As Micah the prophet
continued to share the LORD's words to “the remnant of Jacob”,
he told them how the LORD would eliminate their material things such
as “horses, chariots, fortified cities and strongholds” and their
spiritual things such as “witchcrafts and soothsayers”. In
chapter five and verse thirteen of his prophesy, Micah continued the
LORD's list with the removal of their “graven images”
where we read:
Your graven images also
will I cut off, and your standing images out of the midst of you;
and you shall no more
worship the work of your hands.
The
verse begins, “Your graven images also will I cut off,
and your standing images out of the midst of you;” We
can almost imagine the LORD as He declares, “Your graven
images” which were “idols”
“also will I cut off”
or “to cut, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out,
eliminate, kill, cut a covenant or sever”. No longer would these
“idols” be allowed among “the remnant of Jacob”, and
their dependence upon these false gods would be removed. The LORD
continued, “and your standing images” which were “pillars,
stumps, monuments or personal memorials” “out of the midst of
you” or “middle or inner part of you”. Even these places of
memorial worship were going to be removed by the LORD as He drew the
people back to Himself.
The
verse continues, “and you shall no more worship the work of your
hands.” As though to insure they knew just how thoroughly the
LORD was going to remove these “idols” and “sacred places of
worship”, He added, “and you shall no more worship” or
“bow down and prostrate yourself to” “the work of your
hands” which refers to the “deeds, acts, labors, and
achievements of their own hands”. The idea was that they would not
be worshipping an image, altar or acred place which they fashioned or
formed by their own labor. They were to worship the LORD alone, and
no other image or place for them was to be idolized by them.
While we
meditate upon the LORD's words through Micah, we may want to think
about “sacred” things which have become like an idol to us. Are
there places or artifacts that have so much meaning that they have
replaced worship toward the LORD Himself? Is there a special pew,
bench, garden, relic or man-made image that would devastate us if we
were to lose it? Let us examine our own lives to be sure no “idol”
or “monument” has become more important to us than our
relationship with the LORD, and may the LORD Jesus help us to
identify any image, place, altar or sacred thing that has become more
important than our worship of Him.
Next
time Micah writes concerning groves and cities,
so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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