“Take thy father’s oxen…and throw down that altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it.” Judges 6:25
Dear Ones:
When God called Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia, in order to bring him into Canaan, the promised land, He most certainly did so in order to make him a man of faith. In order to do this, there had to be a dissociation between Abraham and his father Terah, because he was an idolater, for “…he served many gods.” (Joshua 24:2) Let’s remember that idolatry is basically a wrong thought towards God, followed by a false worship of God. So, in Haran, the Lord tells Abraham to specifically: “…Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” (Gen. 12:1) The great point here is NOT separation from family, but a separation from false ideas that will affect the true worship, and the consequent blessing of God.
When God was going to deliver Israel from the domination of the Midianites, He found his man in Gideon. But Gideon had a problem, and it had to do with the close association with his father. The problem with his father was that he too was an idolater, a worshipper of Baal, and different images, which represented false ideas of God. In order for Gideon to have the blessing of God, and be used of God to save his people, he must worship God in “Spirit and TRUTH.” The true and living God can and will only be worshipped according to the truth, never the lie. Hence, the “altar of Baal…and the groves” must be thrown down, cut down.
Perhaps the greatest, and clearest picture in the Bible, of the essence of idolatry is that concerning the golden calf that was made by Aaron in the wilderness. Moses had gone up to the mountain to meet the Lord, and while he was away, the people decided that he would not be coming back, and they needed a “god” to guide and provide for them. Their “ideas” resulted in the fabrication of a golden calf, which they in turn, worshipped. This led to a departure from their mission and purpose, to embrace debauchery. God could no longer bless the people, for they sought to worship according to their own ideas, and not according to the truth. In this case, a good many people lost their lives, who were not willing to forsake their idolatry. The intervention of God was so severe because the survival and existence of the entire nation rested on the adherence to the truth of God, which He alone will bless.
The Bible is the greatest book ever written, not because it is ancient, nor because there are many sayings that are wise. It is principally great because in its pages is revealed the TRUTH of God, and the testimony of that truth throughout history. When the Lord Jesus walked this earth, He declared that He was (is) the truth, and that He came to give testimony TO the truth. What a blessing, that we should be provided the truth of God, that we might worship him with certainty. He will be found by those who will seek Him in truth, and who will seek to KNOW the truth of Him.
Dear Father, make us diligent seekers of Thyself, and Thy Son. Enable us to see, grasp, and understand in the pages of Thy word, the TRUTH of Thyself, that we might truly know and worship Thee. Reveal Thyself by Thy Spirit to our hearts, according to the truth. Then men will see and know that Thou art God. We thank Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad