Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
5/28 Reading Portions: Deuteronomy 1; Psalms 81-82; Isaiah 29; 3 John
Psalm 81:9-10
There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
IDOLS
Our mortal flesh has such a tendency toward idolatry; we need to hear the exhortation not to commit it often. Just a few days ago, we read,
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21
Of today’s verse, Mr. Spurgeon wrote,
“Man is so desperate an idolater that the image is always a strong temptation.”
—C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Volume IV; Pilgrim Publications, Pasadena, TX
Even good and wonderful things can be idols to us: a wife or husband; our children; our work; even our worship as many people worship “worship” rather than the God who alone is worthy of worship. Whenever we give equal place, or greater place, to those things which compete with loyalty to Jesus, we have made those things idols in our lives. The ninth verse of Psalm 81 provides God’s command. The tenth verse provides the empowerment to carry it out. Though Moses led Israel out of Egypt, it was God alone who delivered them, saved them, and redeemed them. Your pastor, or some evangelist, or a Christian friend or family member, may have led you to Christ, yet it is the Lord Jesus Christ alone who saved you, delivered you from sin and death, redeemed you from judgment, and set you apart for Himself. Idols of wood and stone did not deliver you. Neither did your parents, your spouse, or your children. Your boss, your work, your hobbies, and your habits did not save you or sanctify you. We have only one Savior— Jesus Christ, our Lord. When we reflect upon that truth, it is powerful within our souls. It takes covetousness by the scruff of its idolatrous neck and throws it out on the street. Focusing upon the truth of one Redeemer helps to keep us from a double-mindedness and a divided heart. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Our mortal flesh has tendency
To covet things and make
E’en blessed things idolatry,
But idols we must break.
