I'm one of four children. I have two older siblings and a younger sibling so I am stuck right there in the middle. I remember watching my sister go through big, monumental moments in her teenage life, like prom, having her first boyfriend, her first car, just the things that come with the territory of being in high school. I remember eagerly looking forward to experiencing all of those things. I also remember that right as I was about to reach high school, she told me those things weren't that important. Having the perfect dress for prom wasn't that big of a deal. Getting the exact car I wanted wasn't the end all be all. I thought she was absolutely, certifiably insane. Until I went through all of those things and then I realized she was right. Those things, while fun and exciting, were not as important as I had built them up to be in my head. Naturally, I felt the need to pass on the information to my younger sister. I received the same reaction from her as I had given my older sister just a few years before. We often go to people we deem as wiser than us for advice, yet we don't always listen to them.
I've been reading through Judges lately and I must admit, I find it quite frustrating at times. It's just like that moment when I see my younger sister freaking out about something I freaked out about at one point in time, but really has no bearing on life. I wish I could just give her the experience I have had so that what I share is no longer just advice, but it becomes more substantial. I feel like the nation of Israel is like my younger sister. I'm reading through Judges and it's the same story line over and over and over again.
The Israelites did what the Lord said was wrong. They forgot about the Lord their God and served the idols of Baal and Asherah. So the Lord was angry with Israel and allowed Cushan-Rishathaim king of Northwest Mesopotamia to rule over the Israelites for eight years. When Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord sent someone to save them.
Judges 3:7-9
It's the same story again and again. Israel does what God says not to do, God is angry with Israel and allows (insert kingdom here) to rule over the Israelites for (insert time period here), and then Israel cries out to the Lord, so the Lord sends them (insert a judge here) to save them. You would think that after at least the second or third time that they would get the picture, but no, they do it again and again and again and God keeps sending them judge after judge after judge to save them. The people at the park could tell by my loud sighs and hanging of my head that I was getting frustrated as I was reading through this book of the Bible. How could these people who had witnessed so many of God's miracles forgot about His goodness and look towards something else for satisfaction? I mean, come on!
But then I felt sick at my stomach as I realized, that that's me. I'm that nation that has seen through Scripture the fulfillment of God's promise, seen through others the goodness of the Lord, seen through my own life the everlasting love of the Father and yet I turn and make idols of other worldly things. I may not make statues out of gold or bow down in worship in front of a man made object, but those times when I put other things ahead of spending time with Father-well I just made those things an idol, those times when I would rather watch a television show instead of sitting and resting in the Lord-well I just made that an idol, those times when I put my own enjoyment above studying the Scripture-I just made that thing an idol. I'm just like those people that I got so easily frustrated with. My idolatry is not always intentional, but it doesn't make it any less wrong. As I was reeling in my revelation, I remembered John's warning about living in the world. He says,
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. These are the ways of the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world. The world and everything that people want in it are passing away, but the person who does what God wants lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17
The difference between me and the nation of Israel, is that the nation of Israel had judges and I have the Holy Spirit. The judges were humans that lived only for a brief period and then fell victim to death just as everyone else. The Spirit, however, never dies and therefore is with me at all times. I realized that this made my idolatry that much worse. I hope to take to heart John's teachings about not loving the things of the world but instead fix my heart on the things of the Father that my desires begin to align with His desires, that my love begins to reflect His love, and that my passion begins to stem from His great nature and mercy. I hope that unlike the people of Israel, others do not watch me in frustration but rather see my life as a testament to the great, overcoming power of the Father who can do all things. I end with a few of the lyrics of a song I heard recently,
From my heart,
stir my soul
'Til my thought, is Your will
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