 “You shall have no other gods before
me." (Exodus 20:3)
God is absolute in His command for His
people to seek only Him and not place
other gods in front of Him. God is the
Creator and it is Him who rescued
mankind from sin. He is the one, through
Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a
sacrifice on the cross to redeem each of
us from sin. We are to love Him and
yield ourselves to Him; we are not to
raise up anything else to worship and
place our faith in except Him.
Unfortunately, we are like the Children
of Israel who were waiting for Moses to
return from the top of the mountain with
the tablets of written commandments, but
instead of waiting they formed a calf
made for gold and began to worship it as
a god. Many of our gods may not be made
of gold, but some of them are. We have
raised up many gods in America and there
are millions who serve them.
To name just a few, there is the god of
technology; god of discovery; god of
progress; god of power; god of
propinquity; and a god of knowledge.
Technology god
Technology has a cycle it uses that has
created a demand for it that keeps
mankind bound up breathlessly waiting
for the newest technological
breakthrough. That cycle is development,
usability, obsolescence.
With the newest development of an item
like the iPod or the computer or the
cell phone we wait at the stores,
sometimes all night just to be the first
to buy the newest advancement in
technological gadgetry. We use it,
become dependent on it, sometimes even
flaunt it for others to see how
important we are to have such a prize,
and then discover a fatal flaw that is
always present. It becomes obsolete
almost the moment we buy it.
Planned obsolescence is as much a part
of technology as the actual development
itself. Our obedience to its use and our
allegiance to its demands is almost a
worship that creates a dependence that
makes us believe, "We just can't do
without it." If it is difficult to
believe it has become like a god, just
watch a couple of teenagers with their
cell phones and the time they spend
texting each other.
Discovery god
Discovery is the quest or search that
motivates and becomes the driving force
that pushes us beyond our personal zones
of complacency. Discovery draws us as a
force that becomes god-like as we seek
further uniqueness and exploration.
No matter what the discovery is, we want
it to be one-of-a-kind that is unique in
all the world. A song, a play, a new
type of vacuum cleaner, a better
mousetrap; if it can be unique then it
elevates the discoverer's standing with
everyone else.
Exploration plays a large part in the
discovery process. The hunt becomes an
obsession to find the prize. It may be
the gold in the stream or mountain, or
the fountain of youth in the "new world"
that draws the adventurer, but the
opiate is powerful to find uniqueness
through exploration.
A life consumed in pursuit of discovery
becomes a god in the person's life. We
all play that part, chasing after the
golden ring, looking for the prize,
discovering the next thrill; always the
"next" thing that will bring
satisfaction. Even though the next thing
in discovery often becomes an illusion
as well. It becomes a god of
disappointment.
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 Progress god
No one wants to stand still. We want to keep
moving, progressing toward a goal; moving
step-by-step toward a desire for something
newer. We discard older models for newer
ones...the newest cell phone, iPod or
electronic reader.
In our society we honor the newest or
youngest. We seek innovation with new
appliances, better floor plans, faster and
more economical cars, travel with more
comfort or getting us there quicker.
Constant change brings newer time-saving
devices or helps us to live longer with
better health. We revere progress and
through the generations leave a trail of
items that once held promise of innovation
but now is relegated as "antique" to sit in
a showcase or museum for people to remember.
Power god
Each of us has a sphere of power around which we surround ourselves.
We seek power through political and military means, personal
influence and even relationships. In America it now will take not
just millions of dollars to run for President, but Billions of
dollars. This for a job that pays only a salary.
Everyone searches for power through influence over others. Even if
it is just for simple agreement with a position taken or an argument
to win, we want to exert influence in such a way as to win. It
builds our personal position and seemingly makes us strong.
Knowledge god
Closely associated with power is the pursuit of knowledge.
Especially knowledge that is personal and relatively unknown by
others. We seek the "inside" story, the "behind the scenes"
information. We want to know what others do not know so we can shine
when the time is right and demonstrate our knowledge to help us
assume influence over situations or others.
We equate knowledge with intelligence and seek a higher level of
learning to reach goals and attain more personal power. This can
come through better job positions, better career performance,
promotions over others; in short a building up of personal influence
and power.
Propinquity god
This is a form of imitating and associating with others with whom we
admire and want to be like. Within each culture or ethnic group the
characteristics are similar to our own so we tend to associate with
people who are like us. It is well established in people-groups
around the globe; ethnic groups tend to remain together in
association and residence. Although there are societal integration
attempts, on an individualized basis, people tend to seek out those
who are more like themselves than those who are significantly
different.
We see this in church congregations with predominant ethnic groups
with fairly consistent associations even when there are peripheral
ethnic peoples who try to join in. Predominantly Black congregations
tend to remain Black; White congregations tend to remain White.
Cultural groups tend to live in the same neighborhoods and
predominantly associate with each other.
Even when there are attempts through social engineering to integrate
cultures and ethnic groups it is oftentimes met with resistance and
sometimes violence. As Jesus prayed for unity in the first century,
we too seek unity among the believers, but by-and-large we remain
"denominational" in our practice.
Even though God has declared that we "shall" not have any other gods
other than Him, we have established other things that lead us away
from Him as we live our lives on a daily basis.
[By JIM KILLEBREW]
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