1 Kings 12:28–30 (KJV 1900) — 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
Thought for the Day (4/24/21)
As I was reading through I Kings this morning, I couldn’t help but stop when reading the narrative surrounding the making of two golden calves and their subsequent placement in Bethel and Dan. How does one allow for this terrible act of idolatry when Jewish history documents the anger of God that was followed by severe punishment at the foot of Mount Sinai for the creation of the very same thing; a golden calf! I guess, as the saying goes, “if we don’t learn from history we are bound to repreat it,” really does apply here! To make matters worse, the same declaration over the golden calf at Sinai is made here in this story.
“Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!”
Compare this with the narrative in Exodus:
Exodus 32:4 (KJV 1900) — 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
These things perplex me to no end! I read these scriptures and I want to scream at the foolishness of the Israelites! How do you find yourselves falling into blatant idolatry once again? There are many answers to this question, but there is one answer that stands out in relation to the context of this story.
Making True Worship a Burden
It’s very simple. The king–wanting to get his nation to remain in their lands and not go to Jerusalem–presented the burden of having to make such a journey throughout the year to his people.
“It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem,” the king declared to his people.
I can see the temptation of convenience as it worked its way through the households of the land. Fathers and mothers sitting down and saying, “you know, it is time consuming and out-of-our-way to have to go to Jerusalem every year.” I can imagine other convesations taking place as follows:
- It takes too long
- It’s not easy on the kids
- It’s hard on the donkeys
- It costs too much and cuts into our work schedule
Now, I’m sure there were more reasons, but the main argument that was likely made was one made around the inconvenience of going to Jerusalem. That is really all the devil has to do when trying to destroy some peoples walk with God. Just make them think about how difficult it is and give them access to something that seems like a viable alternative!
In this age of “online church,” I am seeing this played out on a regular basis. Nobody likes to be inconvenienced anymore. Nobody likes to drive a certain distance to church, even though they have no problem driving several hours to the beach, up the mountain, or places that fit into their “leisure” category.
- “It’s too hard to get the kids ready and out-the-door, we will just stay home and watch the online service.”
- “It cost’s too much gas money, we will just stay home and watch the online service.”
- “Church is too early and I’m tired, maybe I’ll go next week. At least I can listen to the archived service.”
Folks! We are watching people die a slow spiritual death simply because of an idolatry of convenience! I have even known people who have left THE TRUTH by attending a church closer to their house that didn’t preach any truth! Why? Because it was more convenient!
If the devil can start getting you to view consistency and comittment to the house of God a burden, then he already has sown the seeds that can lead to your spiritual demise. Trust me, the enemy knows how busy we are in this nonstop digital age and he will do everything in his power to increase frustrations that will cause us to become “ripe for the picking” when it comes to the trap of convenience.
It takes hard work to live for God in this day! It takes a rugged determination that makes up its mind that, no matter what, I will be in the house of God every single time the doors are opened for service! Altars of convenience at Bethel and Dan will never become viable substitutes for the real authenic worship at the House of God! Sadly, I know quite a few who have decided to go to Bethel and Dan in the last several years.
Don’t fall for this tactic of convenience! True worship, while it may tax me, must never become a burden! True worship will never seek shortcuts! Make up in your mind that you are going to be in the house of God–consistently–no matter what!