Readings:
II Chronicles 13
Acts 21:15-26
Focus:
II Chronicles 13:10a: "But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken him...."
In opposing King Jeroboam of Israel, Abijah, King of Judah, great-grandson of David, remained true to God. Jeroboam, on the other hand, had turned to other gods, imitating the peoples around him.
It was surely easier to follow the prevailing cultures of the ancient middle East and set up statues of gods to be worshipped. The Israelites were alone in not having a physical representation of their god. Jeroboam succumbed to contemporary pressure and created golden statues of gods for his subjects to worship. (Jeroboam also had secret motives for doing this; if he kept his people from going to Jerusalem to worship, they would remain more loyal to him.)
Abijah, on the other hand, resisted the temptation to provide a visible "god" for his people to worship, and remained true to the commandments of God, in spite of cultural pressure. He did not forsake God. Neither do I want to.
Showing posts with label idolatry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label idolatry. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Putting God First
Readings:
I Chronicles 21
Acts 12:18-25
Focus:
Acts 12:23a: "Instantly an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he had usurped the honor due to God."
Throughout the Bible, the worst sin of all is the sin of counting oneself more important than God. In the story in I Chronicles 21, what makes God angry with King David is the fact that David takes a census to find out what his military strength might be. God wants David to rely instead on God himself for protection.
Israel is supposed to be different from the other countries because they derive their security not from armies, but from God. Yet David, normally a man after God's own heart, succumbs to military pride, views himself as the victorious leader of Israel, and takes a census to see just how vast his might is. He thinks of his own greatness instead of God's greatness.
Herod goes further and allows people to call him a god. This is of course far worse, and it results in his death.
In the 21st century we don't usually think of ourselves as gods. But we often think of ourselves before anything or anyone else, including God. It's the greatest sin I have to struggle with. And it's not trivial. God wants us to put him before everything, including before ourselves.
The best thing is that when we do that, God takes care of us and fills our cup of blessing to overflowing. David found that to be true, and I too have found that to be true, over and over again.
I Chronicles 21
Acts 12:18-25
Focus:
Acts 12:23a: "Instantly an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he had usurped the honor due to God."
Throughout the Bible, the worst sin of all is the sin of counting oneself more important than God. In the story in I Chronicles 21, what makes God angry with King David is the fact that David takes a census to find out what his military strength might be. God wants David to rely instead on God himself for protection.
Israel is supposed to be different from the other countries because they derive their security not from armies, but from God. Yet David, normally a man after God's own heart, succumbs to military pride, views himself as the victorious leader of Israel, and takes a census to see just how vast his might is. He thinks of his own greatness instead of God's greatness.
Herod goes further and allows people to call him a god. This is of course far worse, and it results in his death.
In the 21st century we don't usually think of ourselves as gods. But we often think of ourselves before anything or anyone else, including God. It's the greatest sin I have to struggle with. And it's not trivial. God wants us to put him before everything, including before ourselves.
The best thing is that when we do that, God takes care of us and fills our cup of blessing to overflowing. David found that to be true, and I too have found that to be true, over and over again.
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