47 RAY'AY (See); Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17; Acts 8 & 9

[Bruce Bertram]

This section starts off with a reminder of blessings for obedience to the commandments God gives and curses for disobedience. After entering the land, Israel is to place the blessing on Mt. Gerazim and the curse on Mt. Ebal, which assumes that Israel will indeed take over the land as God says (see Joshua 8:30-35). As we move on into chapter 12, they are also to destroy all places used to worship other gods and obliterate their names, idols, standing stones, poles, whatever, and they are not to treat God in the same way. He will designate a place among the tribes for sacrifices and offerings and for eating the tithe, which all Israel is to use.

8“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 12:8-9 NASB95)

Slaughtering animals for regular eating is okay anywhere else, as long as the blood is poured out on the ground, but slaughtering clean animals for sacrifice must be done in the one place God picks. However, the exception to this is if the place God picks is too far away. Then sacrifices may be made at that place, as well as the eating of tithes and offerings.

20“When the LORD your God extends your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you desire. 21“If the place which the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates whatever you desire. (Deuteronomy 12:20-21 NASB95)

Israel is not to even inquire about the methods used to worship other gods in order to do likewise, because they are so evil they even burn their sons and daughters in fire to worship them. Instead they are to listen to the Lord’s commandments and not add to or take away from them.

32“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32 NASB95)

Going into chapter 13 Israel is given instructions concerning false prophets. A false prophet is defined as a person who entices or suggests that Israel follow other gods. If such a person arises, even if there are signs or predictions they make that come to pass, Israel is to execute them. They are allowed to operate by God as a testing for whether or not Israel will stick with God only. Even if a close friend or relative suggests following other gods they are to be executed. If idolatry happens to take root in a city or town, there is to be a thorough investigation and if it’s true then the people are to be killed and the town or city burned to the ground. Everything is to be destroyed, and not even the smallest part is to be used elsewhere.

17“Nothing from that which is put under the ban shall cling to your hand, in order that the LORD may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, 18if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 13:17-18 NASB95)

Seemingly in keeping with these admonitions on idolatry, Moses continues to record instructions in chapter 14 concerning the prohibition on “cutting yourselves” or “shaving the forehead” because the people of Israel are holy or separated to God. There are also extensive instructions on which animals are okay to eat and which aren’t (verses 3-20), eat something that dies on its own, or boil a kid in its mother’s milk. It could be that all these are related together under the subject of idolatry. Moses also gives instructions on the tenth (crops and livestock) for eating in the place that God picks, or converting it to money (if the place is too far) then traveling there and buying whatever you want and eating it. Every third year the tithe is to be brought and stored in the town so that the Levi or poor or orphan or widow (people who cannot provide for themselves) can be fed.

Every seven years, according to chapter 15, is to be a Sabbath year in which all debts between Israelis are forgiven. Israel is to be generous to a disadvantaged brother wherever and whenever, and not be concerned that the Sabbath year might be near.

4“However, there will be no poor among you, since the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5if only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. 6“For the LORD your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. (Deuteronomy 15:4-6 NASB95)

Interesting that Moses (God) also says that they will always have the poor with them (verse 11).
See also Matthew 6:2,3, 26:11; Mark 14:7; Luke 16:19-31; and John 12:8. In keeping with the idea of generosity, if a slave is freed by an Israeli the slave is to be given whatever he needs to get started in his new life. If the slave doesn’t want to leave, then the ear is to be pierced as a sign they are a permanent part of the household. Also, the firstborn of the herd or flock, unless it is defective, is reserved for the Lord, to be sacrificed and eaten at the place the Lord picks (blood poured out on the ground in either case). Section 16:1-17 is a summary of the three pilgrimage feasts (Passover, Weeks or Pentecost, and Booths or Tabernacles) where everyone is to travel to the place that the Lord chooses in order to sacrifice the Passover lamb and make freewill offerings.

