for my people have committed two sins: they have turned
away from me, the spring of fresh water,
and they have dug cisterns, cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all.
Good News Bible.
This overflowing Dam in New Zealand is representative of a huge catchment area of water flowing from a large river system.. whereas the picture below is a poor alternative.What is Idolatry but the turning of the affections to another god….away from Christ Jesus.
He, Jesus, is the Fountain of Living waters of whom if a man drinks he will never die.
Jesus is that living bread that came down from heaven from the Father.God is Almighty and able to provide all things for His children.
Why forsake Him for our own small resources?
To depend upon another god …is to break the commandments of God.
The one we depend upon is the one we worship.
God is the one who alone is able to satisfy our hearts.
Yet for one reason or another( all to do with sin) we turn away from Him to other lovers.
HEAR O ISRAEL, THE LORD YOUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE!
YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH
ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL
AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” Deut 6:4 NKJV
Asaph takes up this theme in Psalm 81
Psa 81:8-13
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
There shall no strange 2114 god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange 5236 god.
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
Here our precious Lord and Father is pleading with us to trust completely in Him. He knows best what will satisfy our hearts. He knows that worshipping false gods will not satisfy us. He alone saved Israel from the cruel hand of Pharoah. He alone has delivered us from the grip of sin and of Satan through Jesus Christ. He alone. He pleads for them and for us to listen to His Word and to open our “mouth wide and I will fill it”. He alone can fill us…that is..to satisfy us. We must trust in Him the living God though and not in another strange god.
And be not drunk with wine,
wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit;
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be totally dependent upon God. Trusting Him to meet my needs. Trusting Him alone to satisfy my hearts longings. He has given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness…these graces are given freely through the Spirit’s indwelling presence. Why should I turn away and neglect so great a salvation?
THE VAIN HELP IDOLS OFFER
Atop a hill in India sits a temple altar, to one of the many Hindu gods. No satisfaction will be found there.
Jeremiah 3:23
” We were not helped at all by our pagan worship on the hilltops. Help for Israel comes only from the LORD our God.”
The word translated ”helped”in the GNB or ” vain ” in the KJV is the Hebrew word:
” Sheqer ”
(Strongs 8267)
It means ; an untruth, a sham
It comes from the root word,” Shaqar ” (8266)
which means….to cheat, be untrue, fail, deal falsely, lie.
Here God reveals to us that idols of all descriptions are a lie. They may promise fulfillment but they are a sham…and will fail to give us what we need…and rightly so…only the Living God can do that.
Websters Dictionary defines
SHAM as: n. that which deceives expectation;
any trick fraud or device that deludes and disappoints;
delusion , imposture
How accurate a definition! How many times have you been disappointed with something you have
wanted for so long. Your expectations were high…your desires were going to be quenched….
but the pleasure lasted only a short time and now you are left with shame and confusion.
Jeremiah goes on to say.. ” For shame has devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth”…..Jer 3:24a
” We lie down in our shame and our reproach covers us”….Jer3:25a
David’s son Amnon found this out when he gave into his lusts, raping his step sister Tamar. The bible records that…
so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater
than the love with which he had loved her.
And Amnon said to her, Get up and go!”
Earlier in this passage we are given insight into Amnons state of mind before he “got” the object of his lust..He was vexed in his mind..that is he was cramped of mind, besieged and in distress. All he could think about was having his way with Tamar. He knew it was wrong , but he allowed himself to fixate upon his desires. To the point of becoming “lean” (13:4). His appetite was affected his lusts consumed him. His heart was set upon his passion. His sister was an idol in Amnons mind…delusion told him that he would be satisfied and happy if only he could have sexual relations with her. In fact, idols promise much, but fail to deliver. They are a sham, a lie! His idolatry brought devastation to his life and poor Tamar’s broken life.
Don’t think that idolatry is as obvious as worshipping a false god on an Indian hilltop though.
Many things are SHAMS in todays world. Riches is just one of the many idols that will leave us barren and empty.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world,and the deceitfulness539 of riches, choke4846 the word, and he becometh unfruitful.175
Riches are a sham as well.
The word deceitfulness is the Greek word:
” apate ” 539 It means …Delusion…deceit…
It comes from; Webster says that delude is to ”mislead the mind or judgement”
” apatao” 538 To cheat, delude , deceive
Though riches promise a life of satisfaction…..it is a delusion, a sham, and a lie! For the Christian it is fatal to love money.
Jesus said that this delusion will choke the word. That is, to strangle completely or literally to drown!(strongs G4846)
Jesus is saying that rather than giving you a more fulfilled life riches choke your life out of you.
You will become barren and unfruitful.
In Mark 4:19 The Lord Jesus is recorded as saying : ” and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke……KJV
” Lusts ” here is the word; epithumia…a longing for what is forbidden…concupiscence.(the coveting of carnal things) ..desire…lust after.
