Abandoning God

Again the Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight. They served the images of Baal and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. They abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all. [Judges 10.6]

As illogical as it seems that Israel would turn their back on God and no longer serve Him at all, we see that is exactly what happened.

As Israel represents the Church, there is a critical lesson here.

Without wasting time studying Baal and Ashtoreth, or the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia, suffice it to say that Israel fell victim to their allure. So, rather than studying the details of what each god or idol offered, we should see the greater problem in why Israel fell victim to them.

I see nothing in the Word that makes me believe Israel simply got up one day and said, "We will no longer worship and serve God!" What I do see however is that the ideologies and practices of the false gods mentioned above infiltrated Israel in gradual steps. This was seen literally in the marriages of Israelites with foreigners who did not serve God. The impurity was not one of blood, but of devotion: the foreigners brought their strange gods to Israel and slowly and gradually inserted their false ideologies and practices to the point they displaced God - to the point Israel abandoned the LORD and no longer served Him at all. Israel fell victim to infiltration by godlessness.

It's a terrible thought! But is it not exactly what we see still taking place today? Have not the ideologies of the world so penetrated the Church that God has been abandoned?

It concerns me that the Church, of all entities, not only tolerates worldly influence, but, in many cases promotes and supports it. How? I dare say we have all heard or said when a person declares their trust in God as their Healer, "God uses doctors and medicine!"

Should it not concern us how convinced we are that God uses doctors and medicine? If we are so convinced that God uses doctors and medicine, why are we not so convinced that God alone can heal? This same reasoning applies to other areas of life as well - anything, in fact, that we trust instead of God. Should we not see an infiltration of godlessness?

Although we don't use names like Baal or Ashtoreth, perhaps we should consider the infiltration of names like medicine, money, or technology into our lives...

We may not be too unlike Israel as we would like to think in that we have abandoned the LORD and no longer served him at all.

Father, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Give us hearts to understand where our true devotion lies.