Acts 8 we read where persecution begins for the believers in Jerusalem and they are scattered (except the apostles). Part of the ministry of Phillip (probably the same one mentioned as deacon in 6:5) is focused on as he goes to Samaria and has great success preaching the Word. Many people are healed and demons cast out, and the Word is accepted widely. Even Simon the magician is converted. When the apostles in Jerusalem hear of Phillip’s success, they send Peter and John who lay hands on them so they receive the Holy Spirit. Simon tries to buy the gift and is rebuked by Peter and commanded to repent. Simon requests that they pray for him which perhaps means that he did. The apostles go back to Jerusalem, preaching all the way, while an angel of the Lord instructs Phillip to go south. On the road to Gaza he sees a eunuch from the court of the Candace of Ethiopia who is returning from worshipping in Jerusalem and is reading in his chariot from the book of Isaiah. Phillip uses the text to explain about Jesus, and the eunuch gets baptized right away. The Spirit literally transports Phillip to Azotus (Ashdod) where he continues preaching the Word.

Paul has a personal encounter with the risen Christ on the road to persecuting more believers in Damascus, and converts. He is blind for a time, and Ananias is enlisted by God to go and explain things to him. Ananias is understandably hesitant, but does as the Lord commands, praying for Paul which causes something like scales to fall from his eyes. Paul receives some instruction and begins to preach in the synagogues of Damascus, giving many convincing arguments that Jesus was the Christ. Some Jews are not to happy with this and plot to kill him as they watch the gates of the city, so he is lowered over the walls in a basket and heads for Jerusalem. The believers there are also understandably reluctant to take him in, but Barnabas finds him and speaks for him to the others. Paul upsets many Jews in Jerusalem with his teaching, so he is sent to Tarsus by way of Caesarea. Peter, meanwhile, goes to Lydda and heals a paralytic then raises Tabitha from the dead in nearby Joppa, and many people convert and believe.

Shalom

[Cindy in Wisconsin]

I am sharing the following Torah commentary from Torahbytes, written by Alan Gilman of Ontario, Canada. I appreciated his insights on today's Parasha. You can also access his blog at www.torahblog.blogspot.com.

This week's message:

Re'eh
For the week of August 19, 2006 / 25 Av 5766
Torah: Devarim / Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11 - 55:5

Gentiles for Yeshua
"Surely you will summon nations you know not, and
nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor." (Isaiah 55:5)

For most Jewish people, Yeshua is irrelevant. While
many accept that he was a Jewish man or even
acknowledge him as a significant leader, to most
Jewish people the movement that has emerged in his
name has nothing to do with us whatsoever. In fact for
many, Christianity is synonymous with being non-
Jewish. There are several reasons for this, but the
primary reason has to do with who has made up the bulk
of Yeshua's followers throughout history: non-Jews.
The biblical word for non-Jews is "Gentiles," which
simply means "nations," but is often used to refer to
nations other than the nation of Israel.

It is not just the sheer number of Gentile believers
that has caused Christianity to be viewed as not
Jewish. Other factors contributing to this include the
strong stance against Yeshua and his followers on the
part of the majority of Jewish leadership as well as
the arrogance of the emerging Gentile Christian
leadership toward Jewish people.

While it has contributed to some extent, I don't know
how much of a role the rejection of Yeshua has played
in how Christianity came to be viewed in the Jewish
community. Jewish history and Jewish life are diverse.
There have always been strong differences between
various factions. Yet believing in Yeshua by and large
has been kept outside of the Jewish fold by the vast
majority of Jewish people.

On the other hand Christian arrogance toward Jewish
people has done much to widen the gap between these
two communities. When one reads the history of
Christian anti-Semitism it is easy to understand why
most Jewish people would not want to consider Yeshua.
Even though Christians emphasize love in Jesus' name,
they have regularly degraded Jewish people in that
same name. Along with that degradation has been a
revamping of his own cultural and historical context
that resists genuine Jewish participation in the life
of the Church. A gentilized Yeshua is no longer a
Jewish Messiah, but rather a Gentile god.

