Readings for today: Deuteronomy 12-15
I remember talking to one of my kids when she was in middle school. She had a friend who struggled with deep depression and she wanted to know how best to help her. We talked about medical care, licensed counseling, and prayer. I encouraged her to share Christ with her friend which she did. Her friend told her she wasn’t a Christian and instead, believed in a spirit animal. She even described her spirit animal to my daughter. This confused my daughter so she came home to ask me about it. She asked me if I thought it was legitimate. This led to a deep conversation about the danger of idolatry. The reality is her friend believed in a lie. Her spirit animal offered her no help for her depression. Her sincerity of belief didn’t matter because the spirit animal wasn’t real. Contrast that with Jesus. A real person who lived in a real place at a real time in human history. He was born to a real family, led a real ministry, suffered and died a real death. Three days later, His tomb was really empty. He appeared bodily to His followers. His resurrection was real and that means He’s still alive today and more than able to help us in our time of need. Does that mean faith solves all our problems? Of course not. But faith is a key component, along with medical and mental health care, as we seek to process the pain this life can often bring.
Why do I share that story? It illustrates why God hates idolatry. It places in context some of the passages from our readings today where God calls for the complete annihilation of the pagan gods of the people living in the Promised Land. It’s why God refuses to tolerate false prophets among His own people. He doesn’t want His people to fall into the trap of believing something that isn’t real. God has made Himself clear. There is only one God. His name is YHWH. He alone is the creator and sustainer of this world. He alone is worthy of worship. The other gods are human creations, human projections. They don’t exist and therefore have no power to help or comfort or protect or provide. They are simply nothing. No substance. No form. No being. Worshipping them is like worshipping smoke or hot air. Furthermore, the worship the pagan gods demanded was a desecration. An abomination. They often required child sacrifice or immoral sexual fertility rites. By contrast, God wants His people to live holy and sacred lives. They are set apart to represent Him in the world. They are His chosen people. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you to be his people, prized above all others on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 14:2 NET)
Sadly, the modern world is just as full of idols as the ancient world and it’s easy to fall into the trap of falsely believing that our God is just one among many. Because we live in a pluralist society where there is no state sanction of a particular religion, everyone is free to make it up as they go along. However, God’s hatred of idolatry still stands. To worship any other God but the God revealed in Jesus Christ is to engage in idolatry and to risk God’s judgment. The reality there is no other God but Jesus. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is the first and the last. And that’s why there’s no other name under heaven by which we may be saved.
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays