Genesis 35:2-4, Getting rid of our gods

“Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Jacob apparently had “god” problems ever since his wife stole her father’s household gods when they left. I guess I was under the impression that Jacob probably got rid of them once the confrontation with Laban was over.

I guess I was wrong…

It seems so incongruent from our expectations that one or our great patriarchs struggled with idolatry. We are probably far more sanguine regarding our own struggles with the same issue. Lest we protest, I think we should take a look…

I have 2 wide-screen HD televisions set up on, what amounts to, altars in my home. I don’t bow before them but I certainly recline…and spend hours receiving their messages. I even obey many of them.

I have IRA’s that dominate my decision-making…allowing me to feel secure about my future welfare. I have a nice SUV with all the bells and whistles…that influences the rest of my budget. Mali and I have 2 iPhones and an iPad…to ensure we communicate well…even though God doesn’t have an AT&T data plan. Oh, and my house…which contains these “household gods” is probably the only reason I’m actually still working.

Our “gods” are those things that influence our behavior and decision-making. They get us to do things we would not otherwise do. To the degree that these gods detracts from our devotion to “God”, they are destructive. Do I give God as much time as I give my HDTV? Do I give God as much money as I give my mortgage lender? 

I’m not preaching, only asking. When Jacob decided he wanted to rekindle his relationship with God he instinctively knew he needed to strip away all the gods that distracted him. It surely helped him focus. I suppose hearing God is more difficult when we are concentrating on our iPhone…

Just a thought…

And, by the way…we could change our clothes as well. I’m really tired of seeing shorts and t-shirts in worship. I wonder if Jacob understood it might be hard for God to take us seriously when we don’t take him seriously. 

Of course, this only really matters if we want God to answer us when we call. Lest we begin thinking God is way to “uptight” about these things it would be helpful to notice that God didn’t tell Jacob to do any of this. Jacob figured it out on his own.

Live boldly out there today…