• Obvious examples abound - the Egyptians, the Jews with the golden ox, the Greeks and Romans, etc.
• Other examples are a little less obvious, but the trend remains the same - man transferring God's glory from God to God's works:

Nu 21:8-9

8 The the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live." 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

2Ki 18:1-4

1 Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he bcame king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Ashera. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.

• What God did for good, man turned for evil.
• God did not command Moses to break His own law and make an idol, He provided a solution for the people in their time of need. He called the people to look to the provision He had made, not to carry it away with them when the need was complete.
• Has it happened again?

 

Jn 12:27-32

27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."

• Once more, God provided the solution for the people in their time of need. Once more, He called the people to look to the Provision He is.
• What does the cross mean today?
• For some, it's a 'fashion statement' devoid of meaning.
• For some, it's become an object of worship, the reason forgotten, just as before.
• Yet, the Resurrection is at the very center of our beliefs, so

Why the concern over Easter?

Dt 16:21-22

21 "You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 Neither shall you set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the LORD your God hates."

• Asherah became Aster became Easter, as Christianity compromised itself in hopes of converting the pagans around them.
• Look what it's become. Once more man worships the creation, rather than the Creator.
• We prefer cute little bunnies to an awesome, jealous God.

Ex 20:22-26

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23 You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make fore yourselves. 24 You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerincs and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 25 And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.'"

No representations, and no memorials

Amos 5:4-8

4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel,

"Seek Me that You may live.
5 "But do not resort to Bethel,
And do not come to Gilgal,
Nor cross over to Beersheba,
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity,
And Bethel will come to trouble.
6 "Seek the LORD that you may live,
Lest He break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph,
And it consume with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn justice into wormwood
And cast righteousness down to the earth."

8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion
And changes deep darkness into morning,
Who also darkens day into night,
Who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The LORD is His name.

BETHEL "House of God"

Where Abraham built an altar and offered sacrfice to the LORD (Ge 12:8). The site of Jacob's dream, where the God of Abraham and Isaac met him with promise (Ge 28:11-19). Jacob set up a pillar and anointed the place as "the House of God." Home of the ark of the covenant for a time. Here the men of Israel came to seek the LORD in regard to Benjamin's sin (Jg 20:18). It became a center of worship (1Sa 10:3 - those whom Saul was to meet were on their way there with offerings.) Under Jeroboam, it became the sanctuary and center of false worship, complete with golden calf, the sanctuary later destroyed under Josiah.

GILGAL "Circle"

Site of Israel's first encampment upon arrival in Canaan. Site of the 12 stones commemorating the crossing of the Jordan, of the first Passover celebrated in the land - the end of manna. One of Samuel's places of judgment, where Saul was crowned, and where his kingship was rejected. The place where David was welcomed from exile after Absolom's revolt.

BEERSHEBA "Well of Seven"

Site of Abraham's and Abimelech's oath (Ge 21:31), which was sealed by a sacrifice of seven ewe lambs. The sealing of an oath was made by the sacrifice of seven victims, so that to take an oath had the meaning of 'coming under the influence of seven.' Here, Abraham planted a tree and called upon the Everlasting God (Ge 21:33). Here, Isaac (Ge 26:23-24), Jacob (Ge 46:1-4), Elijah (1Ki 19:1-8) each were visited by God.

• All three were symbolic of God's visitations upon His chosen people.
• All three had become centers of idolatry by Amos' day.
• The creation had once more become more important than the Creator.
• By Amos' day, God's people were more concerned with the condition of the cities that commemorated His action on their behalf, than they were with the God who had acted on their behalf.
• There must be no memorial that stands larger in our sight than the God of whom we are a living memorial.

All Scripture serves to teach us

• God knows our weaknesses, and has given any number of instructions to His beloved to keep us from our sinfulness.
• God knows that even with that, we are incapable of self-control, so He sent His Son to be our propitiation, to be the mercy seat, to pay the penalty of our incessant rebellion.
• Are we free of danger? No.
  • We are always in danger of placing our own efforts before the desires of Him who is our Lord.
  • Every denomination is a memorial to a 'move of God.' Once more, the memorial becomes more important than the memorialized.
  • We measure our worship by our reactions, rather than His.
  • Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven - without question and without hesitation. Amen

©2001 - Jeffrey A. Wilcox