Psalm 97

1 The Lord is King; let the earth rejoice;
let the multitude of the isles be glad.

2 Clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness
and justice are the foundations of his throne.

3 A fire goes before him and burns up his enemies on every side.

4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees it and is afraid.

5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.

7 Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods!
Bow down before him, all you gods.

8 Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.

9 For you are the Lord, most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he preserves the lives of his saints and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11 Light has sprung up for the righteous,
and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy Name.

This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen.

Where are you giving your heart?

In any number of places in scripture, people who turn to idols are condemned. Early in the Bible, as the ten commandments were set in stone, they start by warning against having any graven image, having another god before the God of Israel. As the history of the people of Israel unfolded, when they got in trouble, it was often because they had turned to some graven image, whether a golden calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai, or statues that came with the worship of Baal. Denunciations of idol worship continue throughout the writings of the prophets, and carry over to the first days of the church, when St. Paul writes, in the beginning of his letter to the Romans, about those who mistake the creation for the creator.

The denunciation of idol worship is a persistent theme in the psalms, including the psalm heard in church yesterday, reprinted above. It’s a psalm which celebrates God as sovereign. At the same time, it warns against finding some other god to worship. I was particularly struck with verse 7: Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods.

My initial reaction to this and other biblical references to idol worship is that of an anthropologist. How quaint. Isn’t it interesting how these primitive people thought that something they created, carved of wood or stone, was worthy of worship. So glad we don’t think like that anymore, now that we’re enlightened and all that.

Yet I’m enough of a student of Jesus’ teaching that whenever I get thinking how dumb or naïve or off track other people are, I better be careful that I don’t have a big honking log in my own eye.

Scripture’s warnings about idolatry are all about where we give our heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus issues this somewhat chilling caution, which we hear on Ash Wednesday. He says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." That sentence always stops me in my tracks, making me think honestly about what it is I treasure. Sometimes stupid stuff. Sometimes unholy stuff. I hold that verse in tandem with the wisdom of the desert father, Abba Poemem, who said, “Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.”

All of which is to recognize that on a personal level, there are all kinds of things I treasure, all kinds of places where my heart is focused that draw me from the love of God. On a corporate level, in a systemic way, as bigger communities like denominations or nations, we commit ourselves to things that will not satisfy the heart, and don't do us any good..

While we may not take a chunk of wood or stone and decide that it represents the power of the almighty, we do have any number of objects that in our practice are granted ultimate value. There’s always money, for starters, and our worship of financial security, with that gnawing sense that whatever we have is not enough. We might devote our lives to proving we are worthy of God’s love, or worse, that God is lucky to have us on the team. That’s idolatry. We might worship jobs, careers, education, fitness, self-righteous indignation, political correctness (across the political spectrum), approval of family or friends, acceptance in the right social circle, admission to the right school or club, good sermon reviews at the door after church. These are not necessarily bad things. They are simply things that will not sustain us. They are ultimately not life-giving.

The problem with idolatry, seems to me, is not that it annoys a narcissistic deity who needs attention. Instead, when we give ultimate value to something that is not ultimately satisfying, or fulfilling, or meaningful, we are diminished in our humanity. We are drawn away from the love of God. When we worship that which we have created, we pick a god that is simply too small (See J.B.Phillips classic book Your God Is Too Small.)

What’s the answer? Another key line from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things shall be added to you." Think this week about any idols you might have hanging around in your life. Take a step to set them aside and rejoice in the God of love who rules all things. Seek first the kingdom of that God.

-Jay Sidebotham