What makes this all the more tragic is that Yeshua's
Gentile following, rather than being an obstacle to
the Jewish community, should have been a sign to his
people that he really was the Messiah. When God first
formed the Jewish people by calling Abraham it was
with the promise of being a blessing to all the
nations of the world (Bereshit / Genesis 12:3). Many
years later through the prophets God predicted that
the Messiah would have a profound impact on the non-
Jewish world. Israel's destiny was (and still is) to
be a light to the nations. This has certainly occurred
through Yeshua and his followers. It is because of his
followers that all around the world from Jerusalem to
London to New York to Buenos Aires to Sidney to Tokyo
to Beijing to New Delhi to Nairobi to Cairo to Moscow
people worship the God of Israel and esteem the Jewish
Scriptures.

The majority of Jewish leadership until today reject
that the acceptance of Biblical truth on the part of
the nations of the world is the fulfillment of the
words of the Jewish prophets, but I believe one of the
reasons for that is what I mentioned before. Even
though Gentiles the world over have been positively
transformed by the God of Israel in Jesus' name, they,
at the same time, for the most part have failed to
have a heart for the very people through whom God's
goodness has come. Even though most Jewish people have
wanted nothing to do with Yeshua, it was his Jewish
followers who gave their lives in the early years to
bring God's Word to the rest of the world. Abraham's
descendants have indeed been a blessing to the
nations.

That is why it is so important for Gentile Christians
to express humble and grateful hearts to the people of
Israel today. Israel's call to be a light to the
nations is not yet complete. In order for that to
happen, those among the nations who have received the
light of Yeshua's reality must reflect that light back
again to those to whom it first came, so that Israel
can truly be all that God wants us to be.

Again, as I read today's portion from Deuteronomy, I see over and over and over the theme of "trust and obey." I also liked reading that we who follow YHWH Elohim are a special treasure.

Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!
Love in our Messiah,
Cindy in Wisconsin

[Bruce Bertram]

26"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NASB95)

For people who see the Law as a curse, this verse (and others like it) really helps straighten things out. The blessing comes if we obey, the curse comes if we don't.

I searched out the concepts of blessing and cursing in the Scriptures, and it seems that at the root of both ideas is the presence or absence of God. The blessing is the presence of God, the curse is His absence. Yeah, there's good things that go along with blessings, and there's bad things that go along with curses. But the ultimate blessing is the presence of God, and the ultimate curse is His absence.

The Acts section of this portion lists some of the activities of Philip, and the start of the activities of Paul. Philip goes to a city in Samaria (and other cities), as a result of persecution in Jerusalem, and to the Ethiopian in the chariot. It is not really clear if this is Philip the apostle (Acts 1:13) or Philip (Prochorus) the Deacon (Acts 6:5). It seems odd that if it was Philip the apostle that Peter and John would be sent, and that having been sent would be the ones to 'lay hands on' the people so they could 'receive the Spirit.' (Acts 8:14-17)

Acts 9 is the start of Paul's story. This has to have been pretty weird for the rest of the believers. This guy Paul has been systematically rounding up believers and sending them to jail, as well as giving approval to the murder of Stephen (Acts 7:58 ). Now, suddenly, we are supposed to believe that he is one of us? Yeah, right. No wonder he had trouble later on with his credentials.

Shalom

[Cindy in Wisconsin]

In today's Torah reading, the LORD seemed to really focus on Deut 13 for me.

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 (Amplified) IF A prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder he foretells to you comes to pass, and if he says, Let us go after other gods--gods you have not known--and let us serve them, You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being. You shall walk after the Lord your God and [reverently] fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cling to Him.

In these verses, I see a warning for the future and a guide for how to avoid deception. Yeshua said:

Matthew 24:24 (Amplified) For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God's chosen ones).

There's a connection here as well:

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (Amplified) The coming [of the lawless one, the antichrist] is through the activity and working of Satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of [pretended] miracles and signs and delusive marvels--[all of them] lying wonders--And by unlimited seduction to evil and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing (going to perdition) because they did not welcome the Truth but refused to love it that they might be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence, a working of error and a strong delusion to make them believe what is false, In order that all may be judged and condemned who did not believe in [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely on] the Truth, but [instead] took pleasure in unrighteousness.

Do you see the connection with the verses from Deuteronomy? The false prophets, the anti-christs with their lying wonders, their signs and wonders, and yet they teach people to turn away from keeping God's commandments. The guide to avoiding this deception is to walk after the LORD, following Him, fearing Him, keeping His commandments, and obeying His voice.

