Why All Roads Don't Lead To The Same God.
Memory Verse: ' Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. '
James 1:12
Sermon Sentence: Idolatry is anytime we replace anything or anyone in between God and what He deserves.
James 1:12
Sermon Sentence: Idolatry is anytime we replace anything or anyone in between God and what He deserves.
Day 1
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-22
In most Bibles, 1 Corinthians 10 is not broken up into a new section until after verse 22. In our study, we did last week’s sermon on verses 1-13 and then this week we handled 14-22. The reason for this is the sheer volume of examples and things Paul seems to say in those small runs. The amount of Old Testament that he was covering was quite overwhelming. So we have taken each of those passages in the devotions, and tried to familiarize ourselves with them. In doing that, we don’t want to also get distracted away from Paul’s main point. So we will look at more of those stories, but we want to focus today on our passage in 1 Corinthians.
You would think that idolatry was a pretty serious issue the way that Paul is focusing so much time on it. The assumption is that you could go into the majority of the homes in Corinth and find a majority of idols and statues. I would guess that the reality of that situation is more akin to something between what we expressed here and what we experience in our lives. Certainly it was a problem and more prevalent than what we experience. But many of us have heard the comparisons to our own modern day “idols.” I read a book recently that was about how we take that analogy too far and that is not a good application of these texts. I would tend to disagree with this book, as it did not do a good job convincing me of its position, which is not the same that I was raised with. Idolatry is nothing more than taking the very character and gifts of God and attributing them to a created person or thing. It is a transfer of the awe and wonder that belongs to God going to someone or something else. Maybe even simpler- giving God’s credit to anyone or anything else. Then again, the Golden Calf story that we will return to at the end of these devotions, tells a story where an idol is made and God is still declared a version of the recipient, so maybe we need a next step. Idolatry is anytime we place anything or anyone in between God and what He deserves.
What do you think of this definition of idolatry?
How does this help illustrate the point Paul is making here?
With this logic, make sense of verse 20 and explain what Paul is meaning.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
In most Bibles, 1 Corinthians 10 is not broken up into a new section until after verse 22. In our study, we did last week’s sermon on verses 1-13 and then this week we handled 14-22. The reason for this is the sheer volume of examples and things Paul seems to say in those small runs. The amount of Old Testament that he was covering was quite overwhelming. So we have taken each of those passages in the devotions, and tried to familiarize ourselves with them. In doing that, we don’t want to also get distracted away from Paul’s main point. So we will look at more of those stories, but we want to focus today on our passage in 1 Corinthians.
You would think that idolatry was a pretty serious issue the way that Paul is focusing so much time on it. The assumption is that you could go into the majority of the homes in Corinth and find a majority of idols and statues. I would guess that the reality of that situation is more akin to something between what we expressed here and what we experience in our lives. Certainly it was a problem and more prevalent than what we experience. But many of us have heard the comparisons to our own modern day “idols.” I read a book recently that was about how we take that analogy too far and that is not a good application of these texts. I would tend to disagree with this book, as it did not do a good job convincing me of its position, which is not the same that I was raised with. Idolatry is nothing more than taking the very character and gifts of God and attributing them to a created person or thing. It is a transfer of the awe and wonder that belongs to God going to someone or something else. Maybe even simpler- giving God’s credit to anyone or anything else. Then again, the Golden Calf story that we will return to at the end of these devotions, tells a story where an idol is made and God is still declared a version of the recipient, so maybe we need a next step. Idolatry is anytime we place anything or anyone in between God and what He deserves.
What do you think of this definition of idolatry?
How does this help illustrate the point Paul is making here?
With this logic, make sense of verse 20 and explain what Paul is meaning.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 2
Read Numbers 16:11-35
Almost every single time there is leadership, there is also an uprising against that leadership. Add to that idea the idea that this was God’s clear direction that these guys were rising up against, and you have a good setting for unpacking this story. This is not about leadership and its struggles, but rather about God’s clear provision and word being spoken against and the attempt of a group of men to influence and build rebellion against the story God is writing. That is why you get all of the seemingly big theatrics going on here.
Paul references this story in 1 Corinthians because he is illustrating the point of how not everyone that left Egypt made it to the Promised Land, or were even on God’s good side. This story illustrates an attempt at overthrowing the leadership and anointing of Moses and Aaron to install a new leadership. Their argument is that Moses and Aaron are not the only ones that have this special place.
