I Don’t Get It, But Maybe I Will Just Accept It… Tomorrow
I have been amazed for years by the vast ignorance of the scriptures that most Christians have. Ouch. Yes, maybe this is why I don’t have very many friends.
From dying loved ones all becoming angels, to Jesus coming back at any moment, ignorance. What is worse is that they are ignorant because they worship men rather than God. What!? Yes, that is what I said. They worship men, not God.
Idols, they were the thing that pissed God off the most in the history of Israel. So, wouldn’t it be a good thing to avoid that which irritated God so much that He would use terribly ungodly nations to almost wipe them out? Well, I think so.
The thing about idols is that they are nothing. Yup, no demons living in stone statues as many would have you believe. How do I know this? Well, the bible. God, Himself, through the scriptures says it many, many times. Idols are nothing. It is the why that is the problem.
Why what? Well, why people worship idols to begin with. Look, Israel as a nation KNEW God existed. They are the ones who saw the parting of the sea. They are the ones who saw the mountain covered in fire. You would think that seeing these things would make a big difference in their lives.
I can understand why a pigmy, in a jungle 3000 years ago, worshiped an idol. He didn’t know squat. Yet, he could see there was a way about life that showed a design. Yup, even an ignorant pigmy could grasp that there is something or someone out there. So, they would worship a god or gods. Since they had no idea what it or they would look like, the pigmies would make lots of assumptions and create an image out of wood or stone. Yet even so, why worship it at all? Simple, they wanted control.
What do you mean control? Why go to a god at all? As a pigmy, or anyone else for that matter, you eventually see a thing or path you want to take, yet you have realized your best efforts aren’t going to get it for you. The only option then is to seek the favor of those or him who is in control of the greater things, the bigger picture. Yes, idol worship is just simply an act to get what you want.
Isn’t that how we often “use” God? Yes, it is…
Israel, though, knew God. They had seen Him do things. Yet, they still turned to stone objects even though He blatantly told them it was stupid. Why? Consider a small child. He goes to his father to ask for a piece of candy. The father says, “No, it is too close to dinner!” The child still wants the candy. He doesn’t understand the why of his dad’s response. He doesn’t care. He WANTS the candy. He then goes to his mother. “No, it is too close to dinner!” If the child trusted his parents, he would stop there. However, he does not. “Grampa!” “Sure little one! You can have several pieces of candy!!” It is like that.
The reason God hates the idol worship thing is because those who know better, know Him and have no great reason not to trust Him, still go to another “god” to hopefully get a response that is more favorable to their “needs”. Of course, just like God, the parents would be ticked off too, especially at Grandpa.
Sure there is a devil and sure he is the current prince of this world. Yes, he hates God and wants nothing more than to deceive God’s children into trusting something else. Yet, Satan in all his power does not have the bandwidth to posses or live in a stone object. Nor does he have enough evil spirit minions to do the same. However, if he can get one idiot to blow off God because they didn’t get what they wanted and focus their attention on a Reverend Doctor Doo Doo Head, well, then he has done the same thing. He has given them an idol.
“Why read the scriptures myself? That could take years! Look at Reverend Doo Doo! He has studied for most of his life (He said so). He has a monster church (success is clearly how God shows His favor…). He has a degree from a notable Christian University (of course they are not into it for the money)! No, I am not going to study myself, I will just listen to Doo Doo.“
Personally, I have found, all on my own, that most Reverend Doo Doo’s are not worth the air of the words that come out of their mouths. They have clearly, from scripture, chosen to put themselves before God and His people. They live like rock stars. They have amassed followers who bow to their every word. Do you really think that God is pleased with them or their worshipers?
How often has God used the big, noble or impressive to speak to His people? In scripture, well, Saul, yes, he was big and impressive. How did that one work out? Not so well. Yet, God did change the world with a few uneducated fishermen.
Life, it is not about what you have been told. It isn’t about building a bigger and better church. It isn’t about feeding the hungry or even reaching the lost. It sure isn’t becoming a biblical scholar with eight different degrees in Hebrew and Greek. No, it is about growing in faith, real trust in God. The kind of faith that when you get an unfavorable response, you don’t even think about going to another source…because you know there isn’t one.
Faith is trusting God in the midst of disappointment and pain, trusting that His plan, even though you don’t like it, is for the best.
You know, this sounds much easier than it actually is. Think about Judas. Look, God is not promising you a happy, sweet and wonderful life. And that may be for the entirety of your walk on this planet. Judas had a purpose. Did Judas make it? No. Not according to scripture. “Doomed to destruction” was the phrase Jesus used. Judas killed himself out of a complete lack of faith. Yet, of course, what Judas did was necessary. “Boy, that doesn’t seem very nice…” Who are you, oh man, to Judge God? Yea, I got that from Romans chapter 9.
Look, we don’t know God’s purpose or plan. Job didn’t and I don’t believe he did until he left this world…and maybe not even then. Clearly, as is written in the book of Job, God is under no obligation to explain Himself to you or anyone. But He has already done plenty of things in your life to show you that HE is in charge. Yes, He has. If you have to dig them up to build up your faith, then do so. I have been living in that place on a daily basis for quite a while.
God is good. That is true. But WE do not know what good actually is. Is it good for the child to have a piece of candy? Maybe, maybe not. We don’t really know, even as “good” parents. We do our best. Yet, God really, really does what is THE best. No exceptions.
“So what about Judas? Isn’t that situation just not fair”.
How would you know? Do you see the complete picture of all time and space? No, not even close. Yet, has not God already been good to you? Do you feel His love in your heart? Have you ever seen His smile? No? Then, seriously, you should seek Him for these things. You need to know God is good without the information from Reverend Doo Doo Head.
All I can tell you is that God is good, better than anyone can even grasp. I KNOW He is. He has hurt me, tested me and challenged me for many years. I have had failures in ministry. Job losses 10 times. I have been despised by those charged, by God, to point me to Him. I have been rejected by the “family” of God as well as my own blood. I STILL cling to Him.
Where else would I go? Idols of stone? Idols of flesh? No, they are all worthless, impressive as they might be with their gold and jewels, degrees and radio programs. No, they are completely worthless. I stand with Jesus, even though I have no idea why He says no to the candy I want so desperately. I have no Grandpa, no mother. I only have a really, really good Father.
I must trust Him… yes, I must…maybe tomorrow.
Like you, I am also in a place of growth. Thus, I believe, is maybe the reason for the lack of that candy in my walk with God.
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.