Trading One Addiction for Another

And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. Judges 8:27

Imagine that I got sober, wrote a book about it, and then that book became tremendously successful (like I said, use your imagination). What if I became a sought-after speaker who traveled the country continuously, promoting my book and message? What if, in traveling and being a successful speaker/author, I left my wife and kids behind, choosing my new career over them? In this scenario, it may appear that my life is better off for being sober, and I may even help others get sober. To my family though, I’m still addicted, and I’m still a terrible father and husband. To them, I’ve just traded one addiction for another and they’re still paying the price for my self-destructive behavior.

Gideon did something similar in today’s story. Previously, God empowered Gideon to deliver Israel from its idol worship and the Midianites. Gideon was obedient, setting his people free and leading them back to God. To commemorate the success, Gideon collected the spoils of war, making an ephod – a priestly garment – of solid gold. This ephod was meant to remind Israel that God had delivered them from idol worship and its painful consequences. Instead, the ephod became another idol, as the people worshipped it instead of God. I’d bet that Israel saw the ephod as a good thing. They weren’t worshipping Baal after all. But they’d simply traded one addiction for another, and from God’s perspective, they were engaging in yet another self-destructive behavior that turned them from him.

This is cross-addiction – trading one addiction for another – and it can be obvious or it can be subtle. The alcoholic can stop drinking, only to start gambling, which everyone obviously recognizes as another addiction. Or the alcoholic can stop drinking and become obsessed with running. To the casual observer, he’s gone from unhealthy to healthy – a good thing – but to his wife and kids who never see him because of his training schedule, he’s still an absentee father and husband.

This is a constant and very real temptation (not the running part). I got sober by following God and his will for my life. In getting sober, my life dramatically improved. God saved me from myself however, for something – a new life with him. Daily though, there are a thousand things that distract me from that new life. Even good things – exercise, family, food, or work – can become distractions if I put them ahead of God. I don’t want to go back to any addiction though, so, daily, I must make a genuine effort to point my life at God above everything else.