Deconstructing Idols

 A couple of Fridays ago I was listening to Bill Arnold's radio program as he interviewed a former pastor at Willow Creek.  I don't recall the guest's name but I was struck by the verse they discussed.  They only talked about Psalm 106:20 for about 25 minutes.  Their conversation caused me to meditate on that verse off and on since.

"They exchanged their Glory
for an image of a bull, which eats grass." Psalm 106:20 NIV

"They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass." Psalm 106:20 ESV

Psalm 106 is a retelling of some of the history of the people of Israel.  Verse 20 refers to the golden calf that the people worshipped when they had quite literally seen the awesomeness of God, the glory of God first hand.  This verse highlights the utter stupidity of what they did.  I know not every translation does this, but I love that my NIV Bible has the comma before "which eats grass", because I can just hear the sarcasm dripping from that statement.

The people of Israel exchanged the glory of God Almighty for an ox... an ox that eats grass.  See, Yahweh is the God of the burning bush, the God that is a fire that needs to consume nothing in order to exist.  Our God is self-sufficient and these people exchanged Him for an image of a bull, that eats grass.  What the psalmist is doing is deconstructing the idol.  

I think a healthy exercise we should all do is deconstructing idols.

I have things, good things, in my life that I desire to make idols.  John Calvin said, "the human heart is a perpetual idol factory" and mine is no different.  I can turn my job, my kids, my wife, my pleasures, my self into idols.  I have found deconstructing these idols a helpful exercise to keep them in their place and off the tabernacle of my heart.

Let me give you an example.

I love doing play-by-play.  I strive to do my best in describing the action.  I want to excel in bringing people the action they care so much about.  It is my job to be contagiously excited about sports and I rarely struggle to be excited about what I'm seeing and doing.  My passion for this aspect of my job and any praise I get from those listening can easily go from being a good thing to a god thing.  It can become an idol.

So, I deconstruct it.

I pull the thing apart until I realize how small it is in comparison to God Almighty.  I think about how what I'm doing is really just describing high school and college kids playing, let's say, football.  It's really just me talking in a room with another guy talking about what I see.  It's really just me watching and describing people playing football  It's really just me talking about kids playing a game.  At its core it's me talking about kids playing outside.

I have considered filling the space in the tabernacle of my heart with me talking about kids playing outside.  How much less stupid is that than an image of a cow, that eats grass?

All that's not to say I then walk away thinking my job is pointless and I should quit.  No.  I'm going to be the best at it that I can be and I'm going to serve all the grandmas and moms and neighbors and community members that want to experience the game.  I'm still going to strive for excellence but I'm not going to let it be an idol in my life.  When I deconstruct my idols I realize that I don't necessarily have to love it less, most of the time, but I have to love my God so much more.  Christ is my all-in-all, not a bull that eats grass.  Jesus is supreme, not talking about kids playing outside.

Israel wasn't commanded to get rid of bulls or oxen, but to stop worshipping these things that eat grass and then poop it out their butts.  Bulls are bulls, God is God.

Right now think of a good thing that threatens to become a god thing in your life.  Take that idol and deconstruct it.  Mentally rip it apart until you chuckle about how silly it would be to dedicate your life to that thing as a god.  Think about what you're prone to worship and realize how utterly meaningless it is, to steal from Ecclesiastes.  In fact, read Ecclesiastes if you need help learning how to deconstruct idols.  Then compare that thing you've deconstructing to the Almighty God who created the universe with His Word.  

Deconstruct your idols and then run to the One worthy of our worship today.