Easter Devotional - Day 24
"One day, Samuel told all the people of Israel, 'If you really want to turn back to Yahweh, then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols, including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to Yahweh with all your heart and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.'" 1 Samuel 7:3
How long had it been? This theme seems to keep repeating itself like a broken record among every generation of the Hebrew people. It was Moses' message upon crossing the Sea of Reeds. It was still Moses' message while passing the torch to Joshua. They were Joshua's words at the beginning and again at the close of his ministry. Throughout the period of the Judges, Samuel being the last, this had been the constant call to turn away from idols and embrace Yahweh as the only God worthy of worship. Samuel would not be the last to issue this call.
Oh, for every generation there were differences, but the basic the equation was the same. The specific gods being worshiped might shift from Ba'al to Astarte, to Molech, to Lilith, to Mal'ak, to Dagon, and so forth. The problem was ever the same. Each generation had to make its own choice to turn toward Yahweh. Each generation had to let go of its conflicting loyalties. Seemingly, one by one, each generation had likewise failed to pass faith on to the generation following on its heels.
The picture we carry of Israel as a nation wholly dedicated to Yahweh is often skewed by our knowledge of the New Testament and later rabbinic traditions. It wasn't until after the Babylonian exile, however, that the nation truly adopted Yahweh as their only God. Before that point, the worship of Yahweh was an ideal, a hope, an aim of official Israelite religion. It was a reality that waxed and waned. Yahweh's prophets called the people to faithfulness, but other prophets sounded competing calls. Rachel, Jacob's wife had hidden the family idols under her saddle upon leaving her family's home. Her idolatry was a constant conflict within the generations to follow. Gideon's first action as a judge in Israel was to tear down an altar to Ba'al. Elijah confronted 450 prophets of Ba'al retained by Jezebel. Jeremiah prophesied in faithfulness and spent time in prison for his efforts. Micaiah had the same experience as Jeremiah.
Jesus accepted the outward face of Judaism as worship of the one true God. He simultaneously called the people to lay aside the idols of their traditions in exchange for accepting the grace, mercy, and love offered by the One they claimed to serve. They worshiped God, but they held onto the idols of power, pride, prestige, wealth, and greed. They served the gods of their comfort, security, and the status quo, even while claiming to worship the Almighty alone. They clung to a legalism emphasizing personal effort and achievement over grace, love, and forgiveness. They missed the boat and failed even to recognize their idolatry.
The cry to put away idols was simpler back in the context of Samuel's day. The idols were visible castings of the deities proclaimed as a help to the people. The conflict with serving Yahweh was more apparent than the conflicts of competing claims for time, focus, activities, and the pursuit of our happiness and advancement. Do we not make idols of our traditions, habits, and lifestyles which are just as much in conflict with the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Ask God to show you the idols that are present and growing in your life.
"Lord, make me aware of those areas of my life I need to release into your care."
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin
http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/christopher-harbin/
My latest book can be found at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521240329/
How long had it been? This theme seems to keep repeating itself like a broken record among every generation of the Hebrew people. It was Moses' message upon crossing the Sea of Reeds. It was still Moses' message while passing the torch to Joshua. They were Joshua's words at the beginning and again at the close of his ministry. Throughout the period of the Judges, Samuel being the last, this had been the constant call to turn away from idols and embrace Yahweh as the only God worthy of worship. Samuel would not be the last to issue this call.
Oh, for every generation there were differences, but the basic the equation was the same. The specific gods being worshiped might shift from Ba'al to Astarte, to Molech, to Lilith, to Mal'ak, to Dagon, and so forth. The problem was ever the same. Each generation had to make its own choice to turn toward Yahweh. Each generation had to let go of its conflicting loyalties. Seemingly, one by one, each generation had likewise failed to pass faith on to the generation following on its heels.
The picture we carry of Israel as a nation wholly dedicated to Yahweh is often skewed by our knowledge of the New Testament and later rabbinic traditions. It wasn't until after the Babylonian exile, however, that the nation truly adopted Yahweh as their only God. Before that point, the worship of Yahweh was an ideal, a hope, an aim of official Israelite religion. It was a reality that waxed and waned. Yahweh's prophets called the people to faithfulness, but other prophets sounded competing calls. Rachel, Jacob's wife had hidden the family idols under her saddle upon leaving her family's home. Her idolatry was a constant conflict within the generations to follow. Gideon's first action as a judge in Israel was to tear down an altar to Ba'al. Elijah confronted 450 prophets of Ba'al retained by Jezebel. Jeremiah prophesied in faithfulness and spent time in prison for his efforts. Micaiah had the same experience as Jeremiah.
Jesus accepted the outward face of Judaism as worship of the one true God. He simultaneously called the people to lay aside the idols of their traditions in exchange for accepting the grace, mercy, and love offered by the One they claimed to serve. They worshiped God, but they held onto the idols of power, pride, prestige, wealth, and greed. They served the gods of their comfort, security, and the status quo, even while claiming to worship the Almighty alone. They clung to a legalism emphasizing personal effort and achievement over grace, love, and forgiveness. They missed the boat and failed even to recognize their idolatry.
The cry to put away idols was simpler back in the context of Samuel's day. The idols were visible castings of the deities proclaimed as a help to the people. The conflict with serving Yahweh was more apparent than the conflicts of competing claims for time, focus, activities, and the pursuit of our happiness and advancement. Do we not make idols of our traditions, habits, and lifestyles which are just as much in conflict with the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Ask God to show you the idols that are present and growing in your life.
"Lord, make me aware of those areas of my life I need to release into your care."
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin
http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/christopher-harbin/
My latest book can be found at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521240329/
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