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"Precious Metals?"
As we take a look at the current situation in the US and around the world, we see that the nation is in deep, deep financial trouble. With the bursting of the "housing bubble", the resulting "credit squeeze" and a deep recession for not only the US but financial trouble across the globe, it becomes evident that the things this world calls "wealth" and looks to for signs of affluence have instead become proverbial millstones about the necks of many.
It is not the first time the Lord has taken off the head and hands of an idol....
God works behind the scenes, and while he may or may not judge a nation, He can still do things to turn that nation's attention to him, in order to draw them to Him. An example we can draw from scripture is in 1 Samuel, when the Philistines attacked Israel, and Israel lost before them. Desperate, Israel carried the Ark of the covenant before them, placing their faith in the Ark instead of the God whom it belonged to.
This ended up with the Ark being captured by the enemy, and taken to Ashdod:
"Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day." (1 Samuel 5:1-5, NASB)
When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites, they believed they had caught for themselves a great prize to parade before their "god", Dagon. Bringing it to their temple, they placed the Ark before their idol in triumph. For them, this was a big boon: the Israelites had carried the Ark before them in combat, and the Philistines knew full well what that meant. By seizing it, they felt they had the advantage, and a treasure to present to their "god".
But their triumph was short-lived...
Twice in two days, the statue of Dagon fell before the Ark. The second time it happened, the head and hands were cut off from the statue. The Lord God demonstrated precisely what He thought of "Dagon" to the Philistines, so they would have no question in their minds. And if this were not enough, God further drove the point home in the next two verses:
"Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories. When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god." (1 Samuel 5:6-7, NASB)
After sending the Ark to Gath and Ekron, the Philistines finally decided that it wasn't such a "prize" after all, and consulting their "priests" and "seers", they sent it back to Israel via a wooden cart drawn by two cows, along with images of the tumors and mice they were afflicted with, rendered in gold:
"Now the ark of the LORD had been in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to its place.” They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but you shall surely return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.” Then they said, “What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords. “So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land. “Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allow the people to go, and they departed? “Now therefore, take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. “Take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. “Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.” " (1 Samuel 6:1-9, NASB, emphasis mine)
They sought the Hebrew Ark that had been covered in gold for a prize, and instead ended up paying gold because they had "hardened their hearts". They did not seek it for the Lord but for their idol, which could do nothing but fall on it's face before it. In cutting off the head and hands of their idol, God was demonstrating to them that in placing their trust in the things made in this world instead of in Him alone, they were chasing the winds.
Their "god" had no power before the Creator of the Universe.
When it comes to idols, God issued a standing challenge:
"“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none. Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame. Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to no profit? Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them together be put to shame.’” (Isaiah 44:6-11, NASB, emphasis mine)
Idols are not contained to simple statues made of metals or minerals; folks can end up valuing all the wrong things and put them before everything else, even the Lord, in their lives. Credit, stocks and bonds, financial security, temporal power, influence, positions in work/church, the list is endless. Gold and silver, property and houses can end up becoming so important that the focus on the Lord is lost, and God ends up becoming secondary or worse to these temporary, earthly things.
Jesus warned about these things in scripture:
"And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:23-26, NASB, emphasis mine)
The Lord warns the church as well about mistaking material goods for security:
"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: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Revelation 3:14-22, NASB, emphasis mine)
Scripture tells us what true wealth is, and where to keep it:
"The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times." (Psalm 12:6, NASB, emphasis mine)
"“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21, NASB, emphasis mine)
[B]"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth./B] For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4, NASB, emphasis mine)
When we value what is truly treasure and learn to discern it from the dross of this world, the things that do not matter will fall away, and unlike many, we will not chase after the winds. Instead, we will be free to serve the Lord, because our treasure will be indeed treasure of the ages.
One last thought: the purpose of the Tribulation is to shake the false security of man from his idols and false "gods", aside from delivering judgment to the planet. It takes that level of shaking and rending to get people to realize that what they are holding to doesn't begin to compare to Jesus Christ...
..after all, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Will we trust that testimony, or chase after the winds?
YBIC,
-Robert
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