“Those
who in fright have sought to secure themselves by worshipping other gods will
experience in sheer terror the effects of Yahweh’s decree of destruction.” (The Interpreter’s Bible, 5:317, Old
Testament Student Manual Book 2 p 163)
“Son
of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God, Thus saith the
Lord God to thee mountains, to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys;
Behold I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high
places, and your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken, and
I will cast down your slain men before your idols. And I will lay the dead carcasses
of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones
round about your altars…..” (Ezekiel 6:3-5)
The
idolatry of Judah which led to the destruction of their kingdom was abominable.
So total was their rejection of Jehovah who was their God from the time He
delivered them from Egyptian bondage that the idolatry they practised became a
complete replacement of the true law within the Jerusalem temple. In utter
rejection of their God, Ezekiel was shown in a vision twenty-five men with
their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east
worshipping the sun (Ezekiel 8:16).
The
proclamations of destruction against those who engage in the sin of idolatry
are extensive in the book of Ezekiel. One could ask why the Saviour is so outraged
about this heinous sin to the point where He would destroy so many people. In
his day, Isaiah, confronted the rulers of Jerusalem with the assertion that they
were bringing inevitable ruin for the Jewish people (see Isaiah 28:14-15). He
accused them of having made a covenant with death through the idolatry of gods other
than their own, death being ‘the wages of sin’ (Romans 6:23).
Whilst
in pre-mortal life, as spirit children of God, the plan of salvation was
presented to us and we pledged our commitment to Christ trusting in His promise
to save us. Considering the enormous and unfathomable sacrifice of this man of
integrity, our commitment to Him as our God is expected of us. In return, we
receive His protection, life instead of destruction and eternal salvation opposed
to spiritual death which would separate us from the presence of God the Father
forever. For this He has every right to expect our allegiance to Him:
“I
am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither
my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
In
every respect He deserves all the glory and all our praise.
Idolatry
is still rife in the world today, among many nations. I have a friend who
visited Bali early this year and she was blown away by the kindness,
thoughtfulness and goodness of the Balinese people. There is only one problem.
They worship many gods and none are the right God. My friend said they were better
people than some of the Christians she knows. She thought it would be unfair
that they would be judged harshly.
This
is where the Saviour’s mercy comes in for those heathen nations that have never
known Him: “And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew
no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for
them.” (D&C 45:54)
Is
there a more merciful, just and loving Saviour than the Lord Jesus Christ??? I
think not. Those of us who know the law have a responsibility to uphold our
commitment to Him and those who have not known Him in this life will one day
remember Him and the right hand they raised in support of His offer of
salvation.
I
saw You today in my heart
and
I wept knowing
as
more believe,
the
tree that bore Your weight
keeps
growing.
I
saw the love flow from
the
deepest well within Your soul –
Your
salvation for us all.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
