Son of my body,
Heart of my heart,
I give you to God,
Knowing not despair,
I know my son, you will be safe
In his merciful, tender care.
I know He will watch over you
And honour your faith;
I trust He will guard you
Against the open jaws of hate.
Son of my body,
Heart of my heart,
I will wait with faith
Knowing not despair,
I know you will return
To my loving, tender care.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Divine Call by Sandy Freckleton Gagon)
I’ve
written quite a bit about idolatry this year but felt this was worth
mentioning. Judges Chapter 3 gives us a clear answer as to why ancient Israel
fell into serving other gods once they moved into the promised land:
“And the
children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and
Perizzites and Hivites, and Jebusites….And they took their daughters to be
their wives and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods…..And
the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord
their God, and served Baalim and the groves.”
(Judges 3:5-7)
Both Moses
and Joshua warned the Israelites against inter-marriage with the heathen
nations (Deut 7:3-4; Joshua 23:12-13). Moses accentuated the influence of women
in a marriage in his warning and Joshua warned that inter-marriages would
become “snares and traps” and lead to spiritual and national downfall.
Despite the
warnings, the children of Israel did this very thing which led them to break
their covenant with Jehovah. And this is why…..marriage is a powerful union and
the stronger influence of the one puts both parties on the same path.
There are
some strong examples of this in the scriptures. Solomon married outside the
covenant, and “his wives turned away his heart after other gods” (1 Kings
11:1-4). Solomon married seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines….did
he really stand a chance????
Another
notable example is King Ahab who married the infamous and evil Jezebel from the
land of Phoenicia. This marriage caused the downfall of the northern kingdom of
Israel. Jezebel introduced into Israel the worst forms of idol worship from her
land in place of the worship of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:13,19). Not only did
Jezebel influence Ahab to worship Baal but to kill many of God’s prophets (v 4).
Her nemesis? Elijah. One of my most favourite stories in the Old Testament…..
These
examples show the downfall of a whole nation and of generations to come. We can
also see in the scriptures this power of marital union when used for good.
One of the
most positive examples would have to be Ruth, who converted to the God of
Israel when she married Naomi’s son. Her conversion and union with this Israelite
produced such covenant loyalty that Ruth
entered into a levirate marriage upon his death. Ruth married the next of kin
according to Israel’s law whose name was Boaz. Ruth and Boaz had a son called
Obed who became part of the Lord’s covenant line. Obed was the father of Jesse
who was the father of King David (see Ruth 1 and Ruth 4). That’s a ‘marriage influence’
story in the best possible way. This woman is one of my favourite Old Testament
figures.
The power
of marriage never ends with just two people. It is passed on to the children
and the generations to come. This can be seen in the Book of Mormon with the
‘stripling warriors’. I doubt very much that those boys could have been taught
to believe and not doubt God’s power if their mothers did not follow and
worship the God of Israel (Alma 56:47-48). I am convinced that the fathers were
there in that influence too but somehow I think this is the reason why Moses
accentuated the influence of women within the marital union and the home. Women
bear and rear children and their influence with them is perhaps the strongest.
Who you
marry would have to be the most important choice in anyone’s life because
through this union you create the future. From two people united comes a
family, comes a community, comes a country, comes a nation, comes the future
that extends into eternity. Think of Abraham and Sarah......there is no greater example.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Abraham and Sarah by AI)
-
Did You ever feel the weight
Of Your calling as You spoke the Word
For heavens and earth to be?
From the valleys, the hills, the
oceans
And grand mountains that be,
You left Your mark of power for all to
see.
Were You heavy hearted
When You created the hill of Calvary?
And did You hear it whisper Your
victory
When You were in Your agony:
The mighty God, the Author of
Creation,
The fountain of all salvation…..
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Jesus Christ the Creator by SKAI Studios)
There is a desire in my soul
That wants to conquer Goliath
And watch him fall….
This warrior within me never sleeps
And yearns to hear the angels’ call,
A call to battle to make the devil fall.
And when Christ comes in clouds so holy
He will conquer that enemy
And we will confess His glory.
