Study 3: Chasing After Power

How Do We Chase After Power?

1. What emotions do you experience when you feel that something is beyond your power?
2. Does the “power of God" have any practical value in your daily life? Describe where you see his power and how it affects your power

Ecclesiastes 8:2-17 – How Shall We Live Under Authority?

1. In this study the Teacher outlines some positive benefits of relating to both human and divine authority
2. Why does the Teacher encourage obedience to authority?
3. What is significant about the fact that human authority is limited (v. 8)?
4. What struggles do you have in living under authority?
5. How has a sense of authority brought positive benefits to your life?
6. What struggles do you have in positively exercising authority?
7. What unjust uses of authority are described (v. 9-11, 14)?
8. How does God’s authority, alluded to in verses 15-17, contrast with human limitations in verses 7-8?
9. How is allowing God to have authority in our lives more beneficial than operating under out own sense of authority?

Study 2: Chasing After Control

GENERAL STUDY QUESTIONS FOR THE SEMESTER:

1. How can _______ be an idol?
2. How can I recognize/discern this as idolatry in my life?
3. How can I de-throne _______ in my life?
4. How can I celebrate the God-given desire for _______ in my life in a God-glorifying way?

HOW CAN WE DISCERN OUR IDOLS???
(1) Look at your imagination/daydream
(2) Look at how you spend your money
(3) How do you respond to unanswered prayers and frustrated hopes?
(4) Look at your most uncontrollable emotions.
(5) What do you spend most of your time doing?
(6) In what ways do you envy others?
(7) For what do you need instant gratification?
(8) Over what do you experience misplaced shame?
(9) What is all-consuming and causes you to have tunnel vision?
(10) What do you trust more than God?


Control vs. Power:
Power is defined as the ability to act or accomplish something. Control, on the other hand, is focused around dominating or exercising restraint or command over something. Example: Tennis racquet. Our quest for control also tempts us to acquire power over others because we assume power = control. We're going to discuss power next study.


Ecclesiastes: Control will always slip out of our grasp

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4:3 – Who Is Really in Control?

1. This famous chapter of Ecclesiastes poses a solution for life’s bothersome dilemma. The solution hinges on how we answer the question: Who is really in control? If people are in charge, then life is a game of chance whose rules are controlled by the most powerful among us. But if a just and loving God is in charge, then eternity intersects our circumstances with a lifelong series of divine appointments.
2. What is the Teacher’s view of time?
3. How would you live your life differently if you believed God had no control?
4. What consequences of not acknowledging God’s control are taking place in our society?
5. How does God’s sovereign control of time and eternity bring meaning to life?
6. How do you struggle with the tension of knowing God is in control and yet seeing wickedness in control?

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12
1. Do you agree that sometimes chance trumps skill or ability?
2. Does life ever feel like a “net” to you (v. 12)?
3. What does this passage say about our ability to control life?
4. How does this passage affect your view of life when competence and skill seem to be bested by chance?

How Do We Chase After Control?
1. Over what parts of your life do you feel you have control? Where do you wish you had more?
2. What do you have to sacrifice to keep order in your life? Time? Relationships? Leisure?
3. How do you plan your day, your month, your life?
4. What does it mean to you to surrender your life to God? What does the surrender mean for your planning?
5. Does the realization that life is ultimately untamable ever cause you to panic?
6. What verses from Scripture give you hope in the midst of panic or helplessness?
7. What are Biblical examples of healthy control?


-----------------

1/31/10 Update
**Notes from the study

What does the Teacher say about our ability to control life?

• Life can be a net
• "Roll with the punches" -- there is a season for everything
• Life is untameable 
• God alone knows time

How do you respond to having no control?

• The world/society teaches us that we do have control! And should!
• To know the future is to be trapped by it
• Hate being stagnant
• Control is exhausting
• Being a landlord of your own life
• Too much control shuts God out and shuts other people out

Why do we have to have control?

• Fear
• Mistrust in God having control (which also leads to depression)
• Thinking I can do it better
• Society -- in order to live in this world we need to "have it together"

Good kind of control?

• Knowing God is in control brings comfort
• Self-control = fruit of the Spirit
• C.S. Lewis -- too much of a good thing becomes law (it's not that control is a 'bad thing')
• Planning for the future BUT ALSO being willing/able to change direction (ex: Ruth)
• Discipline
• Following God regardless of circumstance and emotion (ex: Jonah)
• Order out of chaos -- God-glorifying

How to dethrone control as an idol?