Imagine you are one of the Hebrew people and you overhear a man by the name of Korah saying things like he says in verse 3. Imagine that is the campaign he runs on. Do you agree or do you disagree and how do you convince those around you of your position?
How do you reconcile what this story seems to be teaching and what the rest of the Bible also teaches?
This will not be an easy question to answer and it may take some reflection.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Almost every single time there is leadership, there is also an uprising against that leadership. Add to that idea the idea that this was God’s clear direction that these guys were rising up against, and you have a good setting for unpacking this story. This is not about leadership and its struggles, but rather about God’s clear provision and word being spoken against and the attempt of a group of men to influence and build rebellion against the story God is writing. That is why you get all of the seemingly big theatrics going on here.
Paul references this story in 1 Corinthians because he is illustrating the point of how not everyone that left Egypt made it to the Promised Land, or were even on God’s good side. This story illustrates an attempt at overthrowing the leadership and anointing of Moses and Aaron to install a new leadership. Their argument is that Moses and Aaron are not the only ones that have this special place.
Imagine you are one of the Hebrew people and you overhear a man by the name of Korah saying things like he says in verse 3. Imagine that is the campaign he runs on. Do you agree or do you disagree and how do you convince those around you of your position?
How do you reconcile what this story seems to be teaching and what the rest of the Bible also teaches?
This will not be an easy question to answer and it may take some reflection.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 3
Read Numbers 21:1-9
As most of you know, I absolutely love studying the Old Testament and its stories. I feel that one of my gifts is the ability to unpack God’s character and teach from these characters and stories. With all of that being said, I have to admit to you, this is one I just do not feel I get. I have included it in the devotions to illustrate that we should spend time with the ones that we don’t really understand as well. I have traced all of the lines and I have chased all of the references, but this one just doesn’t seem to land in my mind. There may be someone out there that this is their most favorite story in the Old Testament and it totally clicks in their mind. For me, I want to sit and hear from that person, to learn beside them.
What do you take away from this story?
The idea that I have always heard is that this is a picture of Jesus on the cross. How do you see that and what do you think of that being the significance of this story?
How does this become your prayer today?
As most of you know, I absolutely love studying the Old Testament and its stories. I feel that one of my gifts is the ability to unpack God’s character and teach from these characters and stories. With all of that being said, I have to admit to you, this is one I just do not feel I get. I have included it in the devotions to illustrate that we should spend time with the ones that we don’t really understand as well. I have traced all of the lines and I have chased all of the references, but this one just doesn’t seem to land in my mind. There may be someone out there that this is their most favorite story in the Old Testament and it totally clicks in their mind. For me, I want to sit and hear from that person, to learn beside them.
What do you take away from this story?
The idea that I have always heard is that this is a picture of Jesus on the cross. How do you see that and what do you think of that being the significance of this story?
How does this become your prayer today?
Day 4
Read Deuteronomy 1:19-46
There is a pattern in most all of these stories that we have been looking at for the devotions. The people just refuse or don’t want to believe God’s words. They have questioned where it came from. They have questioned who it comes from. They have questioned what God actually said. They have even seemed to question the motives behind it. Their struggle is nothing more than asking what they actually want to gamble, or give up their lives on. Consider the weight that is needed for them to trust what they are trusting. Their families are at stake. They're in the middle of the wilderness with nothing. This so much more than a trip to the altar and praying a prayer. They have to put all of their chips into this basket.
The very fact that we can even build an argument like that makes me realize that maybe we are missing the point in what we are deciding when we choose to follow Jesus. Every single day we wake up with the same struggle asking if we are going to take God’s word or not. The decisions feel much smaller and the cost way less. Most of the time, if we get it wrong it's no big deal, just a simple reset. The fact that people can walk away from God and it really does not impact their lives any more than a schedule change on some Sundays is a sad thought. It is these sorts of things that make you wonder what faith really is. It is there sorts of stories that help illustrate that as we wrestle through it in our own lives.
If the stories of the Old Testament are meant to be allegorical in nature- or a reflection of our own reality wrapped up in a historical story- how do you unpack these teachings and arrive at an application for your own life?
