The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 7 July 2021 – God Hates Idolatry
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TOPIC: God Hates Idolatry (Anglican Devotional 7 July 2021)
READ: Deuteronomy 13:6- 18 (NKJV)
- ” If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers,
- “of the gods of the people which [are] all around you, near to you or far off from you, from [one] end of the earth to the [other] end of the earth,
- “you shall not consent to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him;
- “but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people.
- “And you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
- “So all Israel shall hear and fear, and not again do such wickedness as this among you.
- ” If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, saying,
- ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” ‘ — which you have not known —
- “then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And [if it is] indeed true [and] certain [that] such an abomination was committed among you,
- “you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword — utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
- “And you shall gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, for the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
- “So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers,
- “because you have listened to the voice of the LORD your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do [what is] right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
THE MESSAGE:
Our passage today reveals that God does not joke with His position as the Almighty Who is more than sufficient to take absolute care of those who put their trust in Him. This is made clear in His extensive commands against idolatry. God so detests idolatry to the point that anyone who by whatever circumstances introduced any of His children to it faced the penalty of death to face (verses 7-10). Worship of other gods was a complete abomination in Israel; a taboo! The Israelites, by reason of being God’s covenant children, were to run very far away from idolatry.
Beloved, God still detests idolatry today. It is disheartening that some people who attend Church regularly still have some other authorities and powers to which they bow. A sizable number of the “High and Mighty” in different Church organisations still bows to Satan in one direction or the other. It is irreconcilable to claim to belong to Jesus Christ and not be separated from Satan via idol worship. We must note that not all idols in our age are visible or physical. There are some, which by subtle approaches, have been enthroned in the hearts of many, even believers. Good examples are fashion and entertainment. Do you worship another god in disguise? God’s hatred for idols is enough to drive us away from anything associated with idol worship. Whatever represents an idol in your life will alienate you from the love of God. Run away from idolatry.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, keep me away from every form of idolatry in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
