Are you worshipping the one true God?
January 21, 2020
This morning in my daily reading I ran across this verse. Have you ever wondered what Baal is? If you look back to the Torah, as early as the book of Numbers you find a warning regarding the prohibition of worshipping Baal. Baal was the fertility god of the lands of Canaan and Phoenicia. The Israelites were not to worship Baal for 2 reasons:
- God is the only true god, and
- they were to have no other gods before God
(both encompassed in the first commandment.)
It seems strange that the Israelites would worship any other deity than God given all they had seen Him accomplish. However, as people we are too quick to forget the good we have received and focus upon that which we do not have. It almost seems as if we follow anything that seems to provide results. For instance, have you ever noticed how many different weight loss plans are available? That is because each one has proven to yield results quickly, and therefore, people are willing to jump onboard with these plans.
Fertility, across the ages has been significant, but was especially in the days of Moses, as the children were to provide for the parents in their later years. Male children would be responsible for carrying on the family business. Ultimately, children were necessary. When the children of Israel were not having children in their own time frame, they began seeking out other avenues to meet their expectations, rather than waiting upon God’s design. They were bowing down to a god of their own design for their own pleasure ad desire.
It seems to be an interesting thought for our day and age. It seems our society is bowing the knee to gods of all kinds . . . the god of the battle over a pigskin . . . the god of running . . . the god of chasing a ball . . . the god of scoring a goal . . . yes, these are all sports. The god of success . . . the god of notoriety . . . the god of popularity . . . the god of pleasure . . . the god of sun worship . . . the god of the lake . . . the god of patriotism . . . or even the god of numbers in the church. Notice in the verse above that it was the Israelites . . . God’s people who were bowing their knee to Baal. However, there were others of the nation who were unwilling to yield to Baal. I wonder if we are among those, numbered among his children, who have given up worship of the one true God to pursue these other gods for our immediate benefit, or are we resisting the call of culture to follow God alone?
