Idolatry Repackaged 3

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. (1Samuel 15:24)

We will look at Biblical characters to get this very clear because that is the example we cannot argue about.

Idolatry ends in wickedness, and we are talking about a gift from God being the idol. We looked at music as the gift in the last post. But any gift can be idolized as we will see with the Bible characters we will be looking at.

Do you realize that Judas was gifted in accounts for him to be made Christ’s accountant? Yet what happened? That gift opened a door for the creation of a greed that could not even be satisfied with pilfering the offerings. He had to sell his Master. It was a gift alright, but it led to his death when he sought to use it for his benefit.

That is the defining point of whatever gift we receive. Focusing it on self automatically leads us to sin.

Let us look at Saul the king. We are never shown, even by implication, that he was very ambitious prior to his anointing. Then he is made the king.

You see his faith and gentleness as he deals with those who initially challenged his kingship when God confirms it.

But then it gets into him. He is the king, the first and only king Israel ever had. Then as king he starts thinking beyond him to his children. He starts looking for the one who will take over from him so that his dynasty can be established.

He realizes that a king without subjects is not a king. So he devises ways to keep his subjects happy by basically doing what they want. Of course he builds an army to keep and expand his kingdom.

Things happen that threaten his kingdom. God issues and order, wait. But the army starts becoming restless, even scattering. Does he wait for God (faith, obedience) or DO SOMETHING (situational ethics)? He decides that he needs his army around him and would rather have it than God since things were becoming desperate. That was how he sinned the first time.

He has a ready explanation when confronted. And that will always happen when idolatry comes around. You will find yourself arguing over small things to explain your rebellion. Have you never heard a believer explaining how they were dragged to a lodging when they were caught having illicit sex?

God then issues another order, very precise this time. Again he takes his army and they do the first part of the assignment. Then the army decides the order is illogical and unreasonable beyond a certain point and tells the king thus. They probably threaten him in soft ways.

How can we destroy all this succulent meat yet we can eat it as sacrifice to God? We can party in the name of God with these animals. And the king again obliges to keep his army solid. That is where this verse comes from.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (1Samuel 15:23)

His defense of his army is defined by God in very strong words, witchcraft, iniquity and idolatry. All from an attempt to keep the army under wraps!

And we are talking about idolatry.

Shifting our focus from God to the gift is what opens doors to sin and evil. Defending that diversion of orders is what rules us out of order in God’s kingdom.

But it always starts with a soft detour. Like Saul, an hour becomes too long to wait, especially for the king. How many ministers will never feel guilty for keeping people waiting for them for hours yet have no qualms leaving someone stuck in traffic for five minutes? His gift is too important to wait for anyone.

When I start taking as normal special treatment because of my gift, I have started the downward slope to irrelevance in the things of God. Though no one may notice, the gift has become more important than its source. And on the earthly plane it is more rewarding that way.

But God trashes you, though you or those feeding on the gift may never notice. Remember Saul was more concerned with being honored before his men than being right with God? Or you think I am exaggerating?

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. (1Samuel 15:30)

Imagine this response after he is told that God had rejected him!

That he continued as king for twenty years after his rejection is testament to this reality. He opted to be rejected by God than by his people. The relevance of his gift (kingship) was more important than being right with God.

Does this happen in the twenty first century?

How many pastors stop reading their Bibles when they become deep in theological and long Latin and Greek name topics? How many will all but forget those simple and clear sermons when they obtain a wealth of Hebrew and Greek root words? How many forget the clear Gospel and get swallowed up in the hermeneutical muddle? How many forget the cross as they study the doctrine of sin? How many forget Christ even as they seek to explain eschatology?

One statement I have heard too many times since childhood is that Seminaries are many times the cemeteries of spiritual depth and commitment. Most will go there burning with their love for Christ and leave there as complete cynics. One thing I will remind you is that most of the universities with the most antichristian soil were initially Bible Schools meant to prepare ministers.

Not very long ago I was talking with a university student who confessed that the college that was famed for its Christian potency is today more secular than the secular ones. The level of permissiveness and open sin is way out, yet it is still called a Christian university.

What happened? Excellence overtook commitment to Christ. Accolades became more important than God’s well done, faithful servant.

How many musicians completely forget to read the Bible once their calendar gets filled up with events? How many are more frequent in gyms than prayer closets? How many treat voice training as more important than scripture intake? How many have no qualms bribing a producer/ announcer to have their music on air? How many have no problem dating an unbeliever especially if they are in a position to increase their visibility or returns?

And it is not any different with books. How many treat an invitation to preach or teach as sales instead of ministry opportunity? How many refuse to preach conclusively so that people can complete hearing their sermons as they read the book they must buy?

What will make these people sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

When you are explaining away your lie after you gave empty promises just because you are a star, be sure that God is not the one you worship. And I know many pastors and Christian musicians who lie at will and do not see it as a weakness, leave alone the sin it really is.

The problem is that sin grows. As we advance in the sinning, we will slowly start killing guilt conscience until any sin will go.

That is how ministers get sunk in drugs, immorality, even pornography. They conclude that nobody is interested in their character as the only thing that matters is their gift. That is why I call it their god.

The God we worship has very lofty standards. No gift will ever allow God to cut anyone a slack concerning His standards. Moses was disqualified for a very small infringement considering the amount of work he had accomplished.

Why do ministers think that their huge ministry presence will compensate for any sin they may be living with? Why do they imagine that their past genuine ministry will cover their many sins?

It is because they have shifted their worship to another god; their gifts, skills, talents, money, etc.

And this new god has very low, if any standards concerning righteousness and holiness. He really does not mind what you do provided you recognize him as the one who runs your life.