Many people struggle with drawing lessons out of the historical stories. How do you get better at this and grow in this way of reading?
What do you learn for your life in this story?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
There is a pattern in most all of these stories that we have been looking at for the devotions. The people just refuse or don’t want to believe God’s words. They have questioned where it came from. They have questioned who it comes from. They have questioned what God actually said. They have even seemed to question the motives behind it. Their struggle is nothing more than asking what they actually want to gamble, or give up their lives on. Consider the weight that is needed for them to trust what they are trusting. Their families are at stake. They're in the middle of the wilderness with nothing. This so much more than a trip to the altar and praying a prayer. They have to put all of their chips into this basket.
The very fact that we can even build an argument like that makes me realize that maybe we are missing the point in what we are deciding when we choose to follow Jesus. Every single day we wake up with the same struggle asking if we are going to take God’s word or not. The decisions feel much smaller and the cost way less. Most of the time, if we get it wrong it's no big deal, just a simple reset. The fact that people can walk away from God and it really does not impact their lives any more than a schedule change on some Sundays is a sad thought. It is these sorts of things that make you wonder what faith really is. It is there sorts of stories that help illustrate that as we wrestle through it in our own lives.
If the stories of the Old Testament are meant to be allegorical in nature- or a reflection of our own reality wrapped up in a historical story- how do you unpack these teachings and arrive at an application for your own life?
Many people struggle with drawing lessons out of the historical stories. How do you get better at this and grow in this way of reading?
What do you learn for your life in this story?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 5
Read Exodus 32
In those few verses in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul packed 10 Old Testament examples. Those were the obvious ones, at least. I think the reader could find a few more and even a couple of the examples could have been Paul lumping different stories with the same idea together. Either way, we have spent 10 days studying these examples.
When we come to this one, it is probably the most known of the stories in this collection. Which means you have read it. If you follow along with these devotions, then you will know that you just recently read it. We often repeat sections in the devotions. The attempt here is to illustrate that the Bible is not something to read through once and then feel you get it. I was raised on these stories and they became embedded in my heart and mind long before the value and the meaning came to me later in life. I could tell you these stories way before I could understand them. When I watch a movie, I am usually done with the movie for a while. I appreciate the surprise and the reveals in the storyline that feel empty when I go back knowing what is coming next. The Bible is no movie like this. If I watch Spiderman and hear the uncle declare “With great powers comes greater responsibility.” I learned an invaluable lesson. But it was easy to get. The repeated story of this collection of tales is that time and time again people hear it, thought they got it, and walk away forgetting it. It's not because they didn’t read it slowly enough or memorize it enough, but rather because these are the lessons that need to be revisited time and time again. This is part of my case for reading through the Bible every year.
When you read stories that you have read before, do you skip through them in your mind or do you take the time to think about them in a fresh and new way?
What are some things you could do to keep the focus where it feels like repetition?
What is God teaching you in this story this time you read it?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
In those few verses in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul packed 10 Old Testament examples. Those were the obvious ones, at least. I think the reader could find a few more and even a couple of the examples could have been Paul lumping different stories with the same idea together. Either way, we have spent 10 days studying these examples.
When we come to this one, it is probably the most known of the stories in this collection. Which means you have read it. If you follow along with these devotions, then you will know that you just recently read it. We often repeat sections in the devotions. The attempt here is to illustrate that the Bible is not something to read through once and then feel you get it. I was raised on these stories and they became embedded in my heart and mind long before the value and the meaning came to me later in life. I could tell you these stories way before I could understand them. When I watch a movie, I am usually done with the movie for a while. I appreciate the surprise and the reveals in the storyline that feel empty when I go back knowing what is coming next. The Bible is no movie like this. If I watch Spiderman and hear the uncle declare “With great powers comes greater responsibility.” I learned an invaluable lesson. But it was easy to get. The repeated story of this collection of tales is that time and time again people hear it, thought they got it, and walk away forgetting it. It's not because they didn’t read it slowly enough or memorize it enough, but rather because these are the lessons that need to be revisited time and time again. This is part of my case for reading through the Bible every year.
When you read stories that you have read before, do you skip through them in your mind or do you take the time to think about them in a fresh and new way?
What are some things you could do to keep the focus where it feels like repetition?
What is God teaching you in this story this time you read it?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
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