Our 3rd Hebrew School lesson was just uploaded to YouTube, almost day late because I lost my voice while sick this past week. Today we learned how to make the sounds of more consonants in the Hebrew alephbeit, plus another vowel. We plan to release videos every Monday and Friday morning, so be sure to subscribe! :-)
Thought for Today: Tuesday September 06:
May Adonai refresh your soul, and renew your perspective. Though you have reasons to worry, you have more reasons for faith. May you put your faith in His hands and fix your eyes on Him. Ask Him to fill you with blessed assurance this hour. He’s got you.
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https://againstdeception.hearnow.com/blessed
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Thought for Today: Monday September 05:
The word {Redeem} means to buy back – to recover by paying a price. The word redeemed can be illustrated from the ancient world by the position of a slave who had been captured in battle or enticed into serving one who was not his legal master. His real master however, intend on recovering his slave’s service and love, would buy him back – redeem him from the enemy – at great personal cost. That is what YHVH did for us… By Yeshua’s death on the cross, He paid the price for our deliverance, a price far greater than our true value. He did it solely because He Loved us. Now we have been redeemed.
Thought for Today: Monday September 05:
The word {Redeem} means to buy back – to recover by paying a price. The word redeemed can be illustrated from the ancient world by the position of a slave who had been captured in battle or enticed into serving one who was not his legal master. His real master however, intend on recovering his slave’s service and love, would buy him back – redeem him from the enemy – at great personal cost. That is what YHVH did for us… By Yeshua’s death on the cross, He paid the price for our deliverance, a price far greater than our true value. He did it solely because He Loved us. Now we have been redeemed.
IDOLS AND IDOLATRY --- PART 3
Why Does The Bible Consistently Condemn Idolatry?
Idolatry Reduces YHVH To A Deity That Can Be Manipulated:
Jacob told everyone in his household; ‘Destroy your idols, wash yourselves and put on clean clothing.’ -- Genesis 35:2. Why did the people have these idols? Idols were sometimes seen more as good-luck charms than as gods. Some Israelites, even though they worshiped YHVH, had idols in their homes, just as some believers today own good-luck trinkets. Jacob believed that idols should have no place in his household. He wanted nothing to divert his family’s spiritual focus. Jacob ordered his household to get rid of their gods. Unless we remove idols from our life, they can ruin our faith. What idols do we have? An idol is anything we put before YHVH. Idols don’t have to be physical objects; they can be thoughts or desires. Like Jacob, we should get rid of anything that could stand between us and YHVH.
Idolatry Often Arises Out Of Conformity To Our Environment:
When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. ‘Look,’ they said, ‘make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don’t know what has happened to him.’ -- Exodus 32:1. Two popular Egyptian gods; Hapi [Apis] and Hathor, were thought of as a bull and a heifer. The Canaanites around them worshiped Baal, thought of as a bull. Baal was their sacred symbol of power and fertility and was closely connected to immoral sexual practices. No doubt the Israelites, fresh from Egypt, found it quite natural to make a golden calf to represent YHVH who had just delivered them from their oppressors. They were weary of a god without a face. But in doing so, they were ignoring the Command He had just given them: Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish -- 20:4. They may even have thought they were worshiping YHVH. Their apparent sincerity was no substitute for obedience, nor excuse for disobedience.
Idolatry Is An Attempt To Make YHVH In Our Image:
Even if we do not make idols, we are often guilty of trying to make YHVH in our image, moulding Him to fit our expectations, desires and circumstances. When we do this, we end up worshiping ourselves rather than Elohiym who created us and self-worship, today as in the Israelites’ time, leads to all kinds of immorality. What is your favourite image of YHVH? Is it biblical? Is it adequate? Do you need to destroy it in order to worship the immeasurably powerful YHVH who delivered you from bondage to sin?
Idolatry Worships The Creation Rather Than The Creator:
Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living YHVH, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people or birds and animals and snakes. -- Romans 1:22-23. How could intelligent people turn to idolatry? Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about YHVH. Instead of looking to Him as the Creator and Sustainer of life, they see themselves as the centre of the universe. They soon invent gods that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans and decrees. These gods may be wooden figures, but they may also be goals or things we pursue such as money, power or comfort. They may even be misrepresentations of YHVH Himself; making YHVH in our image, instead of the reverse. The common denominator is this; idolaters worship the things YHVH made rather than YHVH Himself. Is there anything you feel you can’t live without? Is there any priority greater than YHVH? Do you have a dream you would sacrifice everything to realize? Does YHVH take first place? Do you worship YHVH or idols of your own making?
