Tag: Idol Worship

Wednesday's Word

Wednesday’s Word ~ Judges 10

Michelle Lesley

judges 10 15

 

Judges 10

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

3 After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

 

Questions to Consider:

1. Why did God place judges in authority over Israel?

2. Why was God angry with Israel? (v. 6-7) Which Commandment was Israel guilty of violating? How does Judges 10:7 illustrate that God is a jealous God?

3. Why is it so important to God that his people worship Him alone? What can we as Christians learn from God’s anger towards Israel in this chapter? How does this passage relate to 2 Corinthians 6:14-18?

4. In verse 10 and verse 15, Israel cries out to the Lord, confessing, “We have sinned.” Is there a difference between the two confessions? Were these confessions genuine sorrow over sin? How can you tell? What action on Israel’s part follows the second confession? (v. 16)

5. What does the word “impatient” mean in verse 16? Examine this verse in the HCSB, NASB, NIV, and KJV translations. How can cross checking other reliable translations aid in your study of God’s word?

Wednesday's Word

Wednesday’s Word ~ Numbers 25

Michelle Lesley

num 25 3

 

Numbers 25

While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 4 And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

6 And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand 8 and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. 9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, 13 and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’”

14 The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian.

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, 18 for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

 

Questions to Consider:

1. What verse 1 mean when it says, “the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab”?

2. Why was God angry with Israel (v.3)?

3. How does 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 relate to Numbers 25:1-5?

4. Why does God not want His people to fraternize with unbelievers?

5. Is this chapter a descriptive or a prescriptive passage? How can we know that this passsage is not telling us it is all right for Christians to kill idol worshipers today?

Idolatry, Old Testament, Sunday School, Worship

Israel Is Exiled ~ Sunday School Lesson ~ 7-20-14

Michelle Lesley

PicsArt_1405907394797

These are my notes from my ladies’ Sunday School class this morning. I’ll be posting the notes from my class here each week. Click here for last week’s lesson.

Through the Bible in 2014 ~ Week 29 ~ July 13-19
2 Chronicles 27-31, Isaiah 9-27, Micah, 2 Kings 16-18:8, Psalm 48
Israel is Exiled

2 Kings 17:1-20
Second Kings 17 is sort of the “Cliff Notes” version of Israel’s era of the kings. We have read about each king of Israel, all of whom “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Second Kings 17 sums up the effect these evil kings had on Israel’s relationship with God and the consequences for their idolatry.

Israel’s Sin
The sin that brought God’s judgment upon Israel was idolatry. Israel participated in idolatry in two different ways, usually at the same time:

They worshiped false gods instead of the true God. (12,16-17)
As Israel got to know her pagan neighbors, she began to worship some of their false gods such as Ashera, Baal, Molech, and the stars and planets. This was expressly forbidden by God in the 10 Commandments and throughout the Old Testament. While other nations often worshiped many gods, Israel was to be holy and set apart to the one true God and serve only Him.

They worshiped the true God in false ways. (16, 1 Corinthians 14:40, 2 Corinthians 9:7, 1 Corinthians 5, 1 Timothy 2:12-14, 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, 1 Corinthians 11:17-33)
You will recall the two golden calves Jeroboam had set up in the north and south for the people to worship. He wanted to keep the Israelites from traveling out of Israel into Judah to worship at the temple because he did not want the people to turn their loyalty back to the throne of David. So he took the worship and festivals God had set up for Himself and transferred them to these two calves. The calves were basically a stand in for God.

God was very specific about how, when, and where He was to be worshiped. When we studied Exodus and Leviticus, we saw hundreds of instructions about God’s house, the utensils, the men who served as priests and Levites, the offerings and sacrifices, cleansing rituals, and on and on. God requires that He be worshiped in certain ways. His ways. He did not leave it up to His people to worship Him freestyle.

