#DailyDevotion Who Or What Is In Your God Wallet?
Isaiah 9:1–2 But the land that is in anguish will not continue in gloom. At first He humbled the country of Zebulun and the country of Naphtali, but in the end He will bring glory to the Road by the Sea, the land beside the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2The people walking in the dark will see a great light. On those who live in the land of gloom a light will shine.
Isaiah prophesies this in the ninth century B.C.. The Assyrians are on the rise in power in the Mideast. The LORD has raised them up to punish his unfaithful people. When they come to punish the wicked people of God who have exchanged the glory of God for idols of gold, silver, wood and rock, he brings those who worship such things to rule over them and expel them from the land. Coming into the Promised Land they come from the north and hit the northern tribes first, Zebulun and Napthali. Dan is apparently isn’t even on the scene by this time. The rest of Israel will soon fall and Assyria will even come down into rebellious Judah and surround the city of God, Jerusalem.
Yes, those tribes will be humbled and carried off never to be seen from again. They are mixed into the gentiles whose gods they have worshipped having humbled themselves before them. Are there gods you have exchanged the glory of God for? You may say we don’t worship idols of gold, silver, wood and stone! True enough. But what is it to have an idol? Martin Luther would say your god is what you turn to for EVERY GOOD. Do you turn to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for every good? Or do you just turn to him for the forgiveness of your sins? Who are what do you turn to to deliver you from every evil of body, mind and soul? What do you turn to for comfort and strength? Is it to the Living God? If you sin then you most certainly have other gods.
We often turn to alcohol for comfort, strength and to face our fears. We go shopping. We turn to food to make us feel better. We have sex to feel better. We look to political parties and politicians to make our lives better and God forbid anyone say anything negative about them (though we let negative things about our Lord Jesus slide). We find our worth in our spouses, our children, our jobs and work. We turn to our congregations and pastors into idols. All these things are good in and of themselves when used for the purposes for which God created them. But when we turn to them as we should turn to God for every comfort, strength and good we exchange to glory of God for creatures, fall into idolatry and we abuse the good things the Lord our God has created. Sure we may find joy in these things but we dare not use them as God wants us to use him. He will hand us over to serve these things when we abandon him and humble by them.
But the road of Galilee of the Gentiles has seen a great light! He brings his glory there. The people living in gloom, in service to these idols a light has shined upon them. Jesus Christ of Nazareth has come. His teaching delivers us from servitude to dead idols. He brings us the Father of Lights who never leaves us or abandons us. He will provide all our needs of spirit, mind and body. He shows us we need not turn to any creature or creation for every good but that he himself gives us every good. Trust in Jesus. He is your light of your soul. He is your every good. He is the love of God the Father has for you.
Almighty God and Father, you will not share your glory with any other but have made your glory known to us in your Son Jesus Christ. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may turn from created things to you for every good and live in your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.