(Art: Put On the Armour of God by Celestial Heritage)
When I was
doing my degree some years ago I decided I would take some philosophy subjects.
I was so excited to study the Greek philosophers and their much-revered wisdom thinking
I would finally be wise….it was my worst subject. My professor even called me to
see if I was understanding the concept of philosophy. I passed but only just
and I never took another philosophy subject.
Having the
Gospel in my life and knowing the simplicity and truthfulness of the Plan of
Salvation, I could not for the life of me understand any of those philosophers
who were trying to explain the meaning of life. It was complex, it was
confusing and it made no sense. I was amazed how many people actually believed
these human beings who were so far removed from the truth yet so respected by
the world. I liked their random gems of wisdom but I am convinced their deeper ‘spiritual
wisdom’ came from only one place – idolatry. Their thoughts were born in time
and place when different gods were worshipped and their religious practices
were totally bereft of the truth.
One of my
most favourite parts of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles was his visit to the
prominent Greek and Roman metropolis called Ephesus, one of seven wonders of
the world. There in the Temple of Artemis pilgrims from all over the empire
came to worship a goddess called Diana. The pilgrimage to this city provided
income through visitor food, lodging, dedicatory offerings and souvenirs. Craftsmen
who made and sold images of the goddess provoked a public uprising against Paul
and his message. He was a threat to their livelihood with his preaching of a
different god.
A large
crowd gathered in the theater at Ephesus, which could hold 24,000 people, and
chanted for two hours, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:23-34). Paul
wanted to address the crowd, but he was dissuaded by the Church and government
authorities who were concerned for his safety (vs 30-31). Can you imagine
standing in front of such a possessed crowd? I am in awe of Paul and his courage and his
conviction of the true God of heaven.
Ancient
idolatry operated under the guise of intellectual roots but its worship rites
and practices were rooted in sensual gratification. This is why ancient Israel
fell victim to its practices once they entered Canaan. Idolatry with “its
worship, appealing to every sensual passion, joined with the attractions of
wealth and fashion and luxury, was a great temptation to a simple, restrained,
agricultural people, whose worship and laws demanded the greatest purity of
heart and of life.” (Smith, Dictionary of the Bible, “idolatry” p 264).
There is a
form of ancient idolatry that has survived to this day. The most loathed and
cursed king in the history of Judah was a king called Manasseh who ascended the
throne in Jerusalem at the age of twelve and who reigned for 55 years, from 687
to 642 BCE. He introduced into the kingdom the Assyrians golden age of
astrology and divination. The astral gods of Assyria – Ishtar, Shamash and Adad
were worshipped on rooftops of the whole of Jerusalem.
Manasseh practiced
soothsaying, used enchantments, worshipped Baal and all the host of heaven,
built altars in the temple of Solomon for fertility practices and even
sacrificed his son to god Moloch…..but this is how king Manasseh exceeded the
idolatry of his predecessors – he added a third form of worship: devotion to
the heavenly bodies and the constellations. Remnants of this worship are seen
today in astrology. (see 2 Kings Chapter 21 and Notes and Commentary on this
chapter in the New Testament Student Manual)
When I
first learnt this I could see that horoscopes do not have such an innocent
origin as I supposed. I was amazed how blindly we follow things without even
knowing where their roots lie. Just about everybody in the world knows what ‘sign’
they are and they identify themselves and their nature by them. Many live by their horoscope predictions and
believe in them full-heartedly not realizing that they are being fed by the
practice of divination from voices of the world.
In the end,
everything that takes us away from God and replaces our faith in Him is
idolatry. The adversary is clever, he will do anything to dissuade us from worshipping the one true and living God. He will give us some truth to deceive us
overall but this is our advantage…..the Saviour’s love burns within us ever so
bright, we bear His holy name and serve Him through Gospel’s everlasting light……
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Behold His Glory by Danny Hahlbohm)
I
will step into deeper waters
And
abandon the ground under my feet;
I
will wade and look for You,
I
will see Your footprints
Even
in murky seas.
I
will reach and find Your hand
To
guide me where I am meant to go
I
will trust, I will surrender,
Your
purpose for me to know.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: God of Wonder by Yongsung Kim)
