Thursday, February 11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Exodus 32:1–33:23

Matthew 26:69–27:14

Psalm 33:1–11

Proverbs 8:33–36

 

 

“When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, ‘There is the sound of war in the camp.’” (Exodus 32:17)

 

 

In today’s reading, we encounter the Israelites’ resorting to worshipping the golden calf.  Having seen God’s great hand in freeing them from Egyptian slavery, triumphing specifically over the Egyptian gods through the 10 designated plagues, spiritual amnesia descended quickly upon the Israelites.  This incident highlights the tremendous danger of failing to remember God’s faithfulness and to celebrate His presence on a daily basis.

 

I took note of Joshua’s pointing to the “sound of war in the camp.”  Having received training as a military leader – or at least blessed of God for this purpose – Joshua prophetically spoke of the spiritual warfare now within the camp.  As with each of us, individually and corporately, we face a real spiritual enemy over our commitment to our Father vs. our commitments to the flesh, the world, or the devil’s schemes.  Clearly, the devil sought to derail the Israelite nation by distracting them from their source of power, love, joy, and peace – the Almighty I am.

 

In The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer argued that our view of God defines our horizons:  “The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.  Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.”

 

This reality means that we must hold right attitudes towards God, chiefly to put no other gods before Him.  While this phrase certainly includes idols of human making, such as the golden calf, it more broadly refers to any commitments that draw us away from God.  These commitments may seem simple and innocuous, but they distract us from undivided, devoted worship of our Father.  These distractions ultimately sell God short and steal our joy.

 

What distractions do you face today?  How may you prepare to overcome these distractions?

 

I encourage you to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  A great pathway is to remember God’s faithfulness by thinking over, writing down, or sharing ways in which He has made Himself known to you today or this week.  Then, please consider lifting up a prayer of thanksgiving or singing a praise song.  Through this process, we may lift up our soul (Psalm 27:13,14) and bolster our friends and family in the faith.  As we soon turn to the Book of Deuteronomy, we will receive many reminders to “remember.”  May we heed these truths.

 

 

Lord God, we wish to serve You and know You better.  Help us to overcome spiritual amnesia and the warfare we face for our heart’s allegiance.  By the blood of Christ and by His powerful Name, break these chains that wish to hinder us.  Give us strength to love You and worship You with all our hearts.  We desperately need You, both individually and as a country.  Show us how we may better honor You.  In the powerful Name of Jesus, amen.

 

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