• No contingency plans
• "I trust you Jesus"
• GOSPEL: control is found in surrender
• Prayer
• Trust God to chip away the ugliness and leave something beautiful
• Trust God to do the pruning ... and be patient

Study 1: The Idols Of Our Hearts

So, my goal is to supply information about each study before we meet for it. It will be more info and verses than we'll have time to discuss on Thursdays, but I want it at least out there somewhere for you to access if you're interested.

Basically, every study we'll try to hit these main points:

1. How can _______ be an idol?
• What does the Bible say about it? (Ecclesiastes will help)
  
2. How can I recognize/discern this as idolatry in my life?
3. How can I de-throne _______ in my life?
• See below for details
  
4. How can I celebrate the God-given desire for _______ in my life in a God-glorifying way?
   
• We want to be careful to not fear the good stuff God gives us in our attempts to avoid idolatry
• Said another way: the goal of this study is not to make us all feel like crap and to condemn ourselves

**Reminder that the semester overview is here.

Alright, so, onto the study....

Study 1: The Idols of Our Hearts

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT IDOLATRY???

In short: lots! So, I'll share what I can ...

Exodus 20:1-4

20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Jeremiah 18:15-17
15 But my people have forgotten me;
they make offerings to false gods;
they made them stumble in their ways,
in the ancient roads,
and to walk into side roads,
not the highway,
16 making their land a horror,
a thing to be hissed at forever.
Everyone who passes by it is horrified
and shakes his head.
17 Like the east wind I will scatter them
before the enemy.
I will show them my back, not my face,
in the day of their calamity."

Effects of worshipping idols

• Ezekiel 20:16
• Isaiah 45:20
• 1 Corinthians 12:2

Consequences of idolatry

• Exodus 22:20
• Psalm 97:7
• Jeremiah 5:19
• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
  

Idolatry as adultery toward God as our true spouse

• Jeremiah 2:1-4:4
• Ezekial 16:1-63
• Hosea 1-4
• Isaiah 54:5-8, 62:5
• What do we enjoy imagining? What are our fondest dreams?

Idolatry as self-salvation

• Jeremiah 2:28
• Judges 10:13-14
• Isaiah 45:20
• Deuteronomy 32:37-38
• What do we fear the most? What, if we lost it, would make life not worth living?

Idolatry as spiritual treason, betraying our true King

• 1 Samuel 8:6-8, 12:12
• Judges 8:23
• Romans 1:25-26
• What makes us uncontrollably angry, anxious, or despondent? What racks us with a guilt we can’t shake?

HOW CAN WE DISCERN OUR IDOLS???

(1) Look at your imagination

• “Your religion is what you do with your solitude” (Archbishop William Temple)
• Where do your thoughts effortlessly go with nothing else is demanding their attention?
• What do you enjoy daydreaming about?
• How do you think about your future?
• What occupies your thoughts?
  

(2) Look at how you spend your money

• Our patterns of spending reveal our idols

(3) How do you respond to unanswered prayers and frustrated hopes?

(4) Look at your most uncontrollable emotions.

(5) What do you spend most of your time doing?

(6) In what ways do you envy others?


WHY STUDY ECCLESIASTES???

The book of Ecclesiastes is an idol buster

• The Teacher in this book explores different avenues of potential meaning in his life; surprisingly, he comes up empty, frustrated and angry. “Everything is meaningless”
• Much of our current activity involves “chasing the wind” or even after false gods and it gets us nowhere
• Essentially it is a dialogue between two wise men—a skeptic and a person of faith. For most of Ecclesiastes the skeptic does the talking. He recounts his search for meaning in life.
• He learns that
• Control will always slip out of our grasp
• Relationships will always disappoint
• Work will leave us frustrated
• Pleasure is always fleeting
• Wisdom is never an adequate guide
• Spirituality usually gives in to legalism
• Life ends in decay and death

Book’s final conclusion: we find bold purpose & fulfillment when we submit to God’s great desires for us.

For a sampling of Ecclesiastes, read:
Ecclesiastes 1, 2:11, 3:9-15, 5:1-7


HOW DO WE GET RID OF THE IDOLS OF OUR HEARTS?

Joshua 24:23
He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Simply put: Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol.

