry end after the New Testament. I realize that those who buy the one-dollar-desktop-Buddha-statue aren't intending it for worship. It's merely a desktop decoration; something that just sits there. We all have our own desktop idols (our pet sins), don't we? Bob Hostetler wrote American Idols: The Worship of the American Dream, where he says,

"I've become convinced that often the cause [of a lukewarm spiritual life] is idolatry. Not so much the ancient, pagan-altar-on-a-hilltop variety, nor the light-a-candle, chant-a-mantra sort of thing, either. No, it's usually a more modern form of idolatry. More antiseptic. More American. We seldom realize it when it happens, but our lives can easily become infected with modern idolatries that look utterly harmless, sometimes even virtuous. But these 'user-friendly' idols distract us from a wholehearted, single-minded devotion to God, and become the enemies of our souls. They insert themselves between us and God. They hinder our prayers. They dull our spiritual sensitivity and impede our spiritual growth. And, like all idols, they substitute broken cisterns that hold no water for the springs of living water God wants to pour into our lives..."

In his book, Hostetler names fourteen - yes, fourteen! - idols that are socially acceptable and even common in our day, such as "The Microwave Mentality" (instant gratification), "The Modern Baal" (money), and "The Passion for Fashion" (appearance). As Ross King writes in his song, "Clear the Stage": "Anything I put before my God is an idol. Anything I want with all my heart is an idol. Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol. Anything that I give all my love is an idol" (And All the Decorations, Too). How easy it is to give our heart and set our thoughts on something other than God - even in our modern day.

If we root our idols from our hearts, Hostetler's prayer is that we "may come to know the one true God to be an extent we've not yet experienced or even imagined." As Ross King's song advises: "We must not worship something that's not even worth it. Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it." Let us tear down every idol from the throne of our heart, be it Baal or fashion, Buddha or self-gratification. That throne is for God and God alone. Anything that takes our mind and heart from the One who made us to worship Him will cause us to stumble in our walk with God. Another song prays a prayer against idolatry of the heart:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.