Flee From Idolatry

Commentary

Those Israelites who Jesus was leading out of Egypt all experienced and partook of the same blessings that He bestowed upon them, as He was leading them through the wilderness. He made each of them a part of His plan for their rescue and redemption, yet many of them didn’t want to be a part of it. This was evident from their blatant disregard for Him.

It’s important to understand that anyone can go through the motions, can attend church service, can enjoy the good things of God. But some of those very same people might actually be trusting in other “gods”, as many of those Israelites did during that long journey to the promised land. A divided heart is not a heart that stands in a place of love for their Savior, but rather the allegiance ends up going toward the object of desire that divides the heart in the first place.

Commentary

Those in the wilderness grew tired of waiting for Moses to return. Life was a challenge, far from the easier experience of living in Egypt, with shelter, food, and the modern amenities of the day. Many were no longer content with all that God had already done for them, so they turned back to their old ways. They built for themselves a golden calf to worship. They wanted life to be like it used to be. They had become impatient for God’s promise of what was to come, their own country.

How quickly do we revert back to past habits or turn to other things when we think that God is taking “too long”? Like some of those in the wilderness, many today just want to “eat, drink, and be merry”. They want an experience that makes them feel good, rather than waiting on the God who will make their eternity good, if they would just be patient and faithful until the end.

Understand that everything apart from Jesus is a chasing of the wind. And God has given us these accounts so that we can learn from them. We are not to imitate the behavior of those Israelites in any way. To follow the Lord for a time, only to revert back to your old ways is an affront to Him. Keep these words of Jesus in your heart.

Commentary

Though the Lord is so patient with us, there does come a time when His patience runs out. You don’t want to be at that point with Him, because that means you have been testing Him for a considerable amount of time.

God’s Word teaches us to just follow the straight and narrow path; don’t turn to the left or to the right. If we all just did that, then life would be fuller and more meaningful, as we allow the Lord to do His work in us without our wandering off onto dangerous paths.

The Lord’s desire is to lead us in His ways, and His ways are not destruction or disaster. It’s all of those things that He tells us to avoid, which bring destruction and disaster.

Take time today to meditate on all that Jesus has done in your life so far. Thank Him for everything you can think of and invite Him to become an even greater part of your day-to-day life.

Commentary

This passage is often misused, being applied in a manner that assumes that God will never give you more than you can handle. But the Bible certainly teaches otherwise, as we would not be able to handle any of the things the enemy throws at us without Christ.

Look back at your life before you came to Jesus; that was the result of someone who had no power to overcome because you didn’t have the Spirit of God living inside of you. You had no choice to resist the temptation; you simply partook, as all those lost in this world do.

So please heed the warning in the passage. We are not to be overconfident in ourselves. Don’t walk as one who believes that he or she is the best follower of Christ Jesus and is so resistant to sin. Because the truth is, none of us are able to follow Him in our own ability. Anything good that we do is all from Jesus.

As temptation hits at you, rest in the strength and power of Christ to overcome. Because no temptation that you encounter is more difficult than temptations other brothers and sisters will also encounter. In all situations of temptation, it is almighty God who gives us the way out. By His power, you can have success in avoiding rampant sin, which will greatly protect you from turning a sinful desire into an idol. It’s all about being in submission to Jesus in every aspect of your life.

Commentary

If you’re in Christ Jesus, then there is no room to be partaking in the things of God and the things of demons. It’s impossible to consistently partake in things that are in direct contradiction to God and still be loving Him with your whole being.

I know we all slip from time to time; we are unable to worship God in perfection, but understand that there is a clear distinction from imperfection and flat-out idolatry. If you are practicing the same sin over and over, day in and day out, then something is not right. If you find joy and peace first in things other than the Lord, then that is a serious indicator that your heart is divided.

Idols don’t need to be statues or images; they don’t even need to be clearly sinful behaviors. Anything that you constantly place before Jesus is an idol. That is what the world does. Do not walk in the ways of this world.

You likely have unsaved loved ones and friends who seek all their joy, peace, and comfort from worldly things; don’t get swept into that. The wisdom and actions of the world are rooted in ignorance of God’s absolute truth, and their path is the path to death.