By Pastor Bob Lawrenz
The false gods of the Israelites in ancient Judea are the same gods that their neighboring nations worshiped. In fact, the entire Mediterranean region mostly worshiped the same gods, though they were called by different names according to each culture. From Egypt to the Middle East, from southern Europe to Asia minor, their false gods were just the same pagan gods that every non-Jewish culture followed and to which sacrifices were made. Ashtoroth, for example, was the goddess of fertility. She was also known as Astarte, Ishtar, Dianah and was called by several other names throughout the inhabited world. These gods ranged from the absolute paganism of ancient Egypt and Canaan, to the mythological gods of Greece and Rome. Each deity had their own counterpart in different cultures.
They all had pictures or statuary made after the likeness of what man thought they should look like. The pagan ones were of grotesque manipulations of humanoid likenesses. Thus, Romans 1 rings clearly true: Images made by men for all humanity to bow down to and worship. ~Though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God; they weren’t thankful to Him; they became vain in their imaginations; their foolish hearts were darkened. They professed themselves to be wise. And they changed God’s true glory to be like man’s corruptible image, to birds, four footed beasts and creeping things ~, (Romans 1:21-23 paraphrased).
The problem, though, is that as Jeremiah teaches today, they are the works of men’s hands. They are powerless, speechless, and cannot hear. They can do neither evil, nor good. They hear not worship, nor do they hear prayers. And, as gods that did not make heaven and earth, they too shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.
The problem, though, is that as Jeremiah teaches today, they are the works of men’s hands. They are powerless, speechless, and cannot hear. They can do neither evil, nor good. They hear not worship, nor do they hear prayers. And, as gods that did not make heaven and earth, they too shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens.
Only Our Divine God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is worthy of worship. He hears our prayers and our worship ...
“And we know that all things work together for good, to them that
love God and are the called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28
