Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; he will root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their ancestors, and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their sacred poles, provoking the Lord to anger. He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and which he caused Israel to commit.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, November 2, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Sacred poles were erected to honor the Canaanite goddess, Asherah. The historical fact is that polytheism was normal among the Jewish people until at least the Babylonian exile, and possibly even later. But as prophet after prophet warned, Yahweh had an issue with this. Israel and Judah’s long history of warring and being conquered was attributed almost entirely to their various kings turning to gods in addition to Yahweh and allowing all the people to do likewise.
The Old Testament establishes that God is a “jealous God,” but I’m skeptical. I really don’t think God needs to have God’s ego stroked. I can see that God might be unhappy because many religions at the time practiced human sacrifice (as did the Israelites for a significant portion of their history) and wanted that to stop. But really, it seems a bit overkill to punish Israel as harshly as happened (repeatedly) for worshipping Yahweh and other gods.
History aside, perhaps what we can take from this passage is that our actions have spiritual consequences. If we continue to turn away from God and in favor of our self-created idols, we punish ourselves. We starve our spirits of the connection God so deeply desires to have with us. We lose out on the peace that passes all understanding. Whatever our sacred poles happen to be, perhaps we ought to examine whether keeping them up is really worth it.
What actions can I take to move closer to God in my daily life?
