Readings for today: 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9, Proverbs 30-31
Syncretism is an ever-present danger. It is so tempting for us to merge our different belief systems or religious faith or socio-cultural understandings. We struggle remain faithful. Struggle to keep God first. Struggle to worship the Lord alone. We have all kinds of reasons. It could be fear. It could be expediency. It could be a desire for superficial unity. But the bottom line is we compromise. We settle. We accommodate and in so doing, we lose our distinctiveness. We lose our uniqueness. We lose our moral and spiritual center.
This is what happened to Solomon. He started so well. He was so humble. So faithful. So devoted. But as time went on, it seems like his fame went to his head. His desire to maintain peace caused him to sin. Instead of keeping the first commandment to worship God and Him alone, he builds shrines to false gods. The gods of the nations around him. The gods of the different kings he was making alliances with. Sure, he may have had all kinds of reasons. Some of those may even seem logical and rational. But these false gods led him astray. The results are devastating. For him. For his family. For his nation.
We live in a world full of all kinds of influences. Most of which are not good. Even evil. To allow such influences in our lives is to run the risk of syncretism. Worshipping the Lord but also worshipping other gods. The gods of pride, money, success, reputation, power, influence, you name it. Jesus is clear. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. All not part. Giving our full devotion to Him alone.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10