Follow The Money

The merchandise you traded satisfied the desires of many nations. Kings at the ends of the earth were enriched by your trade.[Ezekiel 27.33] 

Between chapters 27 and 28 of Ezekiel, I find it easy to make the association between Tyre of the Old Testament and the money-making idols of man's design today: debt, insurance, medicine and technology.

The road to idolatry is actually quite easy to find: just follow the money. However, something else is made obvious to us in the passage above: idols satisfy desires. 

When money and desire are put together, idolatry is not far away.

In contrast, the Psalmist makes a revealing declaration:

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. [Psalm 37.4]

So, let's make this very simple. The Bible says those who delight in Him will receive their heart's desires. Tyre says those who pay for them will receive their heart's desires.

Just stop and think about what has been said here thus far...

Now, consider what Ezekiel 28 says about the prince of Tyre and the king of Tyre. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Go ahead and read it: Ezekiel 28.1-19. 

The prince of Tyre represents the plethora of idols that fulfill man's desires in exchange for money (Ezekiel 28.1-10). The king of Tyre represents Satan who is behind it all and even confirms his presence in the Garden of Eden where man's sin began (Ezekiel 28.11-19).

To try to understand Ezekiel's identification of Satan (Ezekiel 28.11-19) apart from idolatry (Ezekiel 28.1-10) is confusing at best. The context of Ezekiel's writing here is idolatry and he makes clear Satan's wholehearted and devious promotion of it!

This truth has been in the Word of God all along. However, it remains hidden to those who are ignorant of the Word or those who approach the Word in a buffet-style (pick what you want) fashion. The context of the Old Testament is Israel's idolatry against God Who demands their undivided loyalty:

“You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. [Exodus 20.3-11]

If you notice, the passage above contains the first four of the Ten Commandments - the Godward commandments (the remaining 6 are manward). The first four commandments are nothing if they are not about undivided loyalty to God alone. God is not joking around about the reality of idolatry and His people's loyalty to Him alone! And, it must be recognized that the Fourth Commandment may at first seem out of place regarding idolatry, however, when it is considered that Jesus is the Sabbath Rest (Colossian 2.16-17), we find the unity between Old and New Testaments that is indeed the Messiah, Jesus Christ! Jesus Himself confirmed this:

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39]

This explains then why Jesus would make this highly exclusive statement:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14.6]

Jesus is saying there is only one God and He (Jesus) is the only way to Him! 

And, Jesus further separates Himself and His followers from the world in the following statement:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? [Luke 9.23-25] 

Idols never promote giving up your own way, but instead always promote getting your own way (your desires) through the merchandizing of the world: debt, insurance, medicine and technology. Again, follow the money!

The Bible is not (nor has ever been) unclear on this topic. However, man's ignorance of God's Word makes him unclear on it. To read the Bible without "seeing" the idolatry it decries from the very beginning is to miss the singular salvation found in Jesus. The opposite of Jesus is idolatry.

It might be argued that to focus on idolatry is wrong. However, if idols stand between us and Jesus, right and wrong have no meaning anyway! Jesus confirmed this above when He said, you must give up your own way. In other words, we must get rid of anything that prevents us from seeing Jesus alone.

Regarding our desires, and in light of Luke 9.23-25, Jesus is clear:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. [Matthew 6.33]

How much more compelling can God's Word be? Our money points right straight to our idols if we are willing to observe where it leads. As investigative methods have proven accurate over and again, "following the money" is a primary indicator of wayward actions. So it is in the Kingdom of God when the King and His Word are ignored!

Father, as complex as humanity has become, it is amazing how incredibly simple it is to identify our idols by simply following the money... But, unless we really want to see Jesus, what does it even matter? Please forgive me. I want that to change in me and I know that change will only be evident when I follow Jesus alone and He is subsequently seen in me.