So You Want A New God?

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/33oxcs

“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.’” Moses wrote that in Exodus 20:1-3.

It seems improbable that the children of Israel would want to follow anyone other than God, but they did. Even as Moses was receiving the commandments from God, the people convinced Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. “We want a new god!” they proclaim.

Obviously they didn’t appreciate all that God had done and was doing for them. In the time that Moses was gone, the people tired of the true God, and desired a new one. It seems as if they could not wait to fashion a god in their own image.

We see similar instances throughout the Bible, so the concept is not really new. But it is still disturbing when we see anyone who dismisses God in favor of a manmade variation of Him.

Our entertainment today is filled with inaccurate and belittling depictions of God, Christianity and generally all things righteous. Not content to take God’s name in vain, some are looking to refashion God into something that people of today would want.

I’ve heard people say that they just couldn’t believe in a God who would ever send anyone to hell, would destroy the world by a flood, would destroy cities because of recreational sex, or would banish Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden for making just one mistake.

People have their own ideas of what their god should be like. They want that god to conform to their norms and desires, not the other way around.

But then it is nothing new for people to fashion their own god. Aaron failed in his leadership and faithfulness. Instead of reprimanding the people, he actually led the effort to make the golden calf which they later worshipped.

By the time Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal they outnumbered him several hundred to one. These false prophets had led the people away from God and caused them to sin greatly. But on Mt. Carmel, Elijah provided the ultimate evidence as to which god was real. Their god, Baal, was nothing but a product of their imagination. But Elijah’s God, the real God, was willing to prove Himself to the people that day.

Why do people desire a new god today? Many see God as “out of touch,” “boring,” “too set in His ways,” “antiquated.” They yearn to draw from the pageantry, mysticism, rite and emotion of other religions, and to incorporate them into worship to God. They long to give God a “makeover” in order to portray Him as more acceptable in a world that is growing increasingly godless.

Simply put, they are ashamed of this God. They loathe His intolerance of other gods and religions, and they desire their new god to be one of the many, not presuming to be the “only” one.

Some religious groups throughout this nation have already succumbed to the demands of having a new god. Their new god is not fashioned out of gold, nor is it exotic and foreign. It is simply a man-made variation of the one true God, with all of the “offensive” parts taken out.

Theirs is a god that soothes the conscience of the sinner without removing the sin. Theirs is a god that sacrifices the blessings of eternity for the fleeting pleasures of right now. Theirs is a dangerous god. Beware!

On Our Daily Walk today, may we never be tempted to fashion God into something we desire. Rather, may we diligently seek Him, worship Him, honor and obey Him in all the ways that He desires. May we never seek a new god, for we are already blessed to know the only God!

Our thought for the day: “God can do without us, but we cannot do without Him.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.