American Idols
It was just after Christmas when I decided, seemingly on a whim, to order myself The One Year Bible from Amazon. Since I wanted large print, I had only two choices of versions. I certainly didn't want the King James Version, so I settled, somewhat reluctantly, on the New Living Translation. I was excited to start reading as soon as we returned from our after-Christmas trip to Fairbury, so I was only a day late getting started.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with The One Year Bible, it is the entire Bible broken down into daily readings, one each from the Old Testament and the New Testament, as well as a daily segment from the Psalms and a verse or two from Proverbs. I've read the entire New Testament several times before, sometimes in one sitting, and I read the Old Testament all the way through when I was taking Bible classes in college, but I have never before used this format, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I have found the NLT to be exceedingly readable, with footnotes that clarify unfamiliar terms, units of measurement, and place names. My friend, Shirley, who also started reading the Bible with this format, in January, shared information about a commentary she has found helpful, so I have been using that resource to expand my background knowledge for each text.
I've been noticing, once again, just how patient God was with his chosen people, the Israelites. In Old Testament times, God spoke directly to certain people, including Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Samuel and some of the other judges, and King David, but most of the average people had to rely on their leaders to be intermediaries between them and God. When Moses lead the Israelites in the desert for forty years, before they entered the Promised Land, God was visibly present in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In spite of God's daily provision of manna, and ample water, even in the desert, the several million Israelites spent most of their time complaining. When Moses came down from the mountain after spending a few weeks there, with God, he found that the people had convinced his brother, Aaron, the High Priest, to melt down their gold jewelry and mold it into a golden calf, a new "god," or idol, that they could see and worship. It didn't seem to matter to them that their idol was just an inanimate, powerless statue.
The very first commandment, written by God himself, on a stone tablet, addressed this issue very plainly: "You shall have no other gods before me." Yet, over and over, for hundreds of years, the people made "gods" for themselves, or worshiped the gods of the other people living nearby. So God banished them from the land, sentencing them to wander in the wilderness for forty years, and exiling them from the Promised Land repeatedly, when they failed to worship and obey him.
When Bill and I toured India a number of years ago, I remember visiting an idol shop that was crowded, from floor to ceiling, with idols of all shapes and sizes, but I don't know anyone who has melted down their jewelry to make an idol. Here, in the USA, most people would object vehemently if anyone suggested that we are, by nature, idol worshipers.
What is an idol, anyway, except something--anything--that we treasure more than God. Here in America, we idolize certain people: Hollywood stars, singers and bands, government officials, sports figures or whole teams, even our children and grandchildren. Often, our pets become idols, as do our homes, jobs, and cars. Sometimes I think that our most universal idols reside in our pockets or purses: our debit cards and our phones.
The Israelites had a few things we don't have: the visible presence of God, his personal provision of food and water, and the Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments, written in stone by God's own hand. They also had the promise of a Savior.
But God has given us some things the Israelites could only dream about: the complete, written, Word of God, which points to Jesus, our Savior (and theirs), and the Holy Spirit living in each of us who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can go directly to the Father in prayer, without the need for any mediator except Jesus. When we trust in Jesus, we are assured of forgiveness for all of our sins, even our idolatry.
Thank you, God, for your mercy and grace.
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. Philippians 2:14-16a
I have found the NLT to be exceedingly readable, with footnotes that clarify unfamiliar terms, units of measurement, and place names. My friend, Shirley, who also started reading the Bible with this format, in January, shared information about a commentary she has found helpful, so I have been using that resource to expand my background knowledge for each text.
I've been noticing, once again, just how patient God was with his chosen people, the Israelites. In Old Testament times, God spoke directly to certain people, including Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Samuel and some of the other judges, and King David, but most of the average people had to rely on their leaders to be intermediaries between them and God. When Moses lead the Israelites in the desert for forty years, before they entered the Promised Land, God was visibly present in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In spite of God's daily provision of manna, and ample water, even in the desert, the several million Israelites spent most of their time complaining. When Moses came down from the mountain after spending a few weeks there, with God, he found that the people had convinced his brother, Aaron, the High Priest, to melt down their gold jewelry and mold it into a golden calf, a new "god," or idol, that they could see and worship. It didn't seem to matter to them that their idol was just an inanimate, powerless statue.
The very first commandment, written by God himself, on a stone tablet, addressed this issue very plainly: "You shall have no other gods before me." Yet, over and over, for hundreds of years, the people made "gods" for themselves, or worshiped the gods of the other people living nearby. So God banished them from the land, sentencing them to wander in the wilderness for forty years, and exiling them from the Promised Land repeatedly, when they failed to worship and obey him.
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| Hindu Idols |
When Bill and I toured India a number of years ago, I remember visiting an idol shop that was crowded, from floor to ceiling, with idols of all shapes and sizes, but I don't know anyone who has melted down their jewelry to make an idol. Here, in the USA, most people would object vehemently if anyone suggested that we are, by nature, idol worshipers.
But God has given us some things the Israelites could only dream about: the complete, written, Word of God, which points to Jesus, our Savior (and theirs), and the Holy Spirit living in each of us who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can go directly to the Father in prayer, without the need for any mediator except Jesus. When we trust in Jesus, we are assured of forgiveness for all of our sins, even our idolatry.
Thank you, God, for your mercy and grace.
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. Philippians 2:14-16a
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