“Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practises. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.”
Exodus 23:24
Everyone loves a good demolition derby ‒ at least I do. There’s nothing like seeing one car crash into another and another with headlights smashed, bumpers dragging, and engines sputtering until a winner emerges. As I reflect on the events surrounding the pandemic we find ourselves in, I can’t help but think that this is a demolition derby of sorts. What is being demolished are the false gods that we’re tempted to cling to. Now maybe you’re tempted to stop reading right now and think “this isn’t for me, I don’t even believe in gods, let alone false ones!” But please, keep reading.
From a biblical perspective false gods are good things that we turn into ultimate things. They’re the stuff we value in life more than anything else and the people we turn to for security in a crisis. In the words of one author, false gods are things we “adore, serve, and rely on with our whole life and heart…family, achievement, work and career, romance, talent, etc. ‒ even gospel ministry” (Timothy Keller). That last one hits close to home for me. I’m a pastor by profession. Gospel ministry is what I do! And trust me gospel ministry can become a false god if you’re not careful.
The problem is that all these things ‒ good as they may be ‒ don’t make for very good gods. They can’t provide anyone with unwavering security, true significance, and full salvation in the best of times, let alone in a pandemic! They will all let us down or be taken away from us. When this happens, we’re temped to flee from one false god to the next to fill the void left in our hearts, to give us hope in the midst of despair. But none of them can. When we turn these good things into ultimate things, they will only leave us empty, worn out, and without hope. They can never give us the real thing! They’re cheap replicas. Realizing this we must heed the command in Exodus 23:24. There, referring to false gods, it says: “You must demolish them.” Demolish them because they can’t calm our fears and give us hope! Demolish them because they can’t give us eternal joy, significance and happiness!
As we demolish these cheap replicas, we must also realize that there is one God who can’t be demolished, that wins every derby, and to whom we must cling to: the Lord God Almighty. According to the Bible, he’s from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:1). He’s the creator and sustainer of all things who never falls asleep or needs a nap (Psalm 121:1-4). He holds the oceans in the hollow of his hand (Isaiah 40:12). He knows the billions of stars by name and the number of hairs on your head too (Isaiah 40:26; Matthew 10:31). So if there is ever a God who will not let you down, surely it’s him! He’s the one God we can place our full and unwavering confidence in (even when we don’t understand his ways). The Bible also teaches that trusting the one true God also means trusting in his one true Son, the Lord Jesus. And when you belong to and believe in Jesus, there’s no need to look anywhere else for all you need. As God’s true and eternal Son, Jesus entered time and space to make us secure in God’s love, to show us that we’re significant enough to die for, and to obtain salvation for us from all sin and evil. Yes, Jesus is enough; he’s more than enough!
So do you need security, significance and salvation? Do you need someone who won’t ever let you down? Don’t turn to false gods. Turn to the one who knows the number of hairs on your head and rest secure in the one who wins every derby.