Thursday, October 26, 2017

Warning Song

Thursday, October 26, 2017
The Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die and join your ancestors.  After you are gone, these people will begin to worship foreign gods, the gods of the land where they are going.  They will abandon me and break my covenant that I have made with them.  Then my anger will blaze forth against them.  I will abandon them, hiding my face from them, and they will be devoured.  Terrible trouble will come down on them, and on that day they will say, ‘These disasters have come down on us because God is no longer among us!’  At that time I will hide my face from them on account of all the evil they commit by worshiping other gods.  “So write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel.  Help them learn it, so it may serve as a witness for me against them.  For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.   There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat.  But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant.  And when great disasters come down on them, this song will stand as evidence against them, for it will never be forgotten by their descendants.  I know the intentions of these people, even now before they have entered the land I swore to give them.”  So that very day Moses wrote down the words of the song and taught it to the Israelites.  Deuteronomy 31:16-22(NLT)
Everyone who has raised a child knows that sense of foreboding when you warn a child to stay away from something harmful or NOT to do this or that.  You just KNOW by that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach there will come a time when curiosity, inattention, or downright rebellion will bring the consequences to his disobedience.
For Israel the chief warning was expressed in the first commandment – no other gods!  That’s exactly like what my mother used to say to me whenever she would see me off to school, or if I was going out to play:  Remember who you are, and WHOSE you are.  It’s a simple song of warning to keep in mind that we are created and cared-for by a loving God and we should act like it, remembering to honor Him at all times and in every action we take.
Israel’s history bears out their transgression; the first commandment was oft-repeated, and just as oft-forgotten.  The warning song Moses taught them that day stood as evidence that they were not innocent; their sin was first-degree, premeditated, and without defense.
Fast-forward to the current day; what defense could the church offer for our stewardship of the first commandment?  What is it that takes first place over worship and honoring the Lord God? 
In America four of every five churches are flat-lined in attendance, with no evident desire to be resuscitated.  In the space of my time in pastoral ministry I have seen the definition of active member morph from members attending nearly every service and activity (if you weren’t physically ill), to attending once or twice a month.  It seems something else besides worshiping the one true and living God has our attention.
The claim is often made (with ample Biblical support) that the New Testament church is the New Israel.  Considering how lightly we treat the first commandment I can find no words to deny that with a straight face.

For You Today

You cannot be responsible for your neighbor’s choices, but you can (and do) lead your neighbor by your example. 
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy Pixabay.com

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