Idolatry Is Part Of An Overall Rejection Of YHVH:
Paul clearly portrays the inevitable downward spiral into sin. First, people reject YHVH; next, they make up their own ideas of what a god should be and do; then they fall into sin; sexual sin, greed, hatred, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip. Finally, they grow to hate YHVH and encourage others to do so. YHVH does not cause this steady progression toward evil. Rather, when people reject Him, He allows them to live as they choose. YHVH gives them over or permits them to experience the natural consequences of their sin. Once caught in the downward spiral, no one can pull himself or herself out. Sinners must trust Moshiach alone to put them on the path of escape.
IDOLS AND IDOLATRY --- PART 2
In The New Testament:
The fullest discussion in the New Testament on idolatry [eidololatreia] and the idol worshiper [eidololatres] is found in Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians. Earlier, Paul had told the Corinthians not to associate with those who called themselves believers but were still idol worshipers -- 1 Corinthians 5:9-11. After that letter the Corinthians must have asked Paul for more information on this matter. Thus, in this epistle Paul provides a response to their question. The [idol worshiper] is mentioned in -- 5:10-11, 6:9 and -- 10:7 and idolatry is spoken of in -- 10:14. The terms idolatry and idol worshiper are related to two other expressions. Idol [eidolon] is found in -- 1 Corinthians 8:4; 10:19; 12:2. Food sacrificed to idols [eidolothutos] is found in -- 8:1, 4, 7; 10:19. Paul condemns the idolatry that involved believer’s offering sacrifices to idols and then partaking of the food that had been sacrificed to them. The participants are called idol worshipers because their involvement in idolatrous sacrifices was seen as having fellowship with demons. Paul prohibited the eating of sacrificial food at the popular temples in the presence of idol-demons. As such, he shared the same view about idols as most Jews in his day. For the Jews, idols and heathen deities were identical. -- See 1 Thessalonians 1:9, where Paul contrasts idols with the living and true YHVH. To Paul, idols in and of themselves were nothing -- 1 Corinthians 8:4.
Behind the idol however, was a demon -- 10:20. The eating of sacrificial food at the meals in pagan temples was condemned by Paul. It was understood that the participants thereby became united to demons -- see 1 Corinthians 10:19-21. However, Paul had no problem with those who purchased food that had been left over from these events and that was later sold in the marketplace. In his judgment, if they ate it at home, they were not participating in idolatry. They could eat this food with a good conscience; unless of course, in doing so they would be the means of destroying a weaker believer. For the sake of such believers, one should abstain. This was a matter of conscience -- 10:25-29. But going to pagan festivities and eating meals offered to idols was not permitted in any form. The Corinthians had participated in these meals regularly before they became believers. Apparently, they had continued to do so after their conversion. In Corinth such meals were the regular practice both at national festivals and private celebrations. Paul considered the gods to be demons. They were thought to be present at these events because the sacrifices were made to them. Thus, to participate in these events was to join oneself to demons and thereby become an idol worshiper. The ancient Israelites had been carried away into idolatry by their pagan neighbours on several occasions. They were tempted to participate in these pagan celebrations -- for example, Numbers 25; compare Exodus 32:6. The festivities involved all sorts of immoral behaviours. In -- 1 Corinthians 10, Paul referred to this apostasy of the Israelites and used it as a negative example. Because the Israelites became involved in pagan festivities, they were carried away into idolatry and sexual immorality. These acts brought YHVH’s wrath and destruction. Paul mentions idolatry in his other epistles. But the fullest discussion is found in -- 1 Corinthians. Nonetheless, Paul speaks out against actual idolatry and what we might call figurative idolatry [i.e., idolatry in the sense of desiring something above YHVH]. In -- Romans 1:18-32 sexual immorality and other sins are ultimately traced to idolatry.
The Gentiles, who should have known that YHVH existed, as shown in creation and conscience, abandoned the immortal, invisible YHVH in exchange for mortal, visible images [i.e., idols]. Because of this abandonment, YHVH gave them over to do the filthy things their hearts desired -- 1:24. Thus, idolatry is included in Paul’s list of what he calls [the works of the flesh] -- see Galatians 5:19-20. And idol worshipers are included in the catalogue of all those evil people who will not inherit the Kingdom of YHVH -- see 1 Corinthians 6:9. In -- Ephesians 5:5 Paul again includes idolaters among those who will not inherit the Kingdom of YHVH. However, such idolaters are not just those who go to pagan temples and worship idols. They are those who are greedy. The best translation reads: -- No fornicator or impure person or greedy person, which is the same as an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Moshiach and of YHVH. The point seems to be that the greedy person who makes his desires his god is much the same as an idolater. Thus, greed and idolatry are made synonymous. The parallel passage, -- Colossians 3:5, makes this clear. It specifically says greed is idolatry.
Anne Elliott
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