Comes from Epithumeo 1937 ” to set the heart upon ”
Again we see Jesus warning us against being deceived by the lies and deception the world offers us. The message the world sends us is ”set your heart upon getting rich and accumulating things and you will be satisfied”
We have Gods word on it…you will become UNFRUITFUL…NO FRUIT WILL BE IN YOUR LIFE! SO SAD!
Let us take the advice of King David
Psa 62:1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God:
from him cometh my salvation. (not from riches)
Psa 62:2 He only is my rock and my salvation;
he is my defence;
I shall not be greatly moved.(if I have riches or not)
Psa 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He will not let us down
Psa 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation:
he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
Psa 62:7 In God is my salvation
and my glory:
the rock of my strength,
and my refuge, is in God.
Psa 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people,
pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Psa 62:9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, man is simply not capable of filling us or satisfying us
and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid
in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Psa 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become
not vain in robbery:
if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
Psa 62:11 God hath spoken once;
twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
Psa 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy:
for thou renderest to every man according to his work. KJV
Here David is encouraging himself and all of us who read his inspired words. We need to strongly remind
our selves to ”wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him” 62:5
Men are nothing David says…and we should not depend on them but on God!
He only, He only, He only, He is, He is !!
Also read 1TIM 6:10 -21.
<spanπληρόω that=”” up=”” a=”” to=”” plēroo=”” play-ro=”” -o=”” g4134=”” replete=”” (literally=”” cram=”” net=”” level=”” hollow=”” (figuratively=”” furnish=”” imbue=”” diffuse=”” influence=”” satisfy=”” execute=”” (an=”” office=”” finish=”” (a=”” task=”” verify=”” (or=”” coincide=”” prediction=”” etc=”” -=”” accomplish=”” x=”” after=”” end=”” expire=”” fill=”” (up=”” fulfil=”” (be=”” make=”” full=”” (come=”” fully=”” preach=”” perfect=”” supply=”” or=”” with=”” from=”” complete=”” is=”” period=””>
Israel was to have no foreign gods in it’s midst, but they were commanded to look to the LORD their God for all of their needs.
John Gill explains Psalm 81 verse 9….”There shall be no strange god in thee”
“Or in the midst of thee, owned and worshipped as God; or in thine heart, for whatever engrosses the affection, or a man puts his trust and confidence in, that he makes his god, and is a strange one: thus, if any friend or relation, father or mother, wife or children, are loved more than God, they are set up as such in his place; thus the epicure, that seeks the gratification of his carnal lusts, makes his belly his god; and the covetous man his money, in which he trusts, and therefore is called an idolater; and the self-righteous man his righteousness, on which he depends for salvation: hence we read of idols set up in the heart, from which they are disengaged in conversion, and kept from;”
</spanπληρόω>
<spanπληρόω that=”” up=”” a=”” to=”” plēroo=”” play-ro=”” -o=”” g4134=”” replete=”” (literally=”” cram=”” net=”” level=”” hollow=”” (figuratively=”” furnish=”” imbue=”” diffuse=”” influence=”” satisfy=”” execute=”” (an=”” office=”” finish=”” (a=”” task=”” verify=”” (or=”” coincide=”” prediction=”” etc=”” -=”” accomplish=”” x=”” after=”” end=”” expire=”” fill=”” (up=”” fulfil=”” (be=”” make=”” full=”” (come=”” fully=”” preach=”” perfect=”” supply=”” or=”” with=”” from=”” complete=”” is=”” period=””>John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
CD of John Gill’s Writings
“open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it;
which may be understood of opening the mouth either in prayer or in praise:
to open the mouth wide in prayer is to pray with great freedom, to pour out the soul to God, lay open its whole case, and tell him all his mind and wants; to pray with great boldness, and with much importunity and fervency, and in full assurance of faith, pleading with great strength the promises of God, and asking in faith for much, according to them; and God may be said to fill this wide mouth of faith in prayer, when he grants the desires of the heart, gives his people what they will, even very largely and abundantly, yea, more than they can ask or think: to open the mouth wide in praise is to be abundantly thankful for mercies received; and when persons are so, the Lord fills them with more abundant matter for praise and thanksgiving;
see Psa_71:8, </spanπληρόω>
<spanπληρόω that=”” up=”” a=”” to=”” plēroo=”” play-ro=”” -o=”” g4134=”” replete=”” (literally=”” cram=”” net=”” level=”” hollow=”” (figuratively=”” furnish=”” imbue=”” diffuse=”” influence=”” satisfy=”” execute=”” (an=”” office=”” finish=”” (a=”” task=”” verify=”” (or=”” coincide=”” prediction=”” etc=”” -=”” accomplish=”” x=”” after=”” end=”” expire=”” fill=”” (up=”” fulfil=”” (be=”” make=”” full=”” (come=”” fully=”” preach=”” perfect=”” supply=”” or=”” with=”” from=”” complete=”” is=”” period=””>
”Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.”
