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26 May 2008
Word on the Web
Judges 17 v 1-6
There was a man named Micah who lived in the mountains of Ephraim He said to his mother, "I heard you speak a curse about the twenty-eight pounds of silver that were taken from you. I have the silver with me; I took it."
His mother said, "The LORD bless you, my son!"
Micah gave the twenty-eight pounds of silver to his mother. Then she said, "I will give this silver to the LORD. I will have my son make an idol and a statue. So I will give the silver back to you."
When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took about five pounds and gave it to a silversmith. With it he made an idol and a statue, which stood in Micah's house. Micah had a special holy place, and he made a holy vest and some household idols. Then Micah chose one of his sons to be his priest. At that time Israel did not have a king, so everyone did what seemed right.
There are words in these paragraphs that seem to relate solely to the period of history the book of Judges describes - such as 'idol'. In reality, we are creating idols for ourselves in the present day. When I return home on the Tube (London Underground), I pick up The London Paper and see the same celebrities in the newspaper columns - with journalists focusing on the good and bad parts of their lifestyles. Their creativity, their addictions and their bad habits. These days our idols are, all too often, the people in the media who seem to share our hopes and fears, and somehow mirror them to us so that we can see a reflection of ourselves. Whilst there is nothing wrong with liking a talented singer or a good album, we would be better off looking to Jesus Christ, our Saviour, who knows us inside out and knows all about our strengths and weaknesses. He can relate to our suffering and our hopes and dreams, and show us the way to a place where we can mature and enjoy everything God has for us. Although these days everything can seem 'right', Jesus is our Saviour yesterday, today and tomorrow, and is a role model we can rely on.
Lord, help us to see beyond the idols of our age, to the riches of your everlasting love. Amen.
Written by Howard Dobson
Word on the Web
Judges 17 v 1-6
There was a man named Micah who lived in the mountains of Ephraim He said to his mother, "I heard you speak a curse about the twenty-eight pounds of silver that were taken from you. I have the silver with me; I took it."
His mother said, "The LORD bless you, my son!"
Micah gave the twenty-eight pounds of silver to his mother. Then she said, "I will give this silver to the LORD. I will have my son make an idol and a statue. So I will give the silver back to you."
When he gave the silver back to his mother, she took about five pounds and gave it to a silversmith. With it he made an idol and a statue, which stood in Micah's house. Micah had a special holy place, and he made a holy vest and some household idols. Then Micah chose one of his sons to be his priest. At that time Israel did not have a king, so everyone did what seemed right.
There are words in these paragraphs that seem to relate solely to the period of history the book of Judges describes - such as 'idol'. In reality, we are creating idols for ourselves in the present day. When I return home on the Tube (London Underground), I pick up The London Paper and see the same celebrities in the newspaper columns - with journalists focusing on the good and bad parts of their lifestyles. Their creativity, their addictions and their bad habits. These days our idols are, all too often, the people in the media who seem to share our hopes and fears, and somehow mirror them to us so that we can see a reflection of ourselves. Whilst there is nothing wrong with liking a talented singer or a good album, we would be better off looking to Jesus Christ, our Saviour, who knows us inside out and knows all about our strengths and weaknesses. He can relate to our suffering and our hopes and dreams, and show us the way to a place where we can mature and enjoy everything God has for us. Although these days everything can seem 'right', Jesus is our Saviour yesterday, today and tomorrow, and is a role model we can rely on.
Lord, help us to see beyond the idols of our age, to the riches of your everlasting love. Amen.
Written by Howard Dobson
