Idolatry is worshiping created things in place of the Creator
(Romans 1). Be careful here not to fall into asceticism (rejecting all of God’s
good material gifts), for God has given us things for our enjoyment (1 Tim
6:17). Alcorn clarifies, “The problem with idols is not that they’re
intrinsically wrong. God created wood, stone, and gold, which can be fashioned
into heathen idols. Likewise, he created family, friendships, work, music, art,
sex, food, drink, and all that we rightly value. But all of these can still
become idols—God-substitutes.” Chapters 8, 9, &10 warn us that even theses good
things can become idols:
Family - Tim Keller points out that even something as
wholesome as love for our children can become a replacement for God. “When we
make something into an idol, it continually makes us miserable. If we fall
short of it . . . it robs us of joy. If our children are our false
god, when their lives are troubled, we will lose our joy; and even when their
lives might become troubled (which is all the time!), we will worry, and lose
our joy.”
Wisdom - King Solomon felt the disappointment making something
as positive as wisdom ultimate. “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all
who were over Jerusalem before me. . . . I perceived that this also
is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who
increases knowledge increases sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18).
Work - “Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you
will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ
you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV). Alcorn says, “When we do our work
independently of Christ, our work easily becomes our Christ.”
Body – Our body can become an idol either by giving
into everything our body want’s (Phil 3:19 - their god is their belly) or by turning it into our obsession
(clothes, makeup, workouts, and diet can become ridiculous).
Money – Probably the most interesting aspect of these
chapters are these examples of how even the winnings of millions does not lead
to fulfilment and happiness.
·
William “Bud” Post won $16.2 million in 1988. He
was sued by a former girlfriend who wanted the money, and his brother hired a
hit man, hoping to murder him and inherit his fortune. After a year, he was $1
million in debt and then went to jail for shooting a gun over a bill
collector’s head. Post called winning the money a “nightmare.” He died in 2006,
after declaring bankruptcy.
·
Jeffrey Dampier won $20 million in 1996 and
bought homes for his relatives. Several years later, his sister-in-law and her
boyfriend kidnapped him and murdered him to get the money.
·
Billie Bob Harrell Jr. won $31 million in 1997.
Harrell used the money to purchase a ranch, several homes, and cars for himself
and his family. His spending and lending spiraled out of control, and not long
after, he divorced. Just twenty months after winning, Harrell killed himself with
a shotgun.
·
Jack Whittaker won $315 million in 2002. His
life after the win involved arrests, shattered relationships, lawsuits, and the
death of loved ones, including one from a drug overdose. Whittaker’s ex-wife
later said she wished she’d “torn up the ticket.”
·
Callie Rogers won $3 million in 2003.
Sixteen-year-old Rogers, one of England’s youngest winners, spent the money on
fancy cars, gifts, lavish vacations, and plastic surgery. An ex-boyfriend got
her hooked on cocaine, and she attempted suicide twice.
·
Keith Gough won about $18 million in 2005. He
used the money to buy racehorses, and he divorced his wife. It wasn’t long
before his life started falling apart: he was conned by a girlfriend, he
developed cirrhosis of the liver from alcoholism, and he died in 2010. He told a
newspaper, “My life was brilliant but the Lottery ruined everything. My dreams
turned to dust. . . . What’s the point of having money when it
sends you to bed crying?”
·
Abraham Shakespeare won $31 million in 2006.
Shakespeare went missing in 2009 after spending most of the money. A few months
later, his body was found under a slab of concrete.
Question: How do I know if I have turned any of these things
into an idol?
Question: What is the solution? Hint: remember the theme of the book!
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