Before Whom Will We Bow?

 “…He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.”

(Isaiah 44:14–15 ESV)

We don’t see or experience much in the way of traditional idol worship here in the United States. We don’t typically see people bowing before a statue, or a carved image, praying to it. Yet this continues to take place in many parts of the world.

The first time I experienced something remotely like this was as I lived in San Diego, where I served my first congregation. Many immigrants from Vietnam lived in my neighborhood. And many of these families had a small altar outside of their home, in which they’d regularly place a small offering of rice for their ancestors.

As I’ve been in other parts of the world, on mission trips, I’ve seen temples. Although I didn’t go into these temples, they contained the gods worshiped by the people. They contained idols to which the people would bow and offer their prayers.

For those of us, unfamiliar with these customs and religions, this seems foolish. And it is foolish. Isaiah, in the passage above, makes this clear.

He presents the illustration of a man who plants a tree, he plants a cedar, and it’s nourished by the rain. It then becomes fuel for him. He takes a part of this tree and warms himself. Over the fire, he bakes his bread.

At the same time, however, he makes a god of that same tree. He makes an idol from its wood. He then worships it. He falls down before it. He cries out to it for deliverance, declaring it to be his god.

He makes clear, in this way, that an idol is nothing. He makes clear that it is the work of man. He makes clear that it is the creation of man.

This, then, makes clear the foolishness of such an act. After all, how can something man has made deliver him? How can the creation of man save him?

Although this seems foreign to us, it’s really more familiar than we tend to believe. We too practice idolatry. We too depend upon man or the work of his hands for salvation.

In our culture, we often make a god of ourselves, looking to ourselves for salvation. We may look to others. We may depend upon political leaders. We may depend upon armies. We may depend upon wealth and possessions. We may depend upon technology. The examples are endless.

And just as we see the foolishness of bowing down to a block of wood, so must we see the foolishness of our actions. We must repent of it, turning to Christ for forgiveness and salvation. And rather than looking to something we have made to save us, we must look to the one who has made us.

Where Life is Found

 “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.“

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭18‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our tendency is to behave like those who surround us. We do so because we want to fit in. We want to be liked and accepted by those among whom we live.

This, however, is a problem. It’s a problem because those who surround us are living in sin. They live only to satisfy their passions and desires. And, therefore, they are under God’s judgment.

This is what God was telling the people of Israel in Leviticus 18. They were not to do as they did in the land of Egypt, from which they had been delivered. Nor were they to do as they did in the land of Canaan, the land to which they were going.

Although it’s not directly stated, the people of these nations were under God’s judgment. They were under his wrath. And to live like them, then, is to be under God’s wrath.

They, rather, were to be different. They were to be distinct. They were to be holy, set apart from those who surrounded them.

They were to follow the Lord’s rules. They were to keep his statutes. And they were to walk in them.

If a person does them, God says, he will live by them. If he does them, rather than suffering judgment, he will have life. If he does them, rather than experiencing God’s wrath, his life will be preserved. It will be sustained.

As we read these words, we understand what God is saying. Yet, a difficulty soon presents itself. And the difficulty is that, no matter what we do, we cannot abide by God’s Word.

We see this played out in the history of Israel. Although they had the Word of God, and although they knew his laws, they continually violated them. And they lived like the nations who surrounded them.

It was for this reason that they fell under God’s judgment. It was for this reason that they experienced his wrath. And it’s for this reason that their nation was eventually destroyed.

The same is true of us. We cannot live according to God’s laws no matter how hard we try. Like the people of Israel, like the Jews, we continually revert to our sinful ways.

We too, then, are under God’s wrath. We are under his judgment. And we deserve nothing other than death and destruction.

The good news, however, is that God sent his Son into the world. And Jesus was able to keep the Word of God. He was able to fulfill the Law of God. 

He did so for us. He did so on our behalf. And he did so that, as we trust in him, we can receive the blessing of life.

More than that, he took our sin upon himself. He took our curse upon himself. He then died in our place, satisfying the wrath of God and paying the penalty we deserve.

Although we are still called to be different from those who surround us, and although we are still called to have distinct lives, our life is found in Jesus. Our salvation is found in Jesus. It’s found in the one who lived the perfect life we’re unable to live, and gave his life in our place.

Realistic Thinking

 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

(Romans 12:3 ESV)

We’re told that we can accomplish anything to which we set our mind. We’re told that we can better do anything that someone else can do. And, generally speaking, we want to believe these voices.

We think highly of ourselves. We think highly of our abilities. We think, in fact, too highly of them.

In the passage above, we are told by Paul that we’re not to think too highly of ourselves. We are, rather, to think of ourselves with sober judgment. We’re to think of ourselves rationally and within reason.

He says we’re to think of ourselves according to the measure of faith God has assigned. Faith recognizes, you see, that each blessing is a gift from God’s hand. And our faith will not take credit for the blessings and abilities given us.

If we read on, in the next couple verses, we’re reminded that the church is a body. And just as our physical body is made up of many members, so too is the church.

We, in other words, are not able to do everything. We’re not equipped, in fact, to do everything. God has called, appointed, and equipped different individuals to serve in various ways.

There are limits to our gifts. There are limits to our abilities. And this prevents pride from setting in.

While we may not always realize it, this is a blessing. It’s a blessing as we, then, don’t seek to take too much upon ourselves. It’s a blessing as others are better able to carry out certain tasks and functions. And, as they do so, they are a blessing to us.

We are able to rest. We are able to receive the ministry they have to offer. And we’re able to be blessed by them.

So, no matter what I want to believe, I cannot accomplish anything to which I set my mind. I cannot always perform a certain task better than another. And that’s OK. It’s good. And I can find rest in it.

Children of Promise

 “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Jews of Jesus’ day believed themselves to be the children of God. They believed this even though he said otherwise. He told them, in fact, that they were children of the devil (John 8:44).

They believed this, however, because they were descended from Abraham. They believed this because they had been saved from their bondage in Egypt and given the Promised Land. They believed this because, to them, God had given his promise. And they believed this because, to them, God had given his Word.

American Christians tend to make the same mistake, when it comes to the Jews. We give them a higher status than the rest of us. And we assume that they’re saved, even apart from faith in Christ.

Paul tells us, however, that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. He tells us that not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring. It’s not at all an issue of descent or lineage.

 He explains, in the passage above, that it is not the children of flesh who are the children of God. It isn’t those who possess the right bloodline or heritage who are children of God. It’s the children of promise, he tells us, who are counted as offspring.

What makes a person a part of Israel, what makes him part of the people of God, then, is faith. What makes a person a child of Abraham, then, is faith. And what makes a person a child of God, then, is his faith. 

Gentile believers, like most of us, are part of Israel. We are children of Abraham. And we are children of God.

At the same time, Jews who do not believe in Jesus, are not truly Jews. They are not truly a part of Israel. They are not truly children of Abraham. And they are not truly children of God.

God, of course, desires their salvation as much as anyone’s. And he works for their salvation as much as anyone’s. But their heritage does not set them apart, nor does it set them above the rest of us.

That being said, we must take care that we don’t become arrogant, as they were. We must take care that we don’t believe ourselves to be better or above others. Just as we become the children of God by faith, so too can anyone.

And, in the same way, if we turn from this faith, no longer are we his children. If we begin to trust in our heritage, if we begin to trust in our bloodline, we’re no longer his children. Each of these blessings is received through faith in Christ alone.