Becoming Worthless

The Consequences of Idolatry and the Power of True Worship

Nobody wants to become worthless, and yet, according to the Bible, many people are faithfully traveling on a path that leads to it.

In just one week of devotional readings, I encountered three different passages that suggest this.

Worthless Passages

2 Kings 17
13 Again and again, the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: "Turn from all your evil ways. Obey my commands and decrees—the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through my servants the prophets." 14 But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.

Jeremiah 2:5
This is what the Lord says: What fault did your ancestors find in me that they went so far from me, followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?

Psalm 115:8
Those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

How Worship Works

Clearly, becoming worthless is a direct consequence of what we worship. But worship has lost its meaning. When many Christians hear it, they think of a service or a certain kind of Christian music that has a slower tempo.

Real worship is, as James K. A. Smith says in *You Are What You Love, "the arena in which God recalibrates our hearts, reforms our desires, and rehabituates our loves. Worship isn't just something we do; it is where God does something to us. Worship is the heart of discipleship because it is the gymnasium in which God retrains our hearts."

Proper worship, then, is a life that is pointed toward God. A life that is pursuing the reality of God in everything: work, play, relationships, everything. It is not characterized by a person who is always at church but by the person who embodies Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

So worship works by using our bodies—the things we do—to fix within us a certain imagination for what is good. And once we imagine what is good, we devote ourselves to pursuing that thing in everything.

Towards Worthlessness

This is true of God, but it is also true where God is not in the worship formula. We all worship something as ultimate; we cannot help but do so. Money, family, prestige, love from somebody, acclaim—these are just a few of the things many place in the #1 position. And while they might not claim to worship those things, because they pursue them as ultimate, it is worship.

This is where the passages above come into the picture. When we talk about idolatry, we typically think of something bad, but idols are not bad because of their inherent wrongness; they are bad because they cannot deliver the good they promise. They want your devotion, so they promise something good in exchange.

"Buy this, and you'll feel beautiful."

"When you get promoted to Senior VP, you'll be respected."

"Maintain this physique or figure so that you can move with confidence."

These are empty promises made by an idol that cannot deliver. And the idol cannot deliver because it does not have it to deliver. But that doesn't keep it from reaching out like a skilled salesman trying to make your dreams come true.

The Prodigal

A great example of this is the Prodigal Son. He left home in pursuit of good things: freedom, relationships, excitement, adventure. The idol he was worshipping suggested that he could get these things with money. So he spurned the one relationship that really could deliver on the things he wanted. For a short while, it looked like his idolatrous pursuit would succeed. He had freedom, he made new friends, he experienced excitement and adventure… for a while.

"The pleasures of sin last but a season." — Hebrews 11:25

After this, he was left in a condition far worse than what he imagined possible. He pursued worthless things and became worthless.

Shedding Idolatry

We may not end up in a pigsty, but the result of idolatrous living is a kind of emptiness, a certain lack of fulfillment that we cannot shake. At best, we will see that we’d been duped and return to the Living God; at worst, we will listen to the idol and "try a little harder this time."

This was the way of Israel. Over and over and over again, they returned to idols, they were destroyed because of it, then returned to God. After being rescued, the alluring voice of the idols called again, and Israel gave in.

Worthlessness is not something we would pursue intentionally. We aren't that dumb. But we would pursue it if it came wrapped as purpose or acceptance or something else that is good. We would and often do.

The antidote is to pursue God. Not because he will accept us or fill us with purpose or make our lives beautiful; he will do all those things, but we should pursue him because he is the only one worthy of our worship. In him is fullness, which means pursuing him will only lead to greater and greater fullness.

Sometimes I wonder if proper worship is the real solution to all of life's ailments that plague us. The fear, depression, ever-present anxiety, our incessant desire to pretend and put on appearances. This may be nothing other than the signs of one weary from a worthless pursuit.

A Life Worth Living

These scriptures spoke to me because I just turned 40 in April. Since then, I've been pondering things like impact and legacy. I've been resolving to do this and to do that, and I caught myself being allured by the idolatrous siren song. Oh, how loud the song is, and how easy for us to listen and pursue to our own destruction.

God's voice, on the other hand, is peaceful. Usually, the person who has something to give doesn't need to shout to get others' attention. They just patiently remain present and available for those who are ready to receive.

Reading Israel's story reminded me that all the legacy and impact that I need is found in God. And so, I scratched off all of those other resolutions and resolved to lean on worshiping the one who is worthy of my worship.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, we must be mindful of how easily we can find ourselves on the road that leads to worthlessness. This path entices us with the promise of something good, yet it ultimately fails to deliver. The emptiness, lack of fulfillment, and dissatisfaction we experience are clear indicators that we have been deceived.

Instead of trying harder or continuing to pursue these idols, the solution lies in wholeheartedly serving and worshiping God in every aspect of our lives. By doing so, we tap into a source of abundant life and receive his generous provision.

It is crucial to recognize that we become like what we worship. When we choose to worship God, we are transformed to reflect His character and nature. Thus, by engaging in true worship, we are enabled to live a life that is full, purposeful, and in alignment with God's will.

Let us, therefore, make the deliberate choice to direct our worship towards the One who is truly worthy, knowing that in him, we will find true fulfillment and become increasingly like him.

📚 You Are What You Love by James KA Smith: https://amzn.to/3ozL68X

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