Today’s Reading, Numbers 23-25
Focal Scripture: Numbers 25:4 “The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the Lord so that his burning anger may turn away from Israel.””
Worship matters more than you will ever know in your personal life. Worship is a battle and it must be fought for passionately and deliberately. Everything we come in contact with wants to be the focal point of our worship. It can be our jobs, our spouses, our leisure activities and even our own children. When we worship something we bend the knee. We give it our full attention. It becomes the affection of our heart.
In today’s reading we see what happens when Gods people turn to worship another god. This action by the Lord is swift and powerful. It is loud and obvious. As soon as the people began to worship Baal, the Lord told Moses to take the leaders and kill them in broad daylight. Why? Because idolatry was not going to be tolerated in the house of the Lord. These leaders who lead the people away, would serve as an example to the entire nation.
So what about you? Do you worship something other than the Lord? Do you have a duplicitous heart? What I mean by that is, do you say one thing publicly but live another way privately. That is idol worship in your personal life. That also is a poor example of what leaders should show their people. These Israelite leaders claimed to be God worshippers but instead bowed down to a man made God. Unfournately, we do the same thing with our worship.
What would our churches and homes look like if the Lord commanded for idol worshippers to be killed today? Obviously, I am not advocating for this but it is a question that must be asked because God takes worship serious. Do we take worship that serious? To many professing believers live lifestyles that show no evidence of a changed heart. They love the thought of worship, not the reality of true worship, because true worship is costly.
I challenge you today to kill anything in your life that is idol worship. It will make a big difference in your thought life and in the seriousness of your faith.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Numbers 26-27
