Tag: Idols

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Is this is good enough?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark lays out a scene that every Rabbi, teacher or pastor would love to have happen. A man RUNS to ask Jesus about eternal life! Whoa. Where do we start? What do we say? Jesus banters back with an odd response.

The running man opened with “good teacher.” Good. Good. Good. The man compliments Jesus. Jesus volleys and hits it back to the man with a question, “why do you call me good?” Then Jesus follows it with a strange, but 100% true statement, “only God is really good.”
Jesus continues with a good declaration. One that clearly the man was already doing – the man was living a good life! “You know the commandments,” Jesus said. Is that a question? No. Jesus knows this is a good guy, doing good things. Then Jesus lists the “good” standards of the law, all of which are horizontal, mano-e-mano, human to human measures of good.

No murder – ✅.
No adultery – ✅.
No stealing – ✅.
No lying – ✅.
No financial cheating – ✅.
Honor your parents – ✅.

This guy was a saint, an Eagle Scout, a really decent good man. Check. Check. Check. He’s good! He humbly told Jesus, “I’ve obeyed all these since I was a kid.” So, why was he asking Jesus how to get eternal life? What was missing? He was already good and we find out he was already living the good life! What’s not adding up here?

Mark writes that Jesus (emblepó) deeply stared, engaging into the man’s soul and truly loved him. Jesus saw what was missing in his life. And in that moment Jesus’ love for him caused him to reveal the truth. There was one thing keeping him from really knowing God, thus really loving God.

There was another love, another god in his life. Oh, he was a commandment keeper, but he was holding on to something else, something that would keep him earthbound verses heaven-bound. He was rich! Jesus peered into this man’s soul and saw his true love, his true hope, his true heart. It was stuff and things. It was possessions and wealth. He wouldn’t make it to eternity because his heart was chained to his riches. Jesus, now answers the question the man did not want to hear, but desperately needed to hear, “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Jesus even offered him a chance to be a disciple, to experience God in flesh, here on earth. Jesus said it for AFTER you’ve sold everything, “come, follow me.” Jesus offered the man, not goodness, but greatness! If he wanted to be great in God’s Kingdom.

The man’s eager face, once filled with goodness, now fell to sadness because he was really really rich. Goodness is great until it replaces God. Well, how can anyone really be saved from themselves? Jesus told us, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” The miracle lies within complete surrender to God, giving all and not holding onto anything that gets between us and His love. With this good man it was his possessions. What about us? Is it pleasures, our plans? Hey! The guy likely believed that his wealth was a blessing from God. And, what if it was? But God did want him to amass wealth, he wanted him to give it away to bless others. But his wealth became what Christians call an idol. Rachel in the Old Testament stole and hid her father’s household idols. Michal helped David escape through a window and then took a large household idol and placed it in his bed to fool the guards. Idols are trinkets, statues or anything that becomes a secret hope, a secret faith, a secret life or pleasure. It’s a way for us to give “most” of our heart to God, but not all of it. God hates idols because they keep us appearing to be good, but in our hearts we’re not sold out for Him.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a story to help me get at the real issues in my own life. At first, it’s easy to just breeze through this as “rich man” issues – it is far more than that. It’s a story about being good vs great in Your Kingdom. Making you first and giving you every part of my heart, soul and strength should be a daily, hourly, priority in this life, in this world. Help me direct my passions towards you! Amen.

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Earnest eagerness of our youth.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Solomon was about twenty years old when he became King of Israel. He followed his father, David, in a stable and flourishing kingdom. Solomon admits he has no idea just how ginormous his kingdom was, but it is estimated at 800 thousand to possibly a million people. Later, it was noted in 1 Kings 4:20, “There were so many people living in Judah and Israel while Solomon was king that they seemed like grains of sand on a beach. Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.”

Being young and given the responsibility of ruling over such a vast amount of people humbled Solomon. One of the things Solomon decided to do came right out of David’s playbook – massive and public sacrifices to God in one of the most popular of tabernacles – at Gideon. A thousand sacrifices, in ancient days, were seen as a “King’s” sacrifice, acknowledging his submission to deity – this was an expensive, seven-day example of honoring Solomon’s one true God. He also made those sacrifices, in Gideon, where it had been known for sacrificing to Idols – one of the many “high places.” In one massive demonstration of humility and repentance Solomon showed the people where his heart and financial motives were coming from.

