Psalms 81:10 – February 14, 2020

There shall be no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god. Psalms 81:10 NABRE     

Psalm eighty one celebrates the Divine salvation which ended the Jews servitude in Egypt. The climax of the redemption from bondage in Egypt occurred when the Jews actually left the land on the fifteenth of Nissan, (the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar) which commemorates the Passover festival. However the process of redemption began six months earlier, when the Israelites stopped working as slaves for their Egyptian taskmasters.  As God is the Savior of the people, He challenges them, the quoted verse speaks of other gods. It is as if there are two gods being forsaken. A foreign god – a strange god that comes from within, anger, evil inclinations, something found in the heart and an alien god – which comes from outside like the golden calf the Hebrews constructed and worshiped in the desert or for modern humanity, money or possessions can become gods. If we don’t fight against the foreign god, an evil inclination within us, it becomes a foreigner, it becomes our master. There is some thinking that these inclinations can be controlled, disciplined and even utilized in the service of God. For example anger can be used to combat evil, avarice can be channeled into a desire to collect funds for charity. There are those who would say Jesus used anger to overturn the tables of the money changers in the temple area (Mark 11:15-17). But uncontrolled this foreign god leads from one transgression to another, ultimately it can influence you to worship idols.

Falling for any god but God is foolish. It is God who seeks and works for our freedom. Other gods tend to make us addicts and needy of what we think they provide and we are not free at all.

What gods do you worship? Are you aware of foreign and alien gods?

Falling for any god but God is foolish. It is God who seeks and works for our freedom. Other gods tend to make us addicts and needy of what we think they provide and we are not free at all. Click To Tweet

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