Daily Devotional for Monday, July 13

Israel’s Idolatry

“Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images,” Hosea 10:1.
If you reach your hand down into an empty treasure chest, you will come up with nothing in your hand. Indulging in something that is empty cannot produce fullness or satisfaction. Israel’s worship of Idols was like reaching down into a treasure chest that had nothing in it. The people of Israel were trying to fill their lives with worship that was empty. The idols that Israel turned away from God to vainly worship, knew nothing about them. They could not hear their voices, nor could they see them and they could do nothing for them. Psalm 115:4-7 gives a description of false gods.
When you turn from the God of Heaven and earth to idol worship, it exposes many things about you. It reveals that you have an emptiness in your life that you attempt to fill with vain things. Doing so reveals you are disobedient to God’s Word. It causes you to be double minded, which leads to you being unstable in all your ways. You live in constant guilt before God, and it incurs God’s judgment against you.
Israel should have known, remembered and been thankful  that they could say, “Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3). You too should be aware, remember and be thankful that you always can look to God because He is living and is always in Heaven, and he is superior to every idol god that man can create.  Look to the Lord instead of turning back to the dead activities and practices of the world.

FINAL THOUGHT
Following God makes you full rather than a fool.

Andrew McClung