Psalm 131, 132; 2 Kings 23:4-25; 1 Cor. 12:1-11; Matt. 9:18-26
Josiah was an extraordinary man and leader. He heard the word of the Lord and acted on it completely. He truly believed. Truly he was a man after God’s own heart, he understood the first commandments, those concerning God and His standing in the hearts of the people. We don’t often see idols, Asherah poles, sacred prostitutes, infant sacrifice, etc. in our culture today but they are there in our lives and often in our churches, we just don’t identify them as idols. Anything that demands our time and attention at the expense of the Lord or that causes us to compromise in our lives is an idol. Idols can come in all shapes and sizes, in Israel they were to talk continually about the Lord and the Law, He was to be an obsession for them, we are to be fanatical about Him. Whatever else we are fanatical about in our lives is an idol waiting to happen if we aren’t careful.
In Matthew’s account, Jesus is explaining why He does things differently from the rabbis to the crowd and the religious leaders when the woman with the issue of blood comes to Him and also a “ruler” whose daughter has just died. Isn’t it interesting that no one seems to be looking to these religious leaders for healing or with faith in them? In the midst of their questioning the orthodoxy of Jesus’ methodology and practice comes two miracles. Did they even notice? They, their man-made laws, and their position in society had become idols that kept them from seeing God in their midst.
Can the gifts God gives become idols to us? In the words of a contemporary politician, “You betcha!” Too often we value the gift more than the giver. The variety of gifts come from one Spirit and taken together they allow us to be truly the body of Christ. We are to celebrate the diversity of God’s gifts and His people, not to value one gift over another. It seems to me that Paul’s words in the 3rd verse are a corrective to just such an idea that unless you have a particular gift you do not have the Spirit of God. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah Jesus immediately responded that this revelation had come via the Holy Spirit and here Paul agrees that if you confess Jesus as Lord, you have the Holy Spirit. Now is the time to begin living our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we might see the fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives (see Galatians 5.22-23)
For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
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