Idols

Prayer Focus: Holy See

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 11-12

Scripture

1 By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering.2 By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: "Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: 'A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.'"3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out." (1st Kings 13:1-3)

Observation

At this time in Israel's history, a rebellion, lead by Jeroboam, separated the kingdom into two halves, northern and southern. Jeroboam now has a problem, because the law of Moses says that everyone has to travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. Jerusalem is inside the southern territory. His solution was to set up a new sect for worship in two cities (Beth-El and Dan) with the creation and installments of two alters in the shape of golden calves, and made it unlawful to go to Jerusalem as the law required. God's response to this? He sends a prophet up from Judah (the southern kingdom where Jerusalem sits) to Bethel and tells him to "cry out against the alter", in the verse I selected above.

This establishes the beginning of Baal worship among the people.

Application

How do I rebel against God? What things do I set up and choose to worship instead? A look at my calendar and my checkbook will show where I spend my time and where I store my treasures. (Mat. 6:21)

I urge you to spend time today talking to God about what things you are tempted to idolize.

Prayer

Lord, help me see clearly the idols that are around me. The temptation to trust in what I can see or what I feel is strong! I pray for your deliverance, for a love of truth.