SCRIPTURE: Judges 6
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The men of the town demanded of Joash, ‘Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.’ [Judges 6:30] How things have digressed. Despite God’s warnings against idolatry and Baal worship, here we have the village leaders preparing to kill Gideon because he desecrated Baal’s altar and restored God’s altar. Gideon had committed the ultimate crime, he had sinned against them (not against God), and he must die.

This passage makes me think of Jesus in the temple: Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. “It is written,” he said to them, ” `My house will be a house of prayer’ ; but you have made it `a den of robbers.’ ” Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. [Luke 19:45-47] His crime? He desecrated their altar to Money and restored God’s altar. Jesus also committed the ultimate crime by sinning against the religious leaders (not against God) and so He must die.

When we are angry, is it truly because we are concerned for God and His truth and justice, or is it because someone has wronged us. Are we as passionate about truth and justice for others as we are for ourselves? Do we get angry when someone cheats us, but ignore the fact the weak and helpful people are cheated all over the world?

In many ways, we have our own idols that take our top priority, while we ignore the priorities and purposes of God. Even in church. How many church battles result when someone takes down one of our idols (changing the songs, the worship style, the way we do things, etc.). In many of these battles, though we claim to be concerned for the things of God, we are really more upset because of how those actions affect us.

In many ways, “church” itself has become an idol that needs to be torn down. This is hard to do, because we can never be sue that our own motives are not driven by our own unconscious idols. I have long felt the need for the tables to be turned and the idols to be toppled, but I’ve never trusted my own motives, knowing that I have my own idols to deal with. Only with Jesus can the tables be turned over, and He always starts with us first. I do believe that the church collectively, and believers individually, need to have tables turned and idols toppled, but it needs to start within us. Where is the Lord putting His finger on an idol in me?

PRAYER:
Lord, show me my idols, and help me to topple them.