The Success God (Part One)

Timothy Keller recently released a book entitled Counterfeit Gods. This book brings idolatry out of the dark ages and into the 21st century and Western culture. Paul may have been “provoked” by the thousands of gods worshiped in Athens (Acts 17:16), but we in the 21st century have our own share of gods. Keller introduces us to some gods found in our Bibles that are still popular today:

• Abraham had a child god, Isaac
• Jacob had a love goddess, Rachel
• Zacchaeus had a money god
• Nebuchadnezzar had a power god
• Naaman had a career god

I was personally challenged by Keller’s chapter on Naaman. We meet him in 2 Kings 5 and read of his immense success as a leader in Syria:

“Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper” (v.1).

You can visualize Naaman’s uniform decorated with medals. He was the man who constantly returned to the capital with another military victory under his belt. He was known nationwide for his bravery and was the epitome of a successful man! And yet, three words cast a dark cloud on all this glory: “but a leper.” Like multitudinous others before him, Naaman’s acceptance of himself was contingent on his ability to continue to succeed in his career. In essence it became his god. Now leprosy stood in the way.

If we have made a successful career into a god, we can identify with Naaman’s story and with the following quote from Counterfeit Gods: “Not long before the film director Sydney Pollack died, there was an article written about his inability to slow down and enjoy his final years with his loved ones. Though he was unwell, and the grueling process of filmmaking was wearing him down, ‘he couldn’t justify his existence if he stopped.’ He explained, ‘Every time I finish a picture, I feel like I’ve done what I’m supposed to do in the sense that I’ve earned my stay for another year or so.’ But then he had to start over” (p.73). The power of career to coopt our lives is a strong temptation indeed.

Tomorrow we will begin considering Naaman’s story more closely…

One Response to “The Success God (Part One)”

1. Rocky says:

   August 16, 2010 at 12:36 pm

   I’m blessed by this articles.