Judges 3:7 “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and Asherah poles.
In Judges we can see the heart of covenant theology, over and over again. The Israelites are constantly forgetting about the Lord. Their sin in luring them away to other worship; they are completely consumed in the world. Why does God care? Why does it matter they worship other images? Is it just because that is breaking a commandment? Why did God make the commandment in the first place? Is God intimidated by these fake objects? Why is it considered evil to forget about God and serve things of the world? Its as if this forgetting and service to other images gets the Israelites away from their purpose. It’s the idea that God has a purpose for these Israelites but if they are devoting themselves to other things they are not able to fulfill God’s purpose in their lives within the mission of God.
Does this sound familiar? My world is full of baal and asherah poles; I am constantly tempted to serve these images and forget about the Lord. I guess what is most profound about this temptation is that when I focus on the gods of the world I am not living into my call within the body of Christ. God has a purpose for my life and that purpose is found within the mission of God. If I am persuaded and engulfed in the “baals and asherah poles” of my world then there is no way I can live into my purpose within the body of Christ and if I don’t live into my purpose in the body of Christ then the body is not complete but missing a part. In essence, when I serve another god I am crippling the body of Christ.
Oh Lord, I am surrounded by the temptation to submit and serve world made gods. I am reminded this morning that giving into those temptations doesn’t just effect my life but effects the whole life of the body. I am reminded today that through Jesus Christ you have set me free to be a part of the body and that without me doing my part the body is not as complete as it could be. I thank you for the calling into the body and I pray today that you would allow me to live into my calling, to take up my part in the body today. I pray that you would free others that are devoting themselves to the baals and asherah poles of the world that they too may live into their role in the body. Amen!
I’ve got a role within the body of Christ
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