This decision pleased God, which is why it prompted God to ask Solomon what he wanted. “That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you! ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬.” As a young man, a young leader of a large, thriving kingdom, filled with God’s people, he wanted to do what was right above all else. Yet, even with the gift of wisdom from God, Solomon was not able to hold fast to righteousness and to continue to lead the nation in godly ways!

I remember being full of great ideas, technological advancements and more efficient systems to get things done. But I was serving in a culture that was resistant to change! As I have gotten older, I still feel the positive pressure of the future coming towards us faster than ever. However, my lesson, my observation from scripture, especially from the lives of David and his son, Solomon is this; to grow consistently in my spiritual maturity. Systems, cool ideas and flashy programs will not make it to eternity. People are worth investing in, so I want to work to stay humble. I choose to serve others well, praise and promote those around me and give all glory to God. I want to be able to give my own thousand sacrifices well into my elder years.

Prayer

Dad,
It’s not about finishing first, it’s about lasting to the end. It’s a race to the bottom, the end of the line, to see others cross before me. The crown that awaits us is those who have turned their hearts towards you and join with me in heaven praising you! Amen.

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The suburbs of Babylon.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Lord gave Jeremiah the prophet this message concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians. This is what the Lord says: “Tell the whole world, and keep nothing back. Raise a signal flag to tell everyone that Babylon will fall! Her images and idols will be shattered. Her gods Bel and Marduk will be utterly disgraced. For a nation will attack her from the north and bring such destruction that no one will live there again. Everything will be gone; both people and animals will flee. ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭50‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God finally tells Jeremiah, God’s spokesperson, it was time to start announcing the end of the 70 year captivity in Babylon. Cheers erupt that Babylon will fall! God tells Jeremiah that the destruction will be so great that “no one will live there again.” Which was true, and oddly it is still true. The ancient city and the attempts at resurrecting a modern city by Saddam Hussein, have both fallen. But mysteriously and spiritually disturbing, the spirit of the city lives on until the end of all things. Babylon shows up in Revelation 😱!

Babylon is the city of the antichrist that has existed since the first anti-God city in history (Gen 11:1–9). God used the world leaders of Babylon to discipline Israel (2 Chronicles 36). And, it will continue to exist until Jesus returns and destroys it (Rev 17:1–19:5). So although the city was sacked and rebuilt several times in ancient times, it is common knowledge that the city is an archetype of evil. Evil that is perverted and pervasive through the entire human experience on the planet! Babylon’s great object lesson is its self-will to BE God.

A place where every leader, every resident has one common unquenchable desire – to be and do whatever they want! Babylon is the personification, the epitome of sin itself. The idols of Babylon are all spiritual, dark, demonic forces all providing “alternatives” to God, but also promising things that only God can provide – fake gods of weather, wealth, power, sex, and even eternal life! So whether they are stone or wooden poles or statues, shiny golden facsimiles of ancestors or enlightened humans – they are all lifeless objects that can do nothing, nor fulfill nothing. These are physical idols that humans worship because their own disorder desires are drawn to anything other than the real God, creator of all things.

So as a representative of all that is fake, unforgiving, dead and worthless – idols play a role in substitutionary fakery still today! And will do so until the very end, when Babylon the great, the “mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations,” will find its finality in fire 🔥. You can read about her ending and all who desire to follow after her in Revelation 18.

Ripping off the mask, subterfuge and subtlety of Babylon the “great,” we find the essence of sin and disobedience to God. It is not to difficult for me to look inside my own heart and see glimpses of the cursed city. At times, I see myself and others secretly wishing to live in the suburbs of Babylon. Oh, not the center, nor downtown Babylon, but rather the short drive to the outskirts and edges of the city where fake promises seem to be within reach. Where will I live? The city of self, or the city of God?

Prayer

Dad,
It doesn’t take much to realize that Babylon is far too accessible and alluring even for those who love you and want to be obedient to your will and not our own. It seems that the fancy bright lights, exhilarating sounds and delightful smells of Babylon are seductively powerful. But it is with your grace, mercy and power that is also calling, begging me to come away and be centered on the city of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray that I will resist the suburbia of the fake city and focus on the city designed for me to live abundantly within it. Thank you for your warnings and your Word! Amen.

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Sophisticated Idols.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭135‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Many of today’s idols are still fashioned and formed by human hands. I see them in person or in pictures of places around the world. They stand or sit as statues. They hang from car mirrors or are positioned on stands or small niches on the houses in my neighborhood. I see them prominently and boldly greeting me at some restaurants and stores. I see their brightly colored adornments and painted eyes looking at me with a steely stare.

