God Doesn't Share

"Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim —for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods." -Exodus 34.12-16

Israel is preparing to enter a pagan land. They worship false gods with immoral and barbaric practices, and God commands His people to have nothing to do with them. When they enter the land they are to make no covenants with the people who inhabit it. Rather they are to destroy their worship practices. They are to tera down their altars, smash the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. There is to be no worship in the land except to the Lord.

God is jealous for the hearts of His people, and He will not compete with anything else for it. God will not share our hearts, with Him it is all or nothing. If His people want to chase after false gods and engage in pagan practices that is there choice, but they will forfeit God's presence and His blessings. God wants to be with His people. He wants to bless them. And so He tells them to have nothing to do with everything that is false. Sadly, as we'll see, they choose what is not God over and over.

Men, how many times have we found ourselves there? We know what God has commanded; we know what is right, and yet we find ourselves moving toward something that is more enticing. A lot of these pagan practices revolved around sex, you can understand the draw, but all of them led to destruction and defilement. And whenever we choose something that is not of God, no matter what the draw might be, wealth, power, prestige, etc. we end up in the same place.

All Israel had to do was devote themselves completely to God. All they had to do was destroy every item used to worship a false god and not make a covenant with those who engaged in that worship. All we have to do is not engage in the things that God has warned us against. We know what they are, you know what they are, and if we live in obedience we will enjoy God's presence and provision. But only if He has our full hearts.

God will not share your heart. Will you let Him have it all, or will you choose to worship a false god?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor