The "Gods" Whom You Have Chosen

“Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress” (Judges 10:14).

The above passage represents something God said to the people of Israel after they had been sold into the hands of the Philistines. The people rebelled against the Lord. He delivered them into captivity for 18 years as judgment against them. As a result of 18 years of harsh treatment, they did what most people do when calamity and distress come. They cried out to the Lord saying, “We have sinned against you because we have forsaken our God.” That’s when God said, “Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen. Let them save you.”

As I’ve meditated on this passage, I’ve come to see that we are not much different than they. The sad truth is that we have many “gods” we cry out to. Further, much of the calamity that enters our lives is as the result of the “gods” we have cried out to. There is a very important point of application in this observation, and it’s this. Any “gods” we cry out to can never satisfy, deliver, or substitute for the one and true God.

As I’ve interacted with people over the years, I’ve come to see that the “gods” that enter our lives come in a variety of forms. For some, it’s money. For others, it’s position and prestige. Still others look to the “gods” of pleasure, leisure, possessions or other dangerously addictive things. Can I tell you quite honestly, I’ve never seen any of these other “gods” bring true and lasting satisfaction into the lives of those who cry out to them? What’s even worse is that the pursuit of these “gods” generally brings calamity and distress; emptiness and despair; pain and confusion; hopelessness and gloom. There’s a reason for that. These other “gods” are not gods at all. They are the passions of the flesh that never bring satisfaction or contentment. They do the opposite; they rob us of it.

Here’s now where this becomes personal for each of us. Are there other “gods” in your life? What have you been pursuing; what have you been crying out to? Are you satisfied by these “gods”? Of course you’re not! They can’t bring satisfaction, only a brief and deluding sense of pleasure.

What’s the solution? There is only one solution to the mistaken pursuit of other “gods”. Later in the same chapter we read, “So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord.” There’s the answer we need. We must put away our “foreign gods” and serve the Lord. Ask God to show you if there are any other “gods” in your life. If so, do what the people of Israel ultimately did. They “put away” their foreign “gods”. Some of us may need to do the same.