And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this.” Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”
But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:7-18 ESV)
American Idol is all the rage, right? OK maybe i’m a few years behind, but that is the way it goes, always late on uptake and just now got a really nice pair of bell bottoms! (kidding…)
But we look for those we can idolize. Our kids look up to musicians, and sports stars, and really when you look at who they are modeling their lives after is there anything there to be modeled that is worthy of modeling?
You see in our reading for today, the Israelites are exiled because of their idolatry. Well that was them and I don’t have any idols…
Well I disagree. We all have idols. Some of us idolize our cars, or our houses, or our families. Yes it is possible for your family to be an idol that draws you from God. God has to be the first thing in your life. He demands your attention. He is very jealous and wants us to love Him before all other things. “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” He has given us a way to love Him and shown us how to do this through the prophets.
So seek out your idol, and don’t get rid of it, just make sure that it is in it’s proper place. God is first, then all other things will fall into place. But make sure your life is based on the idol that should be your idol – God.
aSacredRebel 