Then you have these verses:

Deuteronomy 13:6-10 (Amplified) If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own life entices you secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods--gods you have not known, you nor your fathers, Of the gods of the peoples who are round about you, near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other--You shall not give consent to him or listen to him; nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him or conceal him. But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. And you shall stone him to death with stones, because he has tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Which reminded me of Yeshua's words:

Matthew 10:35-38 (Amplified) For I have come to part asunder a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a newly married wife from her mother-in-law--And a man's foes will be they of his own household. [Mic. 7:6.] He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me.

I believe the verses in Deuteronomy were not only intended for Israel as they went into the Promised Land, but also apply to us as we see the last days approaching and maybe even playing out. We must love Yeshua more than our parents, spouses, children, or anyone else that we have emotional ties to. If they do not follow Yeshua and would urge us to go with them after false messiahs, we must not go with them, even if it means that they perish. We must cling to the Messiah in faithful obedience, even if everyone in our families forsakes Him and us. It sort of reminds me of what believers in many Muslim-dominated countries face. They maybe don't understand about keeping Torah, but they cling to Yeshua with all of their hearts, even when family members beat them and torture them and cast them off as though they were dead. Should such a day come in my life I hope that I will stand as faithfully as these brethren that I read about in Voice of the Martyrs materials. And in the meantime, I hope and pray that I am learning to walk so closely to Yeshua and am becoming so attuned to the voice of my Shepherd, that when the voice of the thief is heard, though cloaked in sheep's garments, I will NOT follow him. Something to think on...

Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!
Love in our Messiah,
Cindy in Wisconsin

[Bruce Bertram]

Another thing that caught my attention in this section was the following set of verses that seem to contradict.

4'However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. (Deuteronomy 15:4-5 NASB95)

Compare this with verse 11.

11"For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land." (Deuteronomy 15:11 NASB95)

"No poor among you" and "the poor will never cease to be" seem to directly contradict each other. Until I realized that God is really say "I know you will not obey Me."

Interesting too that Jesus says "you will always have the poor with you" in Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7, and John 12:8. Seems like the more we disobey the more poor people we have.

Shalom

[Bruce Bertram]

Ray’ay; Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17; Isaiah 44:11 – 45:5; Acts 8 & 9

28“Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God. 29“When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31“You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:28-32 NASB95)

Today I am going to write about adultery, oops, I mean idolatry. Actually, the two words are very similar, in that idolatry is sort of like adultery with God and is frequently spoken of in the same way in the Word. Adultery means having intimate relations with someone outside of marriage (we call it cheating, among other things, now) while idolatry is having intimate relations with a god other than God. This can also be thought of as ‘cheating.’

How do the Scriptures define idolatry? The golden calf incident gives us part of the definition. There, the problem was an image that was not God (it was a baby cow) but was called God by Aaron and worshipped as the God that brought Israel out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 32:4ff). So the beginning of a definition of idolatry would be making an image that is not God and calling it God (not god, but God). Misidentification of created things as God is part of the definition, and worshipping the image is a second part. But what is worship? Is it only bowing and kneeling or praying to an actual image? Is it just literally offering a sacrifice of meat or grain products to an idol? Is it just the creation of an image in the first place? Or is there more to it?

In the verses above God explains a little more about what is meant by adultery, I mean, idolatry. It is the act of doing things that are not what God says are good to do. Departure from God’s Word is part of the definition of idolatry that the Scriptures give us. Another way of saying this is doing abominable things that God never instructed anyone to do, and ignoring what He DID say to do. We are not to add to what God says, nor take away from it. We are to do exactly what He says without any variation. In the golden calf incident we can see some of this idea also.

8“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’ ” (Exodus 32:8 NASB95)

“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them.” Funny how ignoring God’s Word seems to be tied very closely to idolatry, isn’t it? To disobey God is like adultery or idolatry in that intimacy with God through doing His words is sacrificed on the altar of another god, which is not even really a god. We are not to just do any old thing we think is right, we are to get our cues about what is right from God’s Word.

