DEVARIM

Words [of Moses]

4 Yet Yahweh hath not given you an heart [lev] to perceive [lev for da'as], and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

Why God chose a people so intractable we shall probably understand to a nicety if we are permitted to see the glorious climax of the plan. It has been said by some that if He had chosen the Greeks instead of the Hebrews, it would have been more of a success; but this is a shallow-minded criticism.

Human nature everywhere is an evil thing, and we may be quite sure that the plan that God has made in choosing the seed of Abraham His friend is the very best adapted for the ultimate realization of His glory upon earth.

Law of Moses Ch 9.

17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:)

Idols

Whatever as a matter of choice receives undue attention or is the subject of inordinate desire, or whatever it is which robs God of our strongest affection or our neighbour of that equality of consideration which we bestow upon our own flesh, that same is an idol in our heart.

Covetousness and the undue love of gain is a species of idolatry which is universal: from much that Christ says it was evidently a reigning sin with the Scribes and Pharisees, and from much also that Paul says it is clear that it had even got a footing in the ecclesias.

The idolizing of "filthy lucre" has been one of the characteristic sins of the Romish apostacy all through, and it is pretty transparent also that the sects of "Christendom" have more or less inherited the same spirit of Mammon from their Papal parent, and so do they take the lead and set the example of it to the rest of the world, who are not slow to follow in the wake of such a precious dear god.—(Mat. 6.25; Luke 12:15; Col. 3:5.)

The religious world supplies largely the same class of whom Paul spake, saying, "whose god is their belly," and it also supplies a still larger percentage of people whose god is their soul. Far and near the soul is ravishingly idolized during life, and superstitiously deified in death. Christ's exhortation is, "take no thought for your soul" (psuche).—(Matt. 6:25.)

The apostles speak of some who were "lovers of their own selves," and of others who were "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God," and Jesus speaks of others again who "loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Now all these exhibit an idolatrous degree of love, by all of which God is deprived of the "honour due unto His name."—(2 Tim. 3:2, 4; John 12:43.)

If a man love his father or his mother, or his wife or children, or his brother or his sister more than he loves Christ, he stands convicted of idolatry; for it is a divine statute that

"all men shall honour the Son even as they honour the Father"

And next to the deifying of the soul, there is perhaps no more common or pernicious a practice than idolizing children. It may be said of those who do it, however, that "they have their reward" for the recompense does not tarry long after the maudling sentimentality which ignores or falls short of administering the wholesome discipline defined in Prov. 23:13, 14; 13:24; 22:15; 1 Tim. 3:4; Eph. 6:4

If a man would not choke the word, it behoves him to see to it that even the legitimate cares of this life do not encroach too largely on his time or engross too exclusively his mind, or he may find out one day that he stands indicted with the offence of not rendering to God the things that are God's. Paul's injunction to all is "Be careful for nothing." Beware of "much serving," and remember that "one thing is needful."—(Matt. 13:22.)

There is yet another way of idolatry of which the sects of "Christendom" are an illustration, viz., the idolizing of pet portions of the Scriptures to the detriment of the rest. Their whole system is founded and propagated upon this principle: their case is well illustrated in the Temptation of Christ in the wilderness, taking the place of the Tempter, and like him having laid their premisses, they next proceed in imitation of Christ to say 'for it is written."

But though it is written, it has to be replied now, as well as then, that "it is written again." It only suits the purpose of the devil to quote and apply one side of a matter; which though innocent and legitimate in its place as part of the truth, is nevertheless fruitful of serious error and confusion when used to do duty in such a way as to compromise other elements of the testimony.

Bro Shuttleworth.

The Christadelphian, Nov 1875

26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them:

"I Yahweh Elohim of Abraham."

Moses knew that they were acquainted with the many Mighty Ones of their history; and that, consequently, if he should present himself to them as a messenger of Elohim, they would say to him: "What is his name"? As if they should say: "We have heard of many gods; what is the name of him who sends you"?

As Joshua says, they were worshippers of other gods than Yahweh at the time Moses went to them; Moses was aware of that, and, therefore, felt the importance of being made acquainted with the name of Him who sent him, that he might be able to answer their question should they ask it.

Under these circumstances, the Spirit imposed upon himself a name, and embodied it in a Memorial, by which he was to be known henceforth. Some 430 years before he had said to Abraham, ani Ail Shaddai,

"I, the strength of the Mighty Ones" (Gen. 17:1), i.e., "All those Mighty Ones of whom you have heard, who were engaged in forming the heavens and the earth, and who recently confounded the speech of all the earth, and are about soon to overwhelm Sodom and Gomorrah -- I AM THE POWER by whose spirit they did it all; therefore, walk before ME and be thou perfect."

This was a great principle established in the minds of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses -- that it mattered not how many mighty ones they might see, or have interviews with, they were not objects of worship for them, but were, themselves, created powers, whose existence, glory, and might were all of Him -- the

"Uncreated and Eternal Spirit."

They, then, were not the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Spirit claimed this for His individual self. Not that there were one, two, three, or a multitude of Elohim of Abraham then actually existent in the Godhead: but, it was the pleasure of the Eternal Spirit that there should, at a future period, be a multitude of Abrahamic Elohim, who should constitute "a Divine Family," and not a whit inferior to "the Stars of the Dawn, the Sons of God," who shouted for joy when they beheld the results of the wonders of the creation-week.

Phanerosis - The memorial name