Even today, God has given us specific instructions about worship that we are to obey. For example, He tells us that, in the church, all things are to be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14), that we are to give our offerings cheerfully and not reluctantly or under compulsion (2 Cor. 9), that we are to discipline, not tolerate, unrepentant sin in the church (1 Cor. 5), that women are not to instruct or hold authority over men in the church (1 Tim. 2), the qualifications for pastors and elders (1 Tim. 3, Tit. 1), instructions about the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11), and so many more things. Although God has given us freedom in some areas of worship, as long as they do not violate any specific instructions He has given us (music style, order of service, what we wear to church, etc.), He has not turned us loose to worship Him in any way we please. We must be careful not to do this as the Israelites did.

God’s Patience (1 Peter 3:20, 2 Timothy 4:1, 2 Peter 3:9, Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 6:2)
After Solomon died, Israel and Judah split into two separate kingdoms. In the 209 years between Solomon and the exile (931-722 B.C.), Israel had twenty kings, all of whom participated in and promoted idol worship among the people of Israel. During that time period, God sent at least seven prophets (Ahijah, Jehu, Elijah, Micaiah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea) to warn Israel to turn back from her idolatry and the consequences if she would not. Two hundred and nine years. That’s a lot of chances God gave His people to repent and turn back to Him.

God has a track record of patience. First Peter 3:20 tells us “God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared.” God stayed His hand of judgment for 120 years while Noah was building the ark, preaching repentance with every swing of the hammer. In His mercy, God was giving the people of Noah’s day a chance to repent and turn to Him before the flood, but none did, except Noah’s family.

In the same way, God has been patient with mankind for the last 2000+ years since He provided the way of salvation for us through Jesus.

Second Timothy 4:1 tells us that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead, but what’s taking Him so long?

Second Peter 3:9 says: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

He wants everyone to turn to Him in repentance, but we are not to take advantage of His patience and continue in sin. Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

“For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2). In the same way that Israel should have repented immediately because they didn’t know how long God’s patience with them would last, we must turn to Him now instead of later because we do not know when He is coming back. And once He does, it will be too late for those who have not put their trust in Christ.

God’s Judgment (18-20)
God’s time of patience with the ungodly always comes to an end. It happened with Noah, and here we see it happening with Israel. God’s judgment fell upon Israel. He allowed them to be torn apart by enemy nations, and, finally, exiled from the Promised Land to Assyria. Judah held out for a while with a few good kings, but eventually, she followed in Israel’s footsteps and was exiled to Babylon in 605 B.C.

But even in exile, there were those few faithful Israelites and Judahites whom God saved: Daniel, Nehemiah, Esther, Ezra, and many others whose names we don’t know. Today, despite persecution and rampant sin in the visible church, God is still preserving a remnant of Christians who are faithful, whom He will preserve when He brings the final judgment upon the earth. Until that time, the words of Jesus are just as relevant today as when He said them 2000 years ago:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15

Idolatry, Sunday School, Worship

Worship Gone Wrong, Worship Gone Right ~ Sunday School Lesson ~ 2-16-14

Michelle Lesley

sunday school

These are my notes from my ladies’ Sunday School class this morning. I’ll be posting the notes from my class here each week. Click here for last week’s lesson.

Through the Bible in 2014 ~ Week 7 ~ Feb. 9-15
Exodus 30-Leviticus 10
Worship Gone Wrong ~ Worship Gone Right

Think about the last time you were invited over to someone’s house for dinner or a visit. Even if it was your closest friend’s house, did you go into her kitchen and start rearranging her cabinets so the dishes would be the way you like them? Refold her towels into thirds instead of halves? Insist on fried chicken when she had planned baked? Would you like it if your closest friend came to your house and started doing things like that?

What’s your favorite flower? Mine is pink roses, and my husband knows this very well. Would it have been loving for my husband to give me a cactus for Valentine’s Day—even though he knows I can’t stand them –because that’s the plant he likes best?

We all have a certain way we like things done at our own homes for certain reasons. We have all been given gifts that make us feel loved and cherished (and some gifts that haven’t). God is no different. When we come into His house to worship Him, we abide by His “house rules” out of love and respect for Him. We are to offer Him the worship He desires, not because it makes us happy or comfortable, but because that’s what makes Him “feel loved.”

This week’s reading was all about worship. Worship done the right way – God’s way, and worship done the wrong way – man’s way.