8“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; (Deuteronomy 12:8 NASB95)

In addition to not following our own ways, we are not to follow the ways of others who have a message contrary to that which God already gave.

1“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4“You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 NASB95)

Notice that God doesn’t say that the signs and wonders of a false prophet won’t work. He specifically says that they might work. However, if the message given along with the sign by the prophet or dreamer of dreams does not line up with God’s Word, we should not listen to his words. We are to follow God, fear Him, keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. How many more different ways does God have to say it?

So in what ways do we commit idolatry in modern daily living, even if we don’t make an image and bow down to it?

One way might be attempting to read omens. An omen is something that happens which is interpreted to carry a message. For instance, you might think that if your car breaks down then God is telling you not to go where you intended to go. Or you might be walking down your front walk and stub your toe, which also might be interpreted that you shouldn’t go somewhere. Some people ask for signs, like a phone call at a specific time and place, or sky writing or something. These omens are constantly referred to and interpretations strained over, when all one really has to do is read the Word to find out what God wants us to do. Frequently, we will obey a sign or an omen when we won’t obey the Word. But Isaiah tells us what God makes of omens.

25Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness, (Isaiah 44:25 NASB95)

Another type of modern idolatry is mentioned in the same verse above, which is knowledge. Knowledge is good, if given by God and used in ways He approves of. But too many times knowledge is used in God-dishonoring ways. For instance, some ignore God’s command not to eat pork or shellfish, saying that because of modern knowledge we can cook it and refrigerate it better now so it’s okay. This is a classic case of idolatry, because modern knowledge is worshipped and obeyed over the instructions given us by a loving and all-knowing God. It is equivalent to a “dreamer of dreams” who tells us something by way of hidden knowledge, yet the accompanying message is to follow the “other god” of scientific knowledge. Never mind that even if Israel didn’t have so-called ‘scientific knowledge,’ God certainly knew about refrigeration and proper cooking at the time He gave the instruction! People who worship knowledge over God’s Word are just foolish, in God’s Book.

Another type of idolatry we do in modern living is mixing. The golden calf incident was a form of mixing, because the image of a baby cow was said to be the God who delivered Israel from slavery. Easter is a form of mixing, because fertility symbols such as bunnies and eggs are mixed in with the Resurrection. Christmas is also a mixture of idolatry with God’s Word, because an evergreen tree is said to be a representation of the birth of Jesus. And if you don’t think Christmas is idolatry, try looking at a picture of your family on their knees around the tree pulling out presents! Mixing cold and hot is how we get lukewarm. And you know what Jesus says about being lukewarm.

14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:14-16 NASB95)

Jesus gave many signs and wonders during His physical ministry, yet His message was always 100% lined up with God’s Word. He never deviated. Not only were the miracles He did things that only God could do, but His Words were exactly God’s with no adding or subtracting. By this we know that He was the spitting image of God, and also embodied God’s Word perfectly. The disciples carried on His work and also performed powerful signs and wonders, such as Phillips healings in Acts 8 and the resurrection of Tabitha in Acts 9. But neither Jesus nor the disciples (or any true disciple) never tried to mix what God said with man’s ideas to make it more palatable to their listeners or disciples. Jesus said there was only one unforgivable sin, which is blasphemy.

31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32 NASB95)

The sin of blasphemy is related to idolatry in that someone sees the work of the Holy Spirit but calls it the work of the devil, or vice-versa. This mix-up is not just a mistake, but deliberately calling something of God’s evil. This is what happens when the dreamer of dreams or false prophet uses a real sign to validate something that is not God, or when a scientist says he knows better than God. Idolatry by any other name is still the worship of something or someone other than God. Idolatry can take many forms. Sometimes it is concrete, like bowing down to a statue. Sometimes it is obvious, like ignoring God’s admonition to avoid eating filthy things like pork or shellfish, or mixing pagan symbols like an evergreen tree or a bunny with God’s Word. Sometimes it is not so obvious, such as constantly looking for and interpreting omens. But it doesn’t matter by what name it is called, it is adding to or subtracting from His Word in disobedience, and in every way it is cheating on God.

Shalom