To me they cry, “My God, we—Israel—know you.”
Hosea 8:2 (ESV)
Chapter 8 of Hosea is an indictment against the hypocritical nature of Israel during this time. The people of Israel verbally acknowledged and confirmed that God was their God and even claimed to know God on a personal level. Hosea brings evidence to them in this chapter to refute this claim and demonstrate to the people the hypocritical ways their actions portray something entirely different than their words. They were honoring God with their lips but pursuing idols and self-righteousness in their daily lives. This is true of me as well. I find myself speaking the truth of God’s Word and proclaiming the goodness of God to others, yet my actions are often at odds with the words I speak. My mind knows the truth of God’s Word but my heart wanders off to pursue idols of my own making. Idols that I set up in place of God to give me a false sense of security and trust.
It’s true that I don’t have a carved image sitting on my desk or on a shelf that I bow to and honor with worship. The idols of my heart are far more subtle and refined for that. It wouldn’t do for me to have an idol that was outwardly obvious to everyone. My idols of the heart are hidden deep within me. So deep that I tend to forget they are there and when I do remember they are there, I deceive myself into believing that they are of no meaning and value to me. And of course, I would never ever call them an idol for this would break the spell of deception that I want to believe about their power and value in my life. I keep telling myself that these self-made idols are just minor things in my life but the truth of the matter is that they are major obstacles that cause me to stumble and fail.
I find that the issue with my idols is that deep down within me there is a craving for them. I know this because when God removes the veil of deception that I have placed over them and I become acutely aware of their presence, I must fight to be rid of them. The fight revolves around me putting measures in place to limit their hold on my life and my measure of success is only ever viewed in terms of the “success” of my obedience to God’s Word. I fight against these idols using my own strength and the tools of this world. This is why I fail so many times and allow these idols to continue.
I fail to remember this is a spiritual battle and I need to fight with spiritual weapons against a spiritual enemy that is purpose-driven to destroy me. It is good and right to have measures in place that help me gain control over my actions and help bring about obedience. It is a grave mistake to focus solely on this aspect. What I need is a deeper understanding of the means of grace God has provided to help me with my unbelief. I need to saturate my heart and soul with God’s Word, prayer, and community. Left to my own intellect I can only ever devise plans that focus on the surface issues of my life. I need these means of grace to penetrate my heart and soul. I need them to reveal the ugliness of these idols and the destruction they are leading me toward.
The interesting thing is that Jesus wants me to know him, just as the people were saying in Hosea 8:2. The love of Christ for me is a vast and endless ocean. I don’t have to dust myself off and get myself right in order to come to Jesus and know him. He wants me to come just as I am right at this moment. Dirty, filthy, and unworthy. In essence, humble. This is the starting point of fighting to remove the idols of my heart. I need a deep and pervasive humility that understands I am incapable of loving and knowing God in my own strength. In order to remove the masks I have put in place to cover up my idols and shortcomings, I need the strength, love, mercy, and grace of Jesus in my life. I need to come before my Savior and ask him to remove my idols. Will it be easy? Probably not. Will it be for my good? Absolutely. For the Father’s purpose is to make me more like Jesus every day. It’s a long road filled with repentance and faith but I am not walking it alone. The promise of God is that he will never leave me nor forsake me and he will transform and conform me to be just like my Savior.