So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project. [Exodus 36.6-7]
In further exploration of idolatry, and building upon yesterday's article, Israel And The Gold Calf, today's article points out some normally overlooked thoughts about the subject of idolatry.
From today's One Year Chronological Bible (OYCB) reading, we see that Israel's worship of, and devotion to God materially cost them more than just a little.
So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the LORD. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. They brought to the LORD their offerings of gold—brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the LORD. All those who owned the following items willingly brought them: blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; and tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather. And all who had silver and bronze objects gave them as a sacred offering to the LORD. And those who had acacia wood brought it for use in the project. [Exodus 35.20-24]
Compare this to what we saw in yesterday's OYCB reading:
When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. [Exodus 32.1-3]
Idol worship only cost Israel gold earrings. Worship of God, on the other hand, cost Israel not only earrings, but all manner of gold and jewels, colored thread, linen and goat hair for cloth, leather, silver and bronze, and even wood. In contrast, the initial cost of idolatry seemed to be a bargain while the cost to serve God seemed exorbitant.
This should come as no surprise to to those who understand the First Commandment:
“You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.3]
Wholehearted devotion to God naturally requires complete surrender of everything to God. Under the guise of being a bargain however, idols are willing to take what they can get because their protagonist understands full well that "a little yeast leavens the whole lump." The significance of "unleavened bread" is seen clearly in this!
As it turned out for Israel in the case of the gold calf, they did great damage to their relationship with God. So great was that damage that God, at first, wanted to completely destroy them - and would have had Moses not interceded for them convincing God to relent.
In comparison, even though Israel was invited to willingly give exorbitantly at first, the subject passage above reveals that after a time Israel's material "cost" stopped altogether and, in that moment, their relationship with God thrived.
While today's debt, insurance, medicine and technology may demand only low premiums or payments at first, they never seem to reach the point of saying, "we have enough," do they? Idolatry will never say, "it is enough."
And, without need for imagination, we can see Jesus on the Cross saying, "It is finished." Faith in Jesus Christ puts the believer "in Him" and, "in Him," "It is finished" - it is more than enough! AND! In that moment, our relationship with God thrives!
Now, as Paul pointed out, Jesus redeemed us from the curse...
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]
Do we realize that every condition that debt, insurance, medicine and technology allegedly remedy is a curse? "Not enough" broadly represents everything debt, insurance, medicine and technology offer remediation for. Debt and insurance remedy "not enough" in money. Medicine remedies "not enough" in health and well being. Technology remedies "not enough" in gadgetry to meet the insatiable appetite to accomplish more with less physical exertion (work). Every single problem these four idols claim to solve is a curse for disobedience (defined quite clearly in Deuteronomy 28.15-68).
Every single problem debt, insurance, medicine and technology offer to solve was remedied in full by Jesus Christ on the Cross! Thus, Jesus said, "It is finished!"
THINK! If Jesus declared, "It is finished!" signifying that redemption from all the curses for disobedience was, on the Cross, secured (including the curse of eternity separated from God in hell), then what does it say to God, who demands "no other god..." when we pay the price for the idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology to relieve us from the curses Jesus already paid the price for?
Did Jesus 'finish it'? YES! Is what Jesus the Living God did on the Cross enough? YES! Will we then insist to turn to debt, insurance, medicine and technology because Jesus simply was not enough?
Faith in Jesus is no joke. In God's eyes, faith in debt, insurance, medicine and technology is even less a joke. In fact, trusting anything to any degree that is not Jesus Christ alone blatantly disregards and violates the First Commandment AND Jesus' work on the Cross!
Hebrews 11 tells of those who by faith were seen to accomplish great victories. But, not all of those victories ended in life - some died. And why did they die? Because they refused to relent from their pure faith. They refused to deny God. They determined that their deliverance would be from God Almighty even if it meant being delivered by death into His receiving arms because they refused deliverance by man (idols are made by man)!
So, what is a person to do? It starts with believing the Good News (the Gospel) that Jesus really did pay the price for every curse. Every day following should be spent purifying faith - it will likely take the rest of our lives, but the daily and ongoing goal should be to get rid of any and every idol and trust God alone. As this happens, our testimony to the world grows in visible and audible glory to God - our faith will not only be heard, but it will be seen...
Father, may what is presented here inspire those who read it to faith in You and You alone. May we all see that Jesus (Your earthly manifestation - Your Son) is the Way to You. May our lives be spent with the testimony of pure and undefiled faith in You. May believers in You - believers in Jesus Christ - break free from their bondage to the idols who never say, "it is enough," and hold only to Jesus Who declared, "It is finished!" So be it!
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