The Book of Ecclesiastes: Introduction

Ecclesiastes (from the ESV Study Bible)

Author, Title, and Date

The traditional English title comes from the book's heading in the Latin Vulgate translation (Liber Ecclesiastes) and is an anglicized version of the Greek and Latin renderings of the speaker's designation in Ecclesiastes 1:1 (Gk. ekklēsiastēs; Hb. Qoheleth). The Hebrew word is related to the term for “assembly” (Hb. qahal) and may be a title for someone who addresses an assembly (hence it is often translated “Preacher”). It could also refer to someone who possesses some other leadership role within an assembly. Scholars have debated whether Qoheleth is best understood as a personal name or a title, though the latter seems more likely in view of 12:8, where the definite article (“the”) precedes the word.

Strictly speaking, then, the book is anonymous, given that no personal name is attached to it. Nevertheless, traditional Jewish and Christian scholarship has often ascribed authorship to Solomon (10th century b.c.), since the book describes the Preacher as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1) and as someone who was surpassingly wise (1:16) and had a very prosperous reign (2:1–9; cf. 1 Kings 3–4). However, such arguments for Solomonic authorship have been called into question on several grounds: (1) The phrase “son of David” could refer to any legitimate Davidic descendant, as it does in Matthew 1:20 with reference to Joseph and frequently throughout the NT with reference to Jesus Christ. (2) The distinctive nature of the Hebrew language used in the book is widely believed to be indicative of a date much later than the 10th century b.c. (though some scholars explain the linguistic evidence in terms of other factors, such as a later modernizing of the language, the influence of foreign languages such as Phoenician or Aramaic, or the possibility of a regional dialect). (3) The Preacher's remarks imply a historical setting that seems in tension with the Solomonic era, such as the fact that many have preceded him as king in Jerusalem (e.g., Eccles. 1:16; 2:7, 9—though these may include non-Israelite kings), that injustice and oppression are openly practiced (3:16–17; 4:1–3; 8:10–11), and that he has observed firsthand the foolishness of kings (4:13–16; 10:5–6) and their abuse of royal power (8:2–9).

On the other hand, other proposals also have difficulties, for it is difficult to find any later “king in Jerusalem” (1:1) who is a better candidate than Solomon for being able to claim that he had “acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me” (1:16), or that he had great possessions, “more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem” (2:7). In light of the book's anonymity and the difficulty in using linguistic evidence to establish its date of composition, it is best simply to recognize that some interpreters have concluded the author was Solomon, while others think it was some other writer later than Solomon. Regardless, the book claims that its wisdom ultimately comes from the “one Shepherd” (12:11), i.e., from God (Gen. 48:15; Ps. 23:1; 28:9; 80:1).

Theme and Interpretation of Ecclesiastes

The theme of Ecclesiastes is the necessity of fearing God in a fallen, and therefore frequently confusing and frustrating, world. The unique character of the book, however, has led to its being interpreted in widely diverse ways: as a statement of pessimism, optimism, religious and philosophical skepticism (either the Preacher's own or a skepticism assumed for the purpose of demonstrating the futility of an irreligious point of view), faithful belief, heterodoxy, and orthodoxy, to name only a few. Such contradictory understandings of the book are made possible by several of its distinctive features: (1) The book's refrain “vanity of vanities” is open to very different interpretations (see Key Themes), and one's understanding of this important thematic statement will significantly influence one's interpretation of the book as a whole. (2) The attempt to identify any consistent message in the book encounters difficulty because of a number of alleged contradictions within it (e.g., wisdom “preserves life” in 7:12 but fails to do so in 2:16; death is preferable to life's misery in 4:2 but life is superior to death in 9:4–6). (3) The Preacher makes a number of statements which, on the surface, appear highly unorthodox (e.g., 7:16) and at odds with other biblical statements (compare, e.g., 2:16 with Prov. 3:18, or Eccles. 11:9 with Num. 15:39). While the book's epilogue (Eccles. 12:9–12) affirms the Preacher's wisdom, a number of scholars have asserted that these closing verses misrepresent his teaching and his purpose in writing, and therefore conclude that they are to be viewed as a misguided later addition that was intended to make the heterodoxy of the book more palatable to the original readers.

