The Idols Among Us

This verse is shocking when you think about it. Joshua has just led the people through this beautiful covenant renewal ceremony. They’ve rehearsed God’s faithfulness. They’ve declared their commitment to serve God alone. And then Joshua says: “Now put away the foreign gods that are among you.”

Wait. Foreign gods? Among them? Still?

Yes. Even after everything they’d seen. Even after everything they’d experienced. Even after everything God had done. They still had idols tucked away in their tents. They were still hedging their bets. They were still keeping their options open.

And if we’re honest, we do the same thing. We declare our commitment to Christ, we sing the songs, we pray the prayers, we attend the services. But we still have idols hiding in the corners of our lives. We’re still keeping one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom.

An idol doesn’t have to be a statue. An idol is anything we look to for ultimate security, significance, or satisfaction apart from God. And we’re experts at making idols out of good things. We take God’s good gifts – work, family, comfort, success – and we elevate them to the place that only God should occupy.

That’s why a parent can make their children an idol by putting their children’s happiness, success, and activities above everything else, including God and His church. That’s why someone can make their career an idol by being willing to compromise integrity, sacrifice relationships, and neglect their spiritual life for the next promotion. That’s why we can make comfort an idol by organizing our entire lives around avoiding discomfort, even when God calls us to sacrifice.

Joshua’s command is clear: Put them away. Get rid of them. Don’t just add God to your collection of loyalties. Remove everything that competes with Him.

This requires action. It’s not enough to mentally acknowledge that you have idols. You have to actually remove them. That might mean setting new boundaries at work. It might mean having difficult conversations. It might mean changing your priorities in ways that others don’t understand. It might mean saying no to good things so you can say yes to God.

But here’s the promise: When you put away the idols and incline your heart fully to the Lord, you discover that He is better than anything you gave up. He satisfies in ways those idols never could. He provides security that circumstances can’t shake. He gives significance that success can’t match. He offers satisfaction that comfort can’t deliver.

The question isn’t whether you have idols. We all do. The question is: What are you going to do about them?