These are the common, well known idols that have existed for thousands of years. And, just as the Psalmist declared back then, they STILL have mouths, eyes and ears! They are just as silent today as they were in antiquity. People pray to them, talk to them, and many still leave gifts of food or money, tokens of gratitude or bribes to winsomely stay in good standing. You don’t want these statues to decide to curse you rather than bless you. This kind of idolatry is alive and well even today. And, someone is making a fortune selling them!

But oh, these hand-fashioned, or machine-made creations are not the idols of the “enlightened.” No, no, no… the “new” ones are not physical at all – they are spiritual beings, which of course means that they may not have mouths, eyes and ears, but they most certainly speak, watch and listen. Yes, these sophisticated idols are of the dark realms, ordered about and orchestrated by the evil one, the liar, thief and enemy of humankind – Satan. These neo-idols do not require tangible gifts or sacrifices left at their ethereal feet, they desire something much more valuable to us. They require your allegiance and your soul!

They whisper lies and manipulate human desires to not only dissuade people from believing in God but to convince humans to believe in themselves as their own god! These idols aren’t hiding behind plaster or plastic statues, they are openly and defiantly leading folks to follow their own truth, whatever their heart wants. With promises of riches, power, position or fame, they offer more than just protection. They gleefully offer an alternative to the mean, vindictive, judgmental, unfair, unjust, singular path God! It’s insidiously popular to simply convince humans that there are in fact “other” gods. There’s a choice, an option – no need to believe in a one true God. Their smooth, subtle whispers to just try it out, just sample their agenda, their options, their ways. Go ahead, these idols say, take a peek, open that door. Eat the forbidden fruit; they promise you’ll love it. And they can get you more of it, anytime you want.

Solomon, the ancient wealthy and wisest human ever, wrote this in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Beware the sophisticated idols, they are even more dangerous than statues.

Prayer

Dad,
It is so clear that there is a battle for the human soul. Even though we were created in perfection, with the capacity and capability of choosing to disobey and do what we want, you still love us. You still fight for us, for what is best for us. I am so thankful you continue to pursue the human heart – even at its most rebellious stage, you died for us! May your light and love continue to penetrate the darkness and disordered desires of our soul. Amen.

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The search for answers.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. Gather the nations together! Assemble the peoples of the world! Which of their idols has ever foretold such things? Which can predict what will happen tomorrow? Where are the witnesses of such predictions? Who can verify that they spoke the truth? Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

People search with eyes that do not see and listen with ears that do not hear. Sounds like a riddle, right? When it comes to looking for answers though, it’s not a joke.

Is Isaiah’s point that we, as human beings, have physical eyes and ears, but what we lack is a solid spiritual perception? God confidently puts out the universal challenge. Get the world together and ask them about their “gods!” Which one predicts the future? Which one sticks around long enough to witness their future, let alone verify that they are true and came to pass? Lies get buried in a myriad of time. The more time, the less likely anyone was around or will be around to prove their “truth.”

Take the fake-god/religion of evolution. The lies just keep adding a few million or billion of years hoping that our limited understanding just believes that anything might be possible given enough time. Time doesn’t verify truth! There were no single cell organisms proclaiming truth or making promises of the future of humankind. Who was there? Were there witnesses to this impossible unscientific “fact?” Even with eyes to see and ears to hear, we are blind and deaf to truth.

What about all the other fake-gods peddling their “truth.” They demand obedience, sacrifices of time, money and belief. What do they promise? What do they really know or give back – NOTHING. Their hucksters promise knowledge, enlightenment and strange glories of an afterlife, but who can verify that it’s true? None of them can fulfill on their fake promises, because it’s all based on lie. Name one prophecy, one prediction that has come true. And, who was there to record such promises? And who will be the one to validate that those promises have come true?

God speaks to Isaiah who captures and records God’s words. The promises from the beginning of the earth and creation of human beings are well known. And the fulfillment of those promises have been verified to be true. The promises God had John write down and recorded in Revelation will be the same – it will all happen just as God said it would.

In all the searching for answers, I pray that people take a hard look at what God has promised. A hard look at what has already come true. And, a really hard look at how it all ends. God has and always will be trustworthy and true.

