Grand and expansive promises were made to those who would commit to the covenant and continue to follow the Lord God of Israel. David enjoyed a long a prosperous reign over the united nation of the twelve tribes of Israel. His son Solomon was coronated king to follow as David lay on his death bed.
Solomon inherited the task of building the temple of the Lord. In the process he acquired multiple wives in trade agreements with other nations and allowed their idols and worship practices to be brought into Israel. Tolerance of foreign gods introduced under the leadership of Solomon became an epidemic of idolatry in the succeeding kings. Eventually the kingdom and the promises of an everlasting covenant were stripped from Solomon and his heirs and the judgment of the Assyrian captivity and the Babylonian exile removed them from the Land of Promise. Their failure through idolatry produced the consequence of judgment. Judah served seventy years of oppression in the Babylonian exile.
Anything that comes between you and God becomes idolatry. Whatever takes our attention, displaces our loyalty, vies for our admiration, and demands our adoration is the sin of idolatry. “You shall have no other gods before Me” is one of the commandments (Exodus 20:3).
If it comes between you and God it is an idol. Anything that takes us away from God will cause us to lose His touch, fail to hear His voice, and become immune to His presence. It’s not so much the image as it is your attention. Where is your focus?
Idolatry will bring destruction. Loving God will bring fulfillment. The New Testament commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When God is placed above everything else there is room for nothing else. True worship and commitment to the new covenant will bring the reward of life!
Solomon inherited the task of building the temple of the Lord. In the process he acquired multiple wives in trade agreements with other nations and allowed their idols and worship practices to be brought into Israel. Tolerance of foreign gods introduced under the leadership of Solomon became an epidemic of idolatry in the succeeding kings. Eventually the kingdom and the promises of an everlasting covenant were stripped from Solomon and his heirs and the judgment of the Assyrian captivity and the Babylonian exile removed them from the Land of Promise. Their failure through idolatry produced the consequence of judgment. Judah served seventy years of oppression in the Babylonian exile.
Anything that comes between you and God becomes idolatry. Whatever takes our attention, displaces our loyalty, vies for our admiration, and demands our adoration is the sin of idolatry. “You shall have no other gods before Me” is one of the commandments (Exodus 20:3).
If it comes between you and God it is an idol. Anything that takes us away from God will cause us to lose His touch, fail to hear His voice, and become immune to His presence. It’s not so much the image as it is your attention. Where is your focus?
Idolatry will bring destruction. Loving God will bring fulfillment. The New Testament commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When God is placed above everything else there is room for nothing else. True worship and commitment to the new covenant will bring the reward of life!
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