On the last post in this series, we discussed how no one can serve two masters, they will eventually love one and hate the other. This goes to show you that worship of God and the worship of idols are mutually exclusive. And there is a reason for this. God demands all exclusive worship. In the first commandment we read.
Exodus 20:3-6 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,”
God is not jealous of you, but jealous for you. And as your God he wants compete devotion from His people because He loves them.
Let’s say that on your wedding day, your spouse pledges:
I do promise and covenant; before God and these witnesses; to be your loving and faithful spouse; in plenty and in want; in joy and in sorrow; in sickness and in health; 99% of the time. However, three nights a year, I plan on being with your best friend. Would you stand for this? You see, you cannot have the benefits of a covenant relationship, without absolute commitment. In the same way, you cannot enjoy the blessings and privileges as a child of God unless you rid yourself of all idols, and pledge to worship Him alone. So how does our jealous God wean his children from idols? In the next post we will find out.
Dave Hintz