Prayer

Dad,
It’s all been written and recorded. It’s all there. The answers we seek as humans are all found in You through your Word. We’ve done some amazing mental gymnastics to avoid the truth. We’ve believed in fake gods, fantasy theories of our beginning, all while seeing and hearing what we want just to get answers that will never be true. Answers that will never satisfy, never fulfill, never save us. We are such an interesting bunch! Thank you for your enduring patience and mercy for those who look, but have yet to find You. Let your undeniable love penetrate our selfish theories and moral avoidance of truth. Amen.

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No longer a walk in the garden.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!” As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God once walked with humans, casually, perfectly, lovingly in the garden. In the cool of the day, God would take a walk, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden.” Now, years after Eden, years after many, many people, well past Noah and the total destruction of almost all living things, well past the rise and fall of Babel and Egypt, we now come to Moses and the Law.

God had just given Moses the laws, rules for His people to live and love differently from all other peoples, cultures and countries. These laws would keep Israel alive and allow them to interact with a holy, perfect God. God was always holy, always perfect. God is the same today and will never change.

Exodus captures a honest moment expressed by God’s beloved Israel… “we’re afraid of Him!” They said. God showed up like a tornado and the people didn’t feel all snuggly safe. Moses told the people, “God comes like a storm to test you. Your fear of him will keep you from sinning.” It did keep them from sin…for the moment, but it didn’t last. God told the people through Moses, “Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Just twelve chapters later…“When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ – really? That was fast.

Fear works while it is directly applied, but fades as we forget the storm, the threat of death. But fear is never enough to sustain a authentic relationship over the long haul. Who wants to take walks in a garden with someone they fear and sense that perfection is held over them at every moment.

Exodus, the Law and the entire Old Testament is very real and very much a part of our story of who we are and who God is. As I wrote, God is and always will be holy, perfect and completely incompatible with sin. The fear of God is still a reality today and will always be a part of our relationship to Him.

Fast forward to the paradox of New Covenant in tension to the Old Covenant. The God who showed up in the deadly storm is the same God who touched the dead body of a little girl and said, “talitha koum” (little maiden), arise. Or the same God who wept and embrimaomai (moved with anger) called out his friend, Lazarus, from death’s pit. We see God the Father, as holy, perfect and feared in the Exodus, but He is the same as the person of Christ, God the Son. Yet, this holy perfection, under the new covenant is love so pure, so piercing, it penetrates beyond fear. A fear that CAN make us want to hide as Adam and Even had done or stand at a distance as the Israelites. OR, this love/fear is to be experienced as an imperfect human completely and totally seen and known for who and what we really are. Yet, we have FAITH that the sacrifice of Christ doesn’t repel us from God’s holiness but contrarily – it supernaturally pulls us, draws us into God’s presence to be embraced by Him.

When shown our sin, we no longer need to run, hide nor flaunt or make excuses. We can now move towards God’s perfect grace not fearing the final judgement of separation. Believers will even be judged in perfect love and not fear (Bema – Judgement Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10)).

Where is the “fear of God” in this season of grace? Well, it is still here. The fear of God should never be skirted, challenged or arrogantly thrown in the face of God, exclaiming, “His grace is sufficient.” Saying, “I can sin. I can disobey. I can do whatever I want because of Christ’s covering.” How arrogant, how immature! God can certainly strike you dead where you stand regardless of your status of being saved! God can end your life here and sort out the details later? Or, sin’s own consequences can bury you, destroying everything you’ve built and leave you destitute. Don’t tempt God’s grace!

Prayer

Dad,
I know of your love and it’s perfect. I also believe I have a healthy fear of your perfection, your righteousness, your repulsion of sin. I am completely and totally confident in your grace and painfully aware of the consequences of my sin, my choices that are neither hidden from you nor acceptable to you. I am willing to live in this tension. I am willing to run towards you even in my sin, with my failures and work hard to NEVER run from or uselessly try to hide or dodge my poor decisions. I am without excuse, but I am forever grateful for your mercy. Amen.

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Fixer Upper Faith

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple. They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Josiah was only 8 years old when he became king of Judah. Israel had not only abandoned their faith, Josiah’s own grandfather, Manasseh adapted the Temple for idolatrous worship and allowed it to fall into complete disrepair. The entire country had been actively pursuing idols like Baal and Asherah poles were everywhere.

At 20 years old Josiah started a program of destruction, tearing down Baalist altars and images throughout Jerusalem and Judah.

