Making Idols of Good Things

By Rob Nieminen

“Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, ‘Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.’ So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, ‘What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?’ When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid. ‘A god has come into the camp,’ they said. ‘Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!’ So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”—1 Samuel 4:1–11 (NIV)

At face value, the story of the capture of the ark of the covenant of God by the Philistines can seem a little confusing. After the Israelites lost four thousand men in battle, the elders concluded they needed a new military strategy: to bring the ark, which represented the presence of God, into battle with them to assure their victory.

It worked in the past when the Israelites took the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:6–8) and again when Moses told the priests to carry the ark into battle against the Midianites (Numbers 31:6). Both King Saul and King David used the same strategy as well, so it seemed logical.

Why, then, did the Israelites lose more than seven times the number of soldiers during their subsequent battle with the Philistines than they had previously? In short, it’s because they turned the ark into a good-luck charm (an idol) and believed a symbol of God could save them rather than God Himself, as the Enduring Word Bible Commentary notes.

Charles Spurgeon put it this way: “Instead of attempting to get right with God, these Israelites set about devising superstitious means of securing the victory over their foes. In this respect, most of us have imitated them. We think of a thousand inventions; but we neglect the one thing needful . . . which is to enthrone God in life and to seek to do His will by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Also, let’s not overlook the fact that the priests who were carrying the ark, Hophni and Phineas, were completely immoral leaders who “had no regard for the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12) and abused their priestly privileges. Is it any wonder that God allowed their defeat?

What’s worse is the very thing they thought would win the battle was stolen by the enemy. As Bible commentator David Guzik notes, “We can make good things idols. There was nothing wrong with the ark itself. God commanded them to make it. It was important to Israel. . . . Yet, even a good thing like the ark can be made an idol, and God won’t tolerate our idols.” He continues by saying the elders were right in recognizing their need for God’s help, but they were wrong in the way they went about it. “Instead of humbly repenting and seeking God, they turned to methods that God never approved. They only cared whether it worked.”

This story is a sobering one, to be sure. Before we think we’re immune from making the same mistake, let’s consider how easy it is for us to turn good things into idols and how often we try to manipulate God in our prayers, asking for our will to be done rather than His.

Beloved, I want to encourage you by saying God is always for you (Romans 8:31). But we must be careful not to become presumptuous and think He’ll bless our plans just because we think we know what’s best. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12 NKJV). Rather, let’s trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and not rely on our own understanding; when we submit to Him, He’ll make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Pause: Take a moment to consider if there are any good things in your life that may have become idols in your life (e.g., marriage, children, money, gifts and talents, work, etc.). Are you putting trust in things or people over Jesus? Do you treat Him more like a spiritual vending machine?

Practice: If you need to, repent (in Greek, metanoia: change your mind) over making the good things God has given you into idols and return to worshipping the Giver rather than the gifts He’s given.

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for all the good things You’ve blessed me with in life. Forgive me if I’ve turned any of them into idols, behaved superstitiously, or tried to manipulate You to do my bidding in any way. I repent of relying on my own understanding and trust You with my whole heart. Make my paths straight, Lord, as I submit to Your loving care today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.