Idolatry

This is the third lesson in the series on Biblically understanding the causes of depression.

The first lesson entitled "Perfectionism" can be found here.

The second lesson entitled "Futility" can be found here.

This is probably the most difficult cause of depression that I’ve identified so far. In our culture the idols with which we are most familiar are either in the form of technology and material possessions or fame and prestige as opposed to statues and totem poles. Therefore the kind of idolatry that can cause depression that I am about to identify might be difficult for Christians to accept. Some might take offense by this message. I have been convicted of this sin often, even as I wrote this devotion, and perhaps you, too, suffer from it from time to time.

In order to diagnose this we need to define the term. Idolatry is anything that occupies a higher priority than God Himself. As materialistic as our society has become it is not hard to identify idolatry in those who value their possessions over God. But wealth, popular god that it is, is not the idol I am prone to worship. Even fame is not that god. The “anything” I am most likely to put ahead of God is not possessions or prestige. It is people. Placing loved ones ahead of God is a form of idolatry.

To illustrate this we can look at the life of Abraham. We are familiar with his call to leave his Mesopotamian home in the idolatrous city of Ur. God promised that Abraham’s descendants would replace the equally idolatrous Canaanites in the Middle East. Abraham’s obedience to the call proved that he did not value his cultural gods over the Lord God Jehovah.

We also know that Abraham did not totally put God first as he did not trust Him to deliver on the promise of descendants. He manipulated circumstances in such a way that it resulted in the birth of Ishmael through Hagar, a slave girl. In spite of the fact that Abraham thought God needed his help in delivering the promise, God continued with His own plan by giving Abraham a son through Sarah, his wife. Isaac was the promise brought to fruition.

The real test to determine if Abraham had fully given up idolatry did not occur until several years later when God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. The outcome is well known. God knew what the results would be before He tested Abraham so perhaps Abraham needed to be tested for his own reassurance. It was proven that he had so abandoned idolatry that he would not put anything before God in his life, not even his beloved son, Isaac. Abraham was no longer an idolater.

We may not personally be called upon to sacrifice in the same way as Abraham but this is an all-too-familiar occurrence to others. There are many grieving parents or spouses. Some have written stories detailing their struggles through their loss. The hopeful ones are written by people who fall on their knees before God in worship in spite of everything. The idolatrous stories are those written by people who are shaking their fists at Him.

I encountered a Christian family that was blessed with children. One day, tragedy struck and their child was killed. In no way is this meant to make light of their grief. The fact that their hearts would never totally be whole again is understandable. But many years after the tragedy one of the parents made the statement that they were angry with God because they blamed Him for their child’s death. That child had become their idol.

Although I have never lost a child I have experienced circumstances where it was possible and even probable. I struggled with God on those occasions. In each instance one of my children was spared from something that could have been fatal. Those who have lost loved ones would gladly trade places with me and they might think me ill-suited for writing this piece. Does that make me any less able to sound the alarm? No. A living loved one can be an idol as much as a deceased one and the fact that my children lived might make me more prone to idolize them because of my fear of losing them. That seems to me to be obvious from the story of Abraham and Isaac. The whole test was to prove that the living Isaac was not whom Abraham worshipped.

How are idolatry and depression linked? If we cannot trust God with the people most precious to us then who can we trust? Who else will make decisions that are best for everyone? If I turn my back on God I have nothing. That’s about the most depressing thought I’ve ever encountered.

Most Christians are familiar with Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." We like to think of this verse as one that proves that if we are worthy God will bless us. How human it is to put the emphasis upon ourselves and not on God! It is as though we think we could ever actually be worthy on our own merit! It seems to me that I receive the desires of my heart in spite of myself. My children are not alive and others’ dead as indicators of where we placed our delight. Abraham did not hear the call of God and receive his blessing as a result of his own merit either as his “delight indicator” indicated obvious flaws from time to time.

Suppose that this verse truly was the magic formula for receiving the things we want. What happened when some who delighted in God received their heart’s desire? Often the desired thing managed to occupy the very place that the LORD once did. The desire became the delight. Such an idea would imply that God is nothing more than a sucker who keeps falling for the same old trick from crafty human beings. Obviously, this is not the case.

Parents who dedicate their child to God at or before conception may later become angry when His plan for the child did not match theirs. Dedicating a child to God does not mean much if we intend to be the one calling the shots. Turning our loved ones and our relationships over to the Lord should not involve leaving strings attached.

How can we tell if we have placed an idol above the Lord?

1. If we have not achieved our desires we tend to blame God. Unmarried people are often insulted if God does not bless them with a spouse. Childless couples tend to find fault with God’s system of giving children to the unworthy when they themselves have not been so blessed. In other words, we take the omission personally and our unfulfilled expectations can become idols, too.

2. If we do achieve our desires we may worry about them constantly. I remember reading the personal anecdote that Dorothy Pentecost told in her book The Pastor’s Wife and the Church. She used to fear for the safety of her husband when he traveled. Her phobia became so severe that she sought counseling. She subsequently made a detailed list of the things that she feared in the event of her husband’s death and what she would do in each situation. The thought of widowhood wasn’t any more pleasant but the fear was removed once she trusted God with the details. Mrs. Pentecost’s fears were proven to be unfounded. She went to be with the Lord before her husband but not before they were blessed with many years of marriage.

What is the antidote to idolatry?

First, if you have been blessed with a spouse and children work on achieving healthy relationships. Ask God to help you love them without worshipping them. Do not allow fear to rob you of joy. Live for both today and eternity. What you experience now is not the end of the story.

Second, confess any anger, bitterness, or attempts at manipulation. If you are single or childless you need to seek God’s will without trying to bargain with Him. If you have lost a loved one cry out to your Father who understands your grief as no human possibly can. Do not cut yourself off from your only true source of comfort.

Third, make a list of the things God has promised you. God will keep His promises. Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac back to life if necessary for His promise to be fulfilled. Some of the promises God made to us are different than those He made Abraham, but we can believe that God will do everything He promised. Delight in those promises and in the fulfilling of them.

Fourth, remember the Biblical command to love the Lord with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. The command is to love your neighbor as you love yourself, not as you love God. Remove the idols from your heart and put God back in the place of delight.