Six years later, at 26 years old, he began to do some serious fixer upper repairs on God’s house, the temple. During the demolition phase, Shaphan, the temple secretary is instructed by Josiah to talk to Hilkiah about getting the finances together for the restoration project. The king told Shaphan to get the money to the temple general contractors overseeing the whole thing. Interesting note that should blow the minds of CFO’s, treasurers and bookkeepers, Josiah tells the secretary, “don’t require them to keep account of the money… because they are honest and trustworthy!”

It is during this massive restoration of the temple that we find out, the building isn’t the only thing that needs repair. The people themselves have to rebuild and restore their faith in God! Amidst the chaos of demolition, the High Priest, Hilkiah finds THE book, THE scrolls, THE laws of God, dictated by Moses and written under his direction. Hilkiah gives the scrolls to Shaphan and he reads them. Then, in his casual update on the progress of the Temple Project he says, “Ok King, the general managers have the money and they’re off and running. Oh, and also, Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king. Shaphan may have not even realized what these scrolls were about, even though Hilkiah told him! Now there were two fixer upper projects going on. One on God’s house, the other, rebuilding the hearts of God’s people.

Prayer

Dad,
It’s really hard to imagine an entire country, your own people turning away from you to chase, dating and unite themselves to cold stone statues and phallic looking poles looking for pleasure, happiness and fulfillment. Oh wait, we still do that today! Our idols make look so sophisticated, even subtle, but they are the same lie that Israel fell for. Harder yet is the rollercoaster ride picture of obedience that comes with blessings as well as disobedience that comes with a curse. We have such a dark dramatic story don’t we. Yet, in it all, your light shines, your grace redeems and I see your patience culminating in the sacrifice and salvation through Jesus. Glory and honor to you oh God because of your mercy!

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Liberty with consideration.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

People do not believe that Christianity is all about liberty, freedom. We’ve been pitched so many lies and have self-inflicted stereotypes that even believers in Jesus don’t know they been freed from one master to be bound to another.

According to several Biblical writers we are freed from sin because Christ paid our death sentence. Yet, even in freedom, there are restrictions and restraints! How so? Being free from sin means that we are not mastered by selfishness, greed, lust, lies and deception. But we are, however, mastered by love, forgiveness and consideration towards others. This is where culture has corrupted the word love. Love is a self sacrificing, deeply considerate of others word. It is not a pleasure only, neurochemically induced feeling.

Christian freedom is upward and outward focused. This whole idea of “self-love” is absurdly repugnant! We are God-loved. We can be loved by others. But as soon as we twist this word to be all about my, mine and I it is no longer love at all. Freedom is considerate love! It’s a supernatural check and balance of what I want. In Paul’s admonition here, it’s about eating meat previously sacrificed to idols – filthy by association of spiritual hocus-pocus mumbled over some chunk of meat that has been presented to fake-gods, statues and carved rocks. Fake gods are plentiful but completely useless. It’s like offering meat to a fictitious alien then selling the meat at a discount store – alien offered cheap meat!

Ah, but if someone has come to Jesus out of a cult, out of a false religion, out of aliens-r-us it would be quite offensive to wave idol-meat, or cult-alien-meat in front of them and serve it at a dinner gathering. It’s insensitive to their past experience and doesn’t allow them to grow to a place of maturity when that meat-offering may be less of a trigger in their past.

This is the hard part, the forgotten part about love and freedom – it’s NOT all about us! This is why restraint and self imposed boundaries are good for us, even in our freedoms. This helps us keep a check on our motives and our rights. We may be within our rights, but it may not be helpful and considerate to someone who’s struggling.

Prayer

Dad,
I have a feeling that we have got caught up in the wrong crowd when it comes to freedoms, rights and even love. These are specific ideals that Jesus laid down on our behalf and instructed us to do the same. This is where we have not led our culture in humility and truth. We’ve adopted similar thoughts and practices simply mimicking our natural bent of selfishness. Help us God to continue to see you and reflect you in all circumstances we find ourselves in.