According to the basic interpretative approach adopted here, the Preacher is not to be viewed as some kind of skeptical iconoclast but rather as a teacher of orthodoxy, whose musings on God and human existence present a consistent message that is to be viewed as standing within the broad stream of the biblical wisdom tradition. The epilogue faithfully distills the weightiest themes of the book (see Key Themes, along with the note on 12:13–14). In several instances the book affirms themes from elsewhere in the Wisdom Literature (compare 5:2 with Prov. 10:19; Eccles. 5:15 with Job 1:21; Eccles. 7:1 with Prov. 22:1; Eccles. 8:12 with Prov. 1:7; Eccles. 10:3 with Prov. 13:16), most notably the importance of “the fear of the Lord” (see notes on Eccles. 3:14; 5:7; 12:13–14), thus indicating its basic agreement with the larger biblical message.

At the same time, however, the Preacher is distinctly original and creative in his thought and manner of expression and is not merely restating what other sages have taught. As a genuine wisdom teacher, he has a gift for penetrating observation and for stating things in a profound and challenging manner that spur the listener on to deeper thought and reflection. Many of the difficulties or paradoxes in the book can be reasonably explained in terms of: (1) his provocative style; (2) the general method of wisdom teaching, which can state apparently contradictory principles (e.g., Prov. 26:4–5) and leave it to the listener to work out which principle applies in a particular situation; and (3) the fact that, rather than focusing primarily on stating general truths that are applicable to most situations (as is the tendency with the teaching of the book of Proverbs), the Preacher devotes much of his attention to examining unique individual situations (e.g., Eccles. 4:7–8; 5:13–14; 9:13–16), which can represent deviations from what one might normally expect (e.g., 4:13–16; 9:11). Thus, while he does not deny the validity of the general depiction of reality found in the Wisdom Literature, the Preacher is also keenly aware of the complexities of life in a fallen world, which result in many individual exceptions to the “rules” of biblical wisdom.

One can see the Preacher's most distinctive contribution from the way he uses the term “find out” (see note on 3:11). Every human being wants to find out and understand all the ways of God in the world, but he cannot, because he is not God. And yet the faithful do not despair but cling to God, who deserves their trust; they can leave it to him to make sense of it all, while they seek to learn what it means to “fear God and keep his commandments,” even when they cannot see what God is doing. This is true wisdom.

Purpose, Occasion, and Background

Like the rest of the Bible's Wisdom Literature, Ecclesiastes is concerned with imparting wisdom and knowledge to the people of God (12:9–11) and teaching them to fear the Lord. The speaker's designation indicates that he is addressing an assembly of some kind (see Author, Title, and Date), though his counsel in 5:1–7 would seem to suggest a setting outside of the temple. The socioeconomic diversity of his audience is indicated by his remarks directed toward royal counselors (e.g., 8:1–9) as well as common farmers (e.g., 11:6).

Key Themes

1. The tragic reality of the fall. The Preacher is painfully aware that the creation has been “subjected to futility” and is “groaning . . . in the pains of childbirth” (Rom. 8:20, 22), and his more troubled musings are to be viewed as the cry of the heart of one who likewise is “groaning inwardly” as he eagerly awaits the resurrection age (see Rom. 8:23). It is especially noteworthy that when Paul refers to the creation being “subjected to futility,” the Greek word he uses (mataiotēs) is the one utilized 38 times in the lxx version of Ecclesiastes to render the word “vanity” (Hb. hebel), indicating that this book might well have formed the background to Paul's thought in Romans 8:18ff. The emphasis on the fall and its disastrous effects is closely related to the book's other key themes described below.

2. The “vanity” of life. The book begins and ends with the exclamation, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Eccles. 1:2; 12:8). While “vanity” is obviously a key word throughout the book (its 38 occurrences account for more than half of its total usage in the OT), it is notoriously difficult to translate. Literally the word means “vapor” (see esv footnote on 1:2) and conjures up a picture of something fleeting, ephemeral, and elusive, with different nuances to be ascertained from each context. When applied to human undertakings or the pleasures and joys of earthly life, it indicates that “the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31); applied to the darker realities of living in a fallen world (e.g., death), it expresses frustration, anger, or sorrow; applied to the Preacher's search for understanding of all things, it indicates something that remained incomprehensible or inscrutable to him (e.g., Eccles. 1:14–15). This last-mentioned usage is particularly significant, as the book presents itself as primarily a quest to “figure out” all of life (see esp. 1:12–18).

3. Sin and death. Human beings forfeited the righteousness they originally possessed before God (7:29), and thus all people are sinners (7:20). The opening chapters of Genesis make it clear that death was a result of the fall (Gen. 2:16–17; 3:19), and the Preacher is only too aware of this dreadful reality that affects everyone (e.g., Eccles. 2:14–17; 3:18–21; 6:6).

