In my last post, we looked at the various idols of ministry, including the worship of ministry itself, idolizing God’s blessings toward us, or even idolizing our own public recognition, and the fact that we need to repent. As I have had several conversations with people who were touched by that post and some who were hearing the same thing from God at the same time, I have continued to look at how ministry can become an idol, alongside many other things in our lives.

Truly, idols can be made of anything. We can idolize fame and fortune, success, money, houses, cars, clothing, status in society. We can idolize our family, spouse, kids, or names. We can idolize celebrities, politicians, and sports teams. So, though last week I was speaking primarily to ministers, I want to go a little broader this week in exposing the idols of our hearts.

To do this, I want us to look at a particular passage found in 2 Kings 5. It is a story I studied and shared about a few years ago but has a lot of value for us as we look at this topic today.

The Story of Naaman

Naaman was a commander of the Syrian army, a warrior of great standing who had won many battles. Because of his success, he had found great favor with his King, and they had become close. The only negative mark found on Naaman’s life is that he suffered from leprosy (2 Kings 5:1). In those days, leprosy was a death sentence, and given the Jewish law (though Naaman was not a Jew), made you ritually unclean and an outcast from society. This makes Naaman’s journey into Israel a questionable idea from the start.

In the story, an Israelite slave girl tells Naaman about the prophet Elisha, living in Samaria, who has the God-given ability to heal him of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:2-3). Naaman, therefore, goes to his king and requests to go and see this prophet. The king, however, sends Naaman with a letter to the king of Israel instead, asking him to heal Naaman (2 Kings 5:4-5). At this, the king of Israel goes into a rage. This letter asks him to do the impossible. Rather than looking to his God for the miracle, he tears his clothes and makes a public showing that his kingdom is intentionally being set up for an attack by the king of Syria (2 Kings 5:7).

Elisha hears what happened and sends a note to the king for Naaman to be sent to him, seemingly promising to heal him (2 Kings 5:8). Naaman goes, but instead of meeting Elisha, he is greeted by a messenger who tells him to dip himself in the Jordan river seven times, and he will be healed (2 Kings 5:9-10). Instead of rejoicing in the news that he will be healed, Naaman throws a fit. “Does this prophet know who I am,” he seems to ask. “And are not the rivers back in Syria much better than the Jordan.” Naaman, feeling that his own personal status has been attacked because the prophet wouldn’t look him in the eye, and had sent a messenger telling him to do some detestable thing, ignores the message and starts to return home (2 Kings 5:11-12).

Fortunately for Naaman, there are men with him who did not share his level of pride, and they press him to “do this simple thing.” Naaman does and is immediately healed from his leprosy (2 Kings 5:13-14). He returns to Elisha’s house bearing gifts of silver and gold and many new clothes, but Elisha refuses to accept them (2 Kings 5:15-16). Naaman then takes some dirt from Israel home with him and vows never to worship any god but the God of Elisha (2 Kings 5:17). He then makes this request: “Please forgive me, because when I return home, I must go into the temple with the king, and as he bows to worship, I will bow also.” Elisha sends him away in peace (2 Kings 5:18-19).

Shortly after Naaman is gone, Elisha’s servant, a man named Gehazi, decides that Elisha had made a great mistake by not taking the gifts. He goes after Naaman, makes up a story as to why Elisha had changed his mind, returns with the gifts and hides them for himself (2 Kings 5:20-24). The problem for Gehazi is that his boss is a prophet, and God had shown Elisha exactly what went down (2 Kings 5:25-26). Elisha then tells Gehazi that his punishment for what he had done is that from now on, he and his children would carry Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:27).

Each Man Had His Idols

As I studied this story out, thinking about heart-idols, each of the four characters caught my attention because of where they focused their attention, to build and maintain their identity.

The Idol of Power and Success

The first character is the King of Israel. He is the king of God’s people. He knew the stories of how God had delivered them over and over again. He knew the law and the promise of God. Yet, when time came to look to God, he doesn’t. He instead laments that his Kingship is being threatened. 

For the king, his identity comes through his success as a leader and his ability to maintain peace. When it seems that may be taken away, the King cannot handle it. His relationship with God is hurt by his desire for power and success. This was his idol.

The Idol of Wealth

The second character that sticks out to me is Gehazi. He is a prophet and had served under the leadership of Israel’s greatest prophet for some time. He wasn’t even the “lead pastor” in their ministry. Anyone in full-time ministry knows that it is safe to assume his pay isn’t that great. 

Unfortunately, when the opportunity to get rich quick comes his way, Gehazi throws everything he has away. His mind is angry about Elisha’s wasted financial opportunity. His eyes are fixed on the treasure walking away. Yet as his heart becomes consumed with getting the money, his relationship with God is hurt by his greed. Wealth was his idol.

The Idol of Social Status

The third character, and the one that stands out so prominently to me, is Naaman himself. 

Naaman has attained great social status in Syria. He is friends with the King, and can do or have anything he wants. He is a national hero. A celebrity of sorts. When he comes to Israel, he is offended when the King can’t give him what he wants, and then the prophet refuses to even see him face to face. This is one of those “do you know who I am” moments.

Still, God does an awesome work in his life, to the point that Naaman vows to never worship any other god. The one thing Naaman refuses to do, however, is to live that out in front of others in such a way that it might remove him from among the elites in Syria. 

It is clear that he has no intention of letting his newfound ‘love’ for God get in the way of his social status. He will go through all the motions necessary to maintain his friendship with the King and his celebrity status in Syria, even if it means making the appearance of worship in the temples of Syria’s false gods. Naaman’s relationship with God is hurt by his idolization of social status.

True Worship Overpowers Idolatry

The final character in the story is, of course, Elisha the prophet. 

Elisha has a history of committing himself to his relationship with God. He spends time in fellowship with the Lord, and his life exemplifies that, no matter what anyone thinks. 

Elisha could have publicly embarrassed the King of Israel by making a show of what he could do. His own “power” was greater than the king’s. 

He could have made a great friend of Naaman, the commander of the army of Israel’s enemy, and never worried about an attack on himself. This could have opened the door to nations and Kingdoms, and all the fame that comes with it.

Elisha could have used what God was doing through him to, televangelist style, make a name for himself and get very very rich, even greater than what Gehazi could have imagined. 

However, through it all, Elisha cared more about his relationship with God, than he did for money, success, or status. His worship of the Lord trumped all the allure of these false idols in the hearts of other men.

Where are Our Hearts?

Just as all of these men had made decisions regarding what they would pursue above all else, the challenge for our lives comes when we, too, have to make the decision of who or what we will love more – our creator, God, or the stuff He created. 

The truth is there is nothing wrong with success, or money, or status, so long as you can still fully submit yourself to God. But if those things hinder your relationship with Him, they have become idols of your heart, and need to be destroyed. That is the lesson Gehazi learned the hard way. What is it going to take for us to learn it ourselves?

So, sincerely, I want to encourage you. What is your highest pursuit right now? Maybe its one of these three things, or maybe its something else completely. If it isn’t the Lord, then the truth is your life is heading the wrong way, and only by returning to Him for relationship will turn it around!

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© Anthony Scott Ingram 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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(An earlier version of this article was first published February 24, 2011, which has been revised and edited for this post.)