Being vigilant about who we worship, keeps us safe.
I just finished reading the account of Moses getting the Ten Commandments from God. The Israelites had survived plagues and been rescued from the Egyptians. They had seen God part the Red Sea and make water come from a rock where there had been no water. They were being fed with manna from Heaven.
They knew and had personally witnessed that God was powerful and mighty. They had witnessed that God was good. They had seen on multiple occasions that God would provide.
When Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, the people were told to wait until his return and not to approach the mountain. They were believers. They were His chosen people. They were obedient, for a little while.
Time passed, forty days went by and the Israelites got nervous. Who really knows how doubt in God’s Word, and His abilities, and His plan starts? Possibly one person who was weak in their faith, said to another that maybe Moses was gone for good. Maybe it was started by people who missed the multiple idol worship of the Egyptians. Perhaps, they reasoned, if there were several gods, at least one would grant them favor.
Satan has always been really talented at getting doubt in God stirred up.
However it started, it went downhill fast. Doubt went into action and before Moses returned, a golden calf had been built and people were worshiping it and dancing around it.
Now before we get too judgemental about the Isrealites and their idol, we better take a close look at our own lives. While today’s Christians can defiantly say that we would never worship a golden image, can we also say that we have no idols of our own? Can we honestly say that we always put nothing or no one before God?
That would have to include things like regularly skipping church for work, or lake trips, or to sleep in, or because our kids don’t want to go. That would also include things like placing our financial security over our spiritual security. Humanity idolizes all kinds of things from our youth, to our wealth and status, to our popularity, to other people, to ourselves and everything in between.
Just because those things may not be physical, are they really any different from that golden calf?
When we put something in front of God in our lives, doesn’t it come down to a lack of trust that He knows best, that He will provide, or that He has a plan that is good?
The golden calf incident reminds us that when we allow doubt and fear to drift into our faith, we can make decisions that end in disaster. It reminds us that when we don’t keep our eyes focused on God, that we can get distracted and make a mess of things. It reminds us that we are all vulnerable to idolatry if we don’t stay close to Jesus. It reminds us to be vigilant with our hearts and minds.
Sometimes we need reminding.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