No other gods thankyou

One of the most significant Old Testament examples of a man who purged and protected himself and his kingdom from idols is King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34).

When Josiah realized that seeking the Lord was incompatible with the idolatry around him, he purged Judah and Jerusalem of idols with fantastic zeal. Josiah’s men tore down Baal’s altars in his presence, and he personally travelled to destroy idols. Destroying idols requires us to take a stand and pursue things that protect us from future attacks.

There are three things Christians must pursue if we would, like Josiah, purge and protect the kingdom of our hearts from idolatry.

First, we must pursue Christ-centered relationships.

The people we choose to share our lives with dramatically impact us. The scriptures show this effect. The Apostle Paul warned that spending time with wicked people would corrupt us. Making friends with those who do not pursue holiness and godliness will always shape our lives away from godly pursuits as our standards and morals change.

Christians may be tempted to think we are impervious to such influences. We sometimes believe that we are strong enough not to be influenced by others, can stand on our own, and have our own minds, thoughts, and opinions. Our enemy wants us to think that we will never be influenced by godless people but that we can surely withstand such idolatrous influences. 

However, it is foolish to believe that we can pursue relationships without the truth of God’s Word and that these relationships will not ultimately harm us spiritually.

King Solomon is the clearest example in Scripture of the folly of surrounding ourselves with people who are not pursuing Christ as the greatest desire in their lives (1 Kings 11). Solomon played the fool when he should have been the wisest because he pursued relationships with idolaters. 

His wife's horrific influence led him to build high places for false gods, provoking God’s anger toward him. If the world's wisest man could not avoid idolatrous people's destructive influence, then neither can we. Allowing idolatrous people to have a seat of influence in our lives will undoubtedly drag our hearts away from Christ.

That’s why Paul commanded Timothy to flee the idolatrous youthful lusts that can so easily tempt a man in ministry and instead pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace (2 Timothy 2:22). However, Timothy was not to pursue godliness alone but with those who sincerely called on the Lord. Believers are to pursue relationships that will shape them into Christ’s image, not the world's image and the devil's.

Second, we must pursue Christ-centered contentment.

When Paul talks about idolatry in his letters, he often focuses on one incredibly tempting form: greed and covetousness. These vices both amount to idolatry because our hearts trust that having this thing or person in our lives will bring us more joy and satisfaction than having Christ. Suppose idolatry is loving, trusting, or desiring something or someone more than or in place of Christ. In that case, we see why greed and covetousness are idolatrous because they are, by definition, loving something in place of and more than Christ.

We must pursue contentment because our sinful flesh is discontented. Our flesh is not happy in Christ; it is satisfied with Christ, plus a bigger house, a newer car, a faster computer, or a nicer pair of shoes. So, we should seek Christ-centered contentment because we have Christ—not because we have the latest thing, but because the newest thing will never make us content.

Paul told us he had learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself – and he wrote these words from prison, not from a posh luxury resort. Paul could be content with a lot or a little; it was irrelevant to him.

Paul also learned to be content by pursuing contentment no matter what was going on in his life, and it must be the same with us. He pursued Christ-centered contentment when he had much and learned that Christ was enough in times of prosperity. He also pursued Christ-centered contentment when he had nothing and learned that Christ was enough even when he had nothing but Christ. The power of Christ was enough to make Paul content no matter his outward circumstances.

This contentment is the antithesis of idolatry because Paul learned to love, desire, and trust Christ and His power more than anything else, so Paul was always content.

Finally, we must pursue Christ-centered priorities.

We need to go beyond contentment to intentionally further God’s kingdom, placing our priorities on what is centered on Christ and not the world. It’s possible to genuinely say we are content with what we have but then focus on ourselves and what we have rather than on the kingdom. That way of thinking can be true about our time, gifts, property, money, or other resources God has entrusted us with.

No one put this principle more starkly than our Lord when He said we cannot serve two masters – God and money. Each will make demands that exclude the other from being Lord, so we must choose who or what we will serve. Will God be our God, with us loving, trusting, and desiring Him more than anything else? Or will money be our god, with us loving, trusting, and desiring money more than anything else?

We should pay attention to a principle: our investments reflect our priorities. The more we invest in short-term earthly riches, our hearts will be chained to this world. However, the more we invest our time, money, talents, and resources in the kingdom of God, the more our hearts will be drawn toward heaven.

Six years after King Josiah began eradicating idols from Judah and Israel, something tremendous happened. He commissioned the rebuilding of the temple. Josiah understood that to bring the nation back to the true worship of Yahweh, He demanded that His temple be repaired and rebuilt so He might be worshipped as the Law demanded. Then, the high priest stumbled across the Book of the Law.

When this book was read to him, Josiah tore his clothes because he understood the Lord’s wrath was outstanding against him and his kingdom because of their sin. The Lord's word encouraged him to rebuild the temple and continue seeking God. Josiah did just that. Then, he found every remaining idol in the land and purged the nation of its idolatry—even breaking down Solomon's high places, which had stood for over 300 years.

Josiah’s action was the effect of hearing the Lord’s view of idolatry on someone whose heart is fully devoted to Yahweh. Those who love God and whose hearts are completely His cannot abide any idols in —atter how longstanding the theyht be or who built them. May all Christians follow the Josiah's example and be zealous in purging and protecting theirrts from idols.

Cripplegate