Worship Gone Wrong: Man’s Way (Exodus 32)

32:1-2: Worship goes wrong when we take our focus off God.
Moses didn’t bring them out of Egypt, God did. But the people’s focus was only on the temporal and tangible. They hounded Aaron to give them a god they could see and worship their own way rather than an invisible God whose ways were holy and different from theirs. They were not thinking about what God wanted but what they wanted.

32:2-14: Worship goes wrong when the pastor is more interested in pleasing the people (or himself) than pleasing God.
Rather than leading the people and holding up God’s standard for them, Aaron gave in to their base desires. Contrast this with Moses who was more interested in God’s glory, His name being honored among the heathens, and His covenant promises, than Moses’ own self interest of being made a “great nation”.

32:4-6: Worship goes wrong when we paste God’s name on man made rituals.
Notice that they essentially called the golden calf “God” and claimed that worshiping it was actually worshiping God. This was not a situation in which they were inventing a new god to worship.

32:15-19: Worship goes wrong when we break God’s law (Exodus 19-20:21).
The people had heard from the very mouth of God himself, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them…” Those are the first and second Commandments! They knew God’s Law and intentionally broke it. Our worship is unacceptable to God (indeed, it isn’t worship at all) when we do it while knowingly disobeying Him. (Naked church, homosexuality affirming “churches”, female pastors.)

32:25: Worship goes wrong when we give unbelievers the opportunity to mock God.
When the people “break loose” from doing things biblically with the pastor leading the way (as in the New Apostolic Reformation movement, for example), the world rightly mocks them. As a result, many unbelievers understandably take the position, “If that’s what Christianity is, I don’t want any part of it.” This is to our shame. (This is different, however, from being mocked for upholding biblical standards, such as standing against abortion or homosexuality.)

32:26-28: Worship goes wrong when people refuse to repent of their sin (Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:11-13).
The three thousand men who refused to repent of their idol worship were the problem here, not the Levites. They were given every opportunity to repent and refused. This compounded their sin by forcing their brothers into a horrific situation of having to kill them.

Today, when church members refuse to repent of their sin, God has instructed us to put them outside the fellowship (after due process). This is painful for all involved, and puts brothers and sisters who are trying to faithfully follow God’s word in the awful position of having to confront and discipline people they may dearly love. It often causes a deep wound that necessarily hinders worship.


Worship Gone Right: God’s Way

God cares about the smallest details of how we approach Him in worship. (Exodus 30, 39)
He’s not an “anything goes” God. We see this in the detailed instructions about the construction of the ark, the tabernacle, and all its accessories, right down to the recipe for the anointing oil (30) and the little pomegranates on the hems of the priestly garments (39). (We’ll also see His instructions about worship to the church in the New Testament.) If God cares this much about the little details of worship, what are some things in our worship services and other church activities that we need to think about as to whether or not they’re pleasing to God?

God takes worship seriously, and so should His people (Exodus 32, Leviticus 10, Acts 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 11:29-30).
The results of the golden calf incident (32), the strange fire incident (10), as well as situations in the New Testament show us that the way we worship and conduct activities in the church is no trivial matter to God. When He gives instructions about worship, He means what He says. It is just as wrong for us in the New Testament church to disregard God’s instructions about the Lord’s supper, giving offerings, qualifications for pastors/teachers, etc., as it was for Nadab and Abihu to offer “strange fire” before the Lord.

This doesn’t mean we can’t experience and express joy during worship—God wants us to! But there are also times to weep over our sin, listen intently to God’s word, and pray fervently. What are some things that show that a church/church members take worship seriously?

The men who lead God’s people have a grave responsibility to lead biblically, and God’s people have the responsibility to follow them biblically. (Exodus 32, Leviticus 10, 2 Timothy 4:1-5)
Pastors are to be faithful to God and His requirements for worship regardless of what the people clamor for. When pastors give in to the sinful desires of their people, they both endorse and give their people the opportunity to sin. So long as the pastor is standing by Scripture, we are to follow his leadership and support him.

The results of worship gone right (Leviticus 9:22-24)
When worship is done biblically, the pastor is in right relationship with God. He’s in the right position spiritually to be a blessing to God’s people. God blesses the people, they see His glory, He is pleased with their worship, His presence is with them, and it generates more worship.