25 Jul 2017

I’ll Take A Bite Of That

by | posted in: Church, Culture | 12,837

There is a reason we follow recipes, to make something that is good and palatable, and also mostly because certain ingredients do not mix. One may change the type of cheese, or use almond milk instead of cow milk in a recipe. Because some ingredients may be different, they do not ruin the final product. It just gives it a different flavor. However, you may not replace the flower in pancakes with baking soda, because you would not end up with pancakes.

In the same way we must ensure we do not mix in outside worship of idols with the true worship of God. “Well”, one might add, “I only worship God”. Yes, by everything you understand you would believe that, but here lies my point. The worship of idols can sneak into the worship of God without it being obvious to us. Idols don’t always look like little brass statues that you can place on the mantle, though some of them might stick on the car window.

An idol that stands out is easily defeated, but one that slowly works its way in becomes natural and part of a culture. The mixing of idol worship and the worship of God may not seem distasteful to us, but is grossly unpalatable to God. This is where we come to the story of Balaam and Balak. In the book of numbers we find Balak, who was king over Moab, in fear of the Jews. He sends after Balaam knowing that “he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed”(Numbers 22:6). However, God warns Balaam to only speak what he is told. This does not go over well with Balak since Balaam ends up blessing Israel three times. Chapter 24 ends with Balaam telling what was to happen in the days to come and then vs. 25 of chapter 24 says “Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way”.

The next chapter begins with the Israelites playing the harlot with the daughters of Moab, feasting on food sacrificed to idols and bowing to them as well. So the question is what happened? Here was a mighty nation moving along and following God’s plan and all of sudden they are joined to Baal of Peor. We find the rest of the story of Balak and Balaam in Revelation 2:12-17.

Balaam could not curse the people; however at some point he taught Balak how to trip them up. The verse says to place a “stumbling block” in front of them. Balak placed food sacrificed to idols in front of them to eat and enticed them to commit acts of immorality. This false worship and immorality led to Numbers chapter 25 in which the Lord became angry with Israel.

So why did Israel not reject the food and worship of Baal? Simply put, the food looked good and the women were pretty. “And if all I have to do is bow, then I get hot food and hot ladies… I mean this is their culture and I want to be seen as relevant, besides I still observe the Sabbath”. These things don’t seem so wrong, at least after the 3rd and 4th time. The word for “stumbling block” could also mean “snare”. Those that hunt and fish know you don’t catch prey if the bait doesn’t look enticing and the snare or stumbling block is visible. One trips over the “block” because their eyes are focused somewhere else; they don’t see it for what it is.

So what does this mean for us? We are smart people and we have access to more information than a bunch of folks running around in the desert. But knowledge is not as valuable as wisdom. Knowledge knows what it is we do, and where we go, and where we spend our time and money. Wisdom tells us why we do it. Godly wisdom is the key in understanding which items in our lives are idols and which are true worship and which ones need to be prayed about further.

So now we come to the Church in America, which is more accurately the American Church. So what is it, you might ask, that I am getting at? That the idols have crept into the church, which means there are those of us that worship things other than or along with God. The problem is the idols are different for each of us. (James 1:14) We can worship our sexuality, our “cause” be it pro or anti this and that, or even our politics. A person running for office often becomes our savior if we are not careful. “He/she will fix everything, if we can just get them elected.” We can even begin to praise our government, singing its praises in a worship service. We sacrifice our Saturdays to give honor to our favorite sports teams, and spend our weekday nights at ball parks in service to sports.

Now is it wrong to be pro or anti this and that? Is it wrong to want good leaders? Is it wrong to watch sports and let your kids play them? Depends on what you are searching for. You see the problem is not with the meat. All things are made clean and we know that there are no other gods. However, our desire to have those “meats” drives us to compromise and worship the idols that are associated with them. There is nothing wrong with a child playing baseball; it is when the game becomes the desire of our heart, or when we praise our nation as though it is our savior. It is when we miss where the meat comes from that we are led astray. We believe that the idol provides the meat we desire, whether it be peace, justice, happiness, or protection. These things are to be sought from God. Dead idols can do nothing for us.

This brings us back to us, the church. When we are enticed by the things of the world, we must be careful that they do not become the object of our affection. Because when they do, we will mix them in our true worship. The idols will compete with our worship of God and if not thrown down we will bow our knee to them and give Sunday lip service to the one true God.

12837 Responses

  2. مشاوره انتخاب رشته کنکور
    | Reply

    Great blog! Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring writers?
    I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost
    on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform
    like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are
    so many choices out there that I’m completely confused
    .. Any suggestions? Cheers!

  8. سایت ثبت نام دانشگاه علمی کاربردی
    | Reply

    Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text
    in your article seem to be running off the screen in Firefox.
    I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to
    do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d
    post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue
    resolved soon. Many thanks

  9. webpage
    | Reply

    Please let me know if you’re looking for a article author for your blog.

    You have some really great articles and I believe I would be a
    good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d
    love to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.

    Please send me an e-mail if interested. Kudos!

    My web page … webpage

  12. امداد خودرو جنوب تهران
    | Reply

    Hi, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues.
    When I look at your blog site in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
    I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, wonderful
    blog!

  17. Bennie
    | Reply

    Wonderful items from you, man. I have take into account your stuff
    previous to and you are simply too great. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you
    are saying and the way in which during which you say it. You make it enjoyable and
    you continue to care for to keep it sensible. I cant wait to learn far more from you.

    This is actually a wonderful website.

  23. امداد خودرو شمال تهران
    | Reply

    I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here.
    The sketch is attractive, your authored subject
    matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought
    an nervousness over that you wish be delivering the following.
    unwell unquestionably come further formerly again since
    exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield
    this hike.

  24. Gilberto
    | Reply

    Hi there! I simply would like to give you a big thumbs up for
    your excellent info you have got right here on this post.
    I will be returning to your blog for more soon.

  28. Madelaine
    | Reply

    whoah this blog is fantastic i really like reading your posts.
    Stay up the good work! You already know, a lot of people are looking around
    for this information, you can help them greatly.

  30. nonton bokep hot
    | Reply

    Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone!
    Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts!
    Keep up the excellent work!

  31. GullyBET
    | Reply

    Hello there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading your posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Appreciate it!

  32. AnthonyGe
    | Reply

    Profil Kousha site offers the highest quality steel products, including profiles and pipes, widely used in various industries in Iran. Our offerings include innovative products. Each product is designed with quality to meet our clients’ expectations. Take advantage of our leading technologies and discover why Profil Kousha is a market leader in steel. Register today and access the best steel products!

  34. youtube promotion service
    | Reply

    Awesome article! As somdone delving into youtube promotion service growth strategies,
    this guide is incredibly useful. Has anyone used a certain YouTube growth service thatt truly delivered results?

    I’m especially interested in services that get results through authentic growth.
    Anny suggestions or recommendations would be wonderful.

  38. gluco freedom reviews
    | Reply

    Does your site have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to send
    you an e-mail. I’ve got some recommendations for your blog you might be
    interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it grow over time.

    Here is my web-site … gluco freedom reviews

  43. voip
    | Reply

    Some truly interesting points you have written.Assisted me a lot, just what I was searching for : D.

  44. porno
    | Reply

    Hello! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate!
    He always kept talking about this. I will forward this post to him.
    Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *