What God Hates

If you look at the Old Testament, there are quite a few things that God hates. Of course He hated murder, lies and crime. Still, the biggest peeve He had against the nation of Israel was due to idol worship, and leaning on support from other nations.

Huh, seems kind of odd that sacrificing a goat, to a little stone statue, would make Him mad enough to bring in the Babylonians to murder, rape and pillage! Almost seems contradictory.

It isn't.

I wrote yesterday (and many times before) about the big problem we face as man. The desire to ascend and be like God, to be in control. The connection to all that God hates, always comes back to this issue as the core motivation.

Yes, yes it does.

I mentioned that lying, stealing and murder are all actions taken because we don't trust God and therefore take matters into our own hands.

This IS what idol worship really is. Trusting in anything else but God.

The idea of creating an idol of, say a bowling ball, then bowing down to it, or sacrificing a pizza to it is really stupid to us.

Yet, if you consider that the reason folks did this at all, was to get something they want. Well then, it starts to not just seem to be a barbarian thing, but something we do now in a similar way.

You see, man turned to idols because they didn't trust God.

In the beginning, all of Adam's children knew the story of God and creation. Think about it. With Adam being alive for quite a few generations, any of the grandchildren, great grandchildren, or great, great, great, grandchildren could have gone to see him personally. Of course they knew who, and what God was. So, why did they start making idols?

As a child, when you wanted a cookie, you would go to your mom and ask. She, of course, had the keys to the cookie jar. You could just go and take one, but didn't, because you knew there would be severe consequences if you did (like there were for murder, lying, and stealing).

No, the best option was just to ask mom directly. Ah, but she said what you didn't want to hear..."No, you will spoil your dinner".

You really want the cookie. You don't care about the dinner. Though your mom is really looking out for your health, from a larger perspective, you don't trust that. You want the cookie! You don't want to get grounded, or worse, so you do the next best thing...you go ask dad.

Ooooh, you went and did it, but dad wasn't helpful either, and he told mom that you went around her back...now you are grounded until you are 18! Why did she get so mad!? It's not like you killed your sister, sheeesh!

A lack of trust is innately something we, like God, despise. Don't you just hate it when your friends don't believe you? Don't you question your relationships when "friends" don't value your mind, heart and concerns?

This is why God hates idols, and anything else we lean on, or go to, instead of trusting Him.

Just look at all the areas He forbids and how we still do them!

An idol (something you go to when God says no):

1. You don't get healed, freed, rescued, or protected when you want. Do you trust God, or travel the country to find a healer, even a pagan one?
   

2. Witchcraft, using words, rituals and dances to manipulate God, or gods. Have you considered how "teachers" say to use Words of Faith, Words of Power? The world calls this positive thinking. God calls it Witchcraft. Even using the phrase "in Jesus' name" at the end of a prayer to "claim" some power or authority, is the same form of idol worship.
   

3. Trusting in a church tradition, ritual, or action to appease, earn, or manipulate God is the same as sacrificing a goat.
   

4. Relying on horoscopes, astrology, and even random online quotes that are supposedly prophetic words from God.
   

5. Trusting in a man, pastor, priest, or politician to be your Source instead of going to your Father yourself.

It's not wrong to want something. It's not wrong to ask God. Although, it does immensely piss Him off when you don't trust Him enough to dissapointedly, or frustratingly rest in His decision.

Do you even trust that He decides?

Seeing how faith is everything in this world, how much more so do you think it irritates Him if you think He is not really in control?

Freewill?

God can't act of I don't do _______? God needs me to do ________ first?

Like the God who created all reality NEEDS us to do anything.

It's just plain stupid.

Scripture talks of God as the ultimate. He picked the tiny family of Jacob, renamed him Israel, and then used them to get the world's attention. Because people all went, and purposefully, trusted in a crazy amount of things other than Him.

Of course, though, He most definitely planned, and orchestrated all of this.

"Huh, that is bizzare!"

Yes, I would call it fascinating, and complicated.

He has a plan. This is His field, His project. He will, of course, get what He wants out of it. We who believe are the product, the produce.

Why, and what for, I don't know. What I do know, is that if we don't have faith, but trust in stupid idols, well, we are not the product. We are then, just another cog in the machine that makes the faith that He is after...in others.

Jonah 2:8

8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

God hates when we don't trust Him. When we don't, we reject the grace He freely gives, through faith in Him.

GOD IS

As frustrating, and painful as life can be, do you trust Him in it?

He can get you a cookie. He can create one out of nothing, anytime, anywhere.

Do you believe it, or do you try to find another way?