4. The joy and the frustration of work. God gave Adam work to accomplish prior to the fall (Gen. 2:15), but part of the punishment of his sin was that it would become painful toil (Gen. 3:17–19). Both realities are borne out in the Preacher's experience, as he finds his work to be both satisfying (Eccles. 2:10, 24; 3:22; 5:18–20; 9:9–10) as well as aggravating (2:18–23; 4:4ff.).

5. The grateful enjoyment of God's good gifts. The Preacher spends a great deal of time commenting on the twisted realities of a fallen world, but this does not blind him to the beauty of the world God created (3:11) or cause him to despise God's good gifts of human relationships, food, drink, and satisfying labor (2:24–26; 3:12–13; 5:18–20; 7:14; 8:15; 9:7, 9). These are to be received humbly and enjoyed fully as blessings from God.

6. The fear of God. The fact that “all is vanity” should drive people to take refuge in God, whose work endures forever (3:14) and who is a “rock” for those who take shelter in him (e.g., Ps. 18:2; 62:8; 94:22). In other words, it summons people to “fear” or “revere” God (see notes on Eccles. 3:14; 5:7; 12:13–14; cf. also 7:18 and 8:12–13).

History of Salvation Summary

The history of salvation is the grand overarching story of the Bible; embracing it gives coherence to all of life. It calls each of God's people to own the story, and it dignifies each one with a role in the further outworking of the story. Nevertheless it is impossible for any human being to fully grasp how his or her decisions will contribute to God's grand scheme; and Ecclesiastes helps people to see that they do not have to understand this. Each of the faithful, by “fearing God and keeping his commandments” (12:13), participates in ways that he cannot “find out,” trusting that God will take care of the big plan. Despite the fact that the Preacher is a great king and a teacher of true wisdom, he ultimately surpasses Solomon and others (1:16; 2:7, 9). From a Christian theological perspective, reading the biblical story line as a whole, one can see analogies between the Preacher and Jesus Christ who is the “Son of David” (Matt. 1:1), king (Matt. 2:2; Acts 17:7; Rev. 17:14; 19:16), “wisdom from God” (1 Cor. 1:24, 30), and “one Shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23; 37:24; John 10:11, 16), in whose ministry “something greater than Solomon” has arrived (Luke 11:31). (For an explanation of the “History of Salvation,” see the Overview of the Bible. See also History of Salvation in the Old Testament: Preparing the Way for Christ.)

Literary Features

Although Ecclesiastes is wisdom literature, it does not read like a typical collection of proverbs. The proverbs are molded into clusters, and furthermore there is a unifying plot line that organizes the units together. The units fall into the three categories of recollections, reflections, and mood pieces. All of these are expressed by a narrator who in effect tells the story of his quest to find satisfaction in life. This quest is reconstructed from the vantage point of someone whose quest ended satisfactorily. The transitions between units often keep the quest in view: “so I turned to consider,” “again I saw,” “then I saw,” etc. As the quest unfolds, one is continuously aware of the discrepancy between the narrator's present outlook and his futile search undertaken in the past. In effect, the speaker recalls the labyrinth of dead ends that he pursued, recreating his restless past with full vividness but not representing it as his mature outlook. Along with the narrative thread, the observational format of much of the material gives the book a meditative cast.

This mini-anthology is strongly unified by recurrent words and motifs. The phrase “under the sun” or its equivalent occurs more than 30 times. The Hebrew words translated “vanity” (hebel; see Key Themes, point 2) and “find” (matsa’; see Theme and Interpretation of Ecclesiastes) appear throughout the book and suggest the fleetingness of any human being's grasp of the full meaning of events. To keep the reader rooted in the real world, the author repeatedly uses the imagery of eating, drinking, toil, sleep, death, and the cycles of nature.

The proverb is the basic building block of the book. While all wisdom literature tends to make use of the resources of poetry, including the verse form of parallelism, the book of Ecclesiastes flaunts its poetic medium much more than ordinary wisdom literature does. The author is a master of image, metaphor, and simile. The book is partly observational and descriptive in format; one should approach such passages in a meditative way, reflecting on experience of the phenomena that the author describes. The book is also very affective, so the reader needs to be receptive of the moods that it seeks to instill.


