When God was leading Jacob, before the time of Moses and the commandments, He felt the same way about idolatry and it shown through Jacob’s life. The moment that God told him to leave and go to Bethel was when he also made an altar to God. In reverence to Him alone did he make the altar, because that was where God appeared unto him. It was after that time that Jacob told everybody that was with him a very important command that most definitely came from God, while working through him in the Spirit. It reads, 1“Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.” (Genesis 35:2-4) As you can see here, Jacob’s great faith in God, had him command the people, like Moses, to give up their gods. They were only hindering their walk with the true God and made them unclean. What was amazing in this was their response to him, as they immediately saw the idols that they carried with them and they gave them all to Jacob. They didn’t cry about it or fight with him, but simply obeyed what he said, for it was of God. They knew it the moment he said those words. What a great group of people these were to give up their idols and to come and worship God.
God does not take lightly the fact that people have idols in their life. For this reason He Himself has given us a command to not have any other gods before Him. We are to also not bow down to them or serve them in any shape or form. God expounds upon even this and says that graven images that has a heavenly nature about it or that of the earth or water are not to even be made. He gives us these laws, which are the first two commandments in order to keep us looking towards Him and no one else. Why is this? For it is said, 2“thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:5) The Lord God does not take kindly to other things that come before Him and will punish people accordingly. This applies to people of any religious person that has idols in their homes of Buddha, Mary or the Saints. These pictures or stone figures are others gods, that God referred to. So if people start to pray to them or worship them in any way, then the real God of the heaven is being ignored. For this reason, all Buddhists and Catholics alike are not worthy in God’s presence. Their idols will surely keep them from ever knowing Christ the Lord and most definitely will keep them out of heaven. Only by giving reverence to the one true God of the heaven and earth and Him alone, will these people and others be saved. Every idol, even if it is sports or video games should also be removed from our lives, if they are coming before God. Watching a game or two is fine but when it comes between you and God, then it is an idol. Please think about this!
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that people of all religions will one day understand the need to worship only one God and that is You, oh Lord. Help people realize the idols in their lives now, that they may be convicted of these things and desire to give them up for You. Surely, all idols of stone, pictures, or other things that are being bowed down to or served is idolatry. Doing such things is truly awful in Your sight and I wish that people would stop it today, that say they love You. I know that You have the power to remove every idol of Mary, the Saints, Buddha and anything from a person’s heart, that is blocking them from worshipping You alone. As long as people are open to Your will, will they also yearn for Your commands and not want anything to come between them and You. This includes our time watching sporting events, playing video games, watching movies or TV, or spending time outdoors. I pray that none of these things will ever take my time away from You again. In the past it was video games, TV and movies that led me apart from Your love. And in doing this, I was caught up in pornography also. Surely, the idols I put before You almost destroyed my life and my marriage. If You hadn’t come to me in my distress and woken me up to my sins, I would still be lost and broken today. Thank You Lord for caring so deeply for my needs and my life ahead of me. I know now that nothing can come before You in this life or the next. You are my God and I am willing to give up anything to have Your presence in my life. You are worth more to me than anything else I can gain in life. I love You dearly, oh Lord. You are my greatest treasure and my reward. Amen.
Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.
1Genesis 35:1-7 (KJV)
1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
2Exodus 20:1-6 (KJV)
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