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God had had it with us

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods. Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days. They have infuriated me with all their evil deeds,” says the Lord. “From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me, so I am determined to get rid of it.” Jeremiah‬ ‭32:29-31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I always wondered what Israel did to really tick God off. Now I know. God tells Jeremiah exactly what has been going on in secret and in public. I am currently doing a deep dive in Nehemiah and it is a sad and slow process of rebuilding and revisioning a new future. Everything the people had known had been gone for 70 years. God mentions specific offensive sins the people did in their own homes, on the rooftops in plain, public site. They poured out drink offerings to other gods. Gods and images that were not real and could not answer any of the people’s prayers. Later in the passage God said their wickedness had no end they, “They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it. They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!” The nerve to set up idols in the temple built and dedicated to God. They put up idol shrines all over the countryside and actually sacrificed their own children to these false gods of Molech. As humans, we will stop at nothing to get our own way, yet not even give the creator of the universe the courtesy of obeying Him. We will and have for centuries, sacrificed our own children to have our own way and rebel. I don’t just see this in Israel’s sin, I see it in our own culture today! God had enough and allowed Babylon to come in, strip and burn everything to the ground. Then Babylon carried off the millions of Israelites into slavery and exile. Compared to cities, temples and buildings, which mean NOTHING to God – people however are eternal and worth saving. Our worth, our value is not in the things we build, the progress and advancements in technology or the fact that we can send a spacecraft to mars and back. We find worth in humans, created in God’s image and bearing the breath of God upon us. From the tiniest baby in a womb to the frail senior who passes from this life – all valued and loved by God.

Prayer

Dad,
What a rough story for Israel. What a stark reality for our own existence as well. It’s hard to fathom the depth of anger, frustration and rebellion bound up in our human hearts. We have such deep cravings to do wrong, to go our stubborn independant ways. Yet, we blame you for everything that goes wrong even though it originated with our decisions. We’re a goofy bunch. It’s hard to see what you see in us. Something worth saving, worth the patience and pursuit. I am certainly glad for your grace towards me.

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Mob-brain Mentality

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.”
‭‭Acts 19:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Luke’s writing sounds like it came right out the the Ephesus Times newspaper. It seems that Paul’s preaching about Jesus actually DID effect the idol businesses of that day or it just gave Demetrius the excuse of “handcrafted idols” taking a downturn.

Diana, or the goddess Artemis, mentioned here was THE prominent and well known and loved idol of the city. Right in front of the massive library, they had built a gigantic statue of her standing, overlooking the main road filled with multi-level houses and lined with street vendors selling their goods. Ephesus was a bustling port city until later, the inlet body of water itself dried up and city became an abandoned wasteland. Diana couldn’t and didn’t stop that natural disaster from happening.

Demetrius called all the smaller business owners (idol-makers) together and designed a city-wide protest against Paul. Demetrius played to their livelihood and their religious beliefs, “Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis—this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world—will be robbed of her great prestige!” Ah, yes, Demetrius was so “concerned” about their great mascot. Ah, maybe he was a true cult believer.

It got the whole city angry and it spilled into a riot, as Demetrius knew it would. After the crowd found and dragged two of Paul’s friends into the amphitheater, listen to what Luke commentates about this riot, “Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.” Most of them didn’t even know why they were there! Classic mob-brain mentality. Angry, frustrated and ready to do some serious protest-able damage – yet having no idea what it’s about. This #sohuman!

The crowd yelled, chanted and shouted the fury-filled phrase for hours, “great is Artemis!” Until the mayor of the town (Alexander) could finally calm them down, reason with them and then threaten that the Roman government hated riots because of damage it did to the empire. Rome wanted citizens to feel safe, be at peace and spend money (more money equals more taxes). We are well aware of what protests and public riots do – nothing but bad outcomes. It makes people feel unsafe, aggravated and they spend less money! Plus, the business owners have to pickup the cost of repairs after the looting, fires and destruction. Mobs don’t care about a cause, they only care about destruction and violence. Mobs love riots, protests and marches because they take advantage of the cover it provides to steal, kill and destroy!

Alexander, after a few tense hours, was able to appeal to their good senses, “Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.” He told them to settle the matter in the courts where real arguments and facts could be presented, where both sides could present their case. Novel idea right? Riots, mobs and protests don’t want court cases, those are driven mostly by reason. Mobs want emotionally driven outcomes that do not lead to change, they just do damage.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow, weren’t not just selfish and full of sin, we’re some fickle and a fragile non-thinking bunch. When we get worked up about something, it’s hard to see truth, hard to see right and wrong. And, certainly hard to make the necessary changes to create a good outcome for all. We are so influenced by each other’s emotions and behaviors. This is still true today. Isn’t it possible that the opposite is true? Wouldn’t our good behavior, our peaceful emotions be as viral as the bad? Like the mayor in this story, it seems that someone needs to address the situation and speak peace before things go to far.