Outline

1. Introduction and Theme (1:1–3)
2. First Catalog of “Vanities” (1:4–2:26)
   
   1. The “vanity” of the natural world (1:4–11)
   2. The “vanity” of wisdom and knowledge (1:12–18)
   3. The “vanity” of pleasures, possessions, and accomplishments (2:1–11)
   4. More on the “vanity” of wisdom (2:12–17)
   5. The “vanity” of labor (2:18–26)
   
   
3. Poem: A Time for Everything (3:1–8)
4. Fear God, the Sovereign One (3:9–15)
5. Second Catalog of “Vanities” (3:16–4:16)
   
   1. The “vanity” of mortal life (3:16–4:3)
   2. More on the “vanity” of labor (4:4–12)
   3. More on the “vanity” of wisdom (4:13–16)
   
   
6. Fear God, the Holy and Righteous One (5:1–7)
7. Life “Under the Sun” (5:8–7:24)
   
   1. Injustice (5:8–9)
   2. Greed vs. contentment (5:10–6:9)
   3. Wisdom for living “under the sun” (6:10–7:24)
   
   
8. The Heart of the Problem: Sin (7:25–29)
9. More on Life “Under the Sun” (8:1–12:7)
   
   1. Wisdom in dealing with foolish authorities (8:1–9)
   2. The importance of fearing God (8:10–13)
   3. The limits of human knowledge (8:14–17)
   4. The unpredictability of life and certainty of death (9:1–6)
   5. Finding enjoyment as circumstances allow (9:7–10)
   6. More on the unpredictability of life (9:11–12)
   7. The paths of wisdom and foolishness (9:13–11:6)
      
      1. The power of wisdom (9:13–18)
      2. Proverbs concerning wisdom and foolishness (10:1–20)
      3. Wise practices in light of the unpredictability of life (11:1–6)
      
      
   8. Aging and the “vanity” of mortal life (11:7–12:7)
   
   
10. Final Conclusion and Epilogue (12:8–14)

Spring Semester Study on Idolatry

This semester we'll be doing a topical study of idolatry, with a focus on the studying it through the book of Ecclesiastes.

The basic outline of where we'll be going is as follows, but it may totally change! I may add or take away as well go along --- since, after all, anything can be an idol.

Ecclesiastes: Breaking the Idols of Our Hearts

Study 1: The Idols Of Our Hearts
Study 2: Chasing After Security & Control
Study 3: Chasing After Power & Influence
Study 4: Chasing After Approval
Study 5: Chasing After Pleasure & Comfort
Study 6: Chasing After Relationships
Study 7: Chasing After Work & Achievement
Study 8: Chasing After Money & Materialism
Study 9: Chasing After Wisdom
Study 10: Chasing After Spirituality
Study 11: Chasing After Immortality & Image
Study 12: Chasing After Independence & Freedom
Study 13: Chasing After Suffering


Note that the first 4 studies could be considered "deep idols" that may manifest in different ways in Studies 6-13 ... so we'll study control, power, approval, and comfort as a basis for the rest. However, the reality is that many of these are going on in our hearts at the same time. If our image is our idol, it may be so because of control and approval---it doesn't have to be one or the other.

I really feel like the study of idolatry is important, and always relevant. The Ten Commandments begin with a commitment against idolatry (Exodus 20:3-4) --- Martin Luther says the fundamental motivation behind lawbreaking is idolatry. We never break the other commandments without breaking the first one. Also, Beth Moore suggests that every stronghold in our life has its roots in idolatry. Something other than God is our god.

Important is the fact that our idols are in and of themselves good things!! It's just that it's misplaced worship of the thing or person that's the problem. It's a setting of our whole heart on something other than God. So, we'll be careful as we discuss to not condemn the enjoyment of family or beauty or health or freedom or pleasure.

Not only will we try some self-evaluation and try to discern what idols are in our hearts, we'll talk about how to dismantle the idols to their right place. And how in specific areas Christ may become more beautiful to us that our idol.

I also want to say that while I'm using the titles "Chasing After ______" it doesn't necessarily mean that if we're not chasing after it that it's not an idol of our hearts. Notable is the fact that an idol may not be something that's "pleasurable" to you or something you really "go after"---for example, while you may not seek knowledge/wisdom for yourself, it may be something you hold as a 'standard' for worship of other people (e.g. "She's sooooo smart and therefore awesome..."). You don't need to be actively pursuing it ... but if you believe you need it or want it for your happiness/worth, then it is an idol. Our envy of others may play a key role in discerning our idols.

Needless to say, idols are tricksey, pesky little fellows.

Lastly, a neat, clean definition ...
Idol: Anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. (Tim Keller)