So then why would a Christian want to go to any other god for their needs to be met?
But sadly we do over and over again. </spanπληρόω>
|
”Come unto Me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest…” Jesus Said in Matt 11:29-30 Only through coming to Go through Jesus Christ will satisfy you. The Psalmist assured Israel that if they had of hearkened to the LORD AND TURNED FROM IDOLATRY…. ”Psa 81:11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. Submitted H3584 כּחשׁ
John Gill says of Psa 81:15 –
The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him,…. Or, “lied unto him” (h); feignedly submitted to him, flattered him, pretended friendship to him, and entered into a league with him;
In fact the New King James Version has translated
Ps 81:15 like this: ”The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, but their fate would endure forever.”
It is appropriate that the ones who hold to their idols are like their idols. We saw that idols are a sham, a vain hope, for they are a lie and a disappointment. So the one who holds to his idols and still pretends to worship the Lord is also living a lie and dealing falsely with the Lord. He is deceived and deluded. That is the nature of idolatry.
God shows us if we are captives of idols. Let me ask you…..are you willing to work in a job that pays less than elsewhere..simply trusting Him. Or will you look for a way to escape searching for another higher paying job. Be careful! God will give you up to your own lusts. You will get that job…or that woman…or that material possession…or that promotion…or that spiritual experience …. whatever your heart is set upon…but you know you cannot have it. Your soul will be left in a barren and lean condition! From this we can deduce that God is not pleased with lip service. He knows those who are His. He will send many away into outer darkness who say Lord Lord! If our hearts are far from Him then we are pretending to have Him as our Lord. He will punish all those who do not want Him to reign over them as their King and God. We deceive ourselves with our many words…..but is He LORD …really Lord? We need to humbly ask Him to show us if He is..as David prayed.. Psa 139:23
Search2713 me, O God,410 and know3045 my heart:3824 try974 me, and know3045 my thoughts:8312 Psa 139:24 And see7200 if518 there be any wicked6090 way1870 in me, and lead5148 me in the way1870 everlasting.5769 ‘ If we will return to the Lord wholeheartedly , putting away our abominations out of His sight ‘ (Jer 4:1)then… SATISFIED H7646
שׂבע שׂבע śâba‛ śâbêa‛ saw-bah’, saw-bay’-ah A primitive root; to sate, that is, fill to satisfaction (literally or figuratively): – have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of.
He feeds on ashes;
A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul nor say, ”Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Isa 44:20
FEEDS ON ASHES
” So here it means, that in their idol-service they would not obtain that which they sought. It would be like a man who sought for food, and found it to be dust or ashes; and the service of an idol compared with what man needed, or compared with the true religion, would be like ashes compared with nutritious and wholesome diet. This graphic description of the effect of idolatry is just as true of the ways of sin, and of the pursuits of the world now. It is true of the frivolous and the fashionable; of those who seek happiness in riches and honors; of all those who make this world their portion, that they are feeding on ashes – they seek that which is vain, unsubstantial, unsatisfactory, and which will yet fill the soul itself with disgust and loathing.” A DECEIVED HEART ”A deceived heart hath turned him aside – This is the true source of the difficulty; this is the fountain of all idolatry and sin. The heart is first wrong, and then the understanding, and the whole conduct is turned aside from the path of truth and duty (compare Rom_1:28). A lie in my right hand – The right hand is the instrument of action. A lie is a name often given to an idol as being false and delusive. The sense is, that that which they had been making, and on which they were depending, was deceitful and vain. The work of their right hand – the fruit of their skill and toil, was deceptive, and could not save them. The doctrine is, that that which sinners rely on to save their souls; that which has cost their highest efforts as a scheme to save them, is false and delusive. All schemes of religion of human origin are of this description: and all will be alike deceptive and ruinous to the soul.” A.Barnes
|
Idols, no matter what form they take can NEVER fill and satisfy the emptiness of our hearts. 
It may be that you are trying to get that satisfied 
feeling from some form of pleasure…..it will not satisfy for long.
|
For those people who do not know or believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Idolatry is a way of life. If one does not worship and trust in Jesus to meet all of their needs in this life and in the next then they are serving another husband! Believers are said to be married to the LORD. We are his bride…He is our husband. God is a jealous husband though….look out if your heart is in love with someone else more than with Him! (James 4:4,5) We are His, He bought us with His own blood. He will see to it that your other lovers(idols) leave you unsatisfied, so that you come scrambling back to Him. |
|
Jer 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Jer 3:20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. Jer 3:23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. Jer 3:10 God says we only need to acknowledge we have not obeyed His voice and that we have trusted in other gods. Living a life trusting in other gods will cover us in shame and confusion. And yet the false gods that they are trying to get filled and satisfied from, are the very cause of the shame they hate living with. O that the Holy Spirit would show us where we are trusting in an idol instead of in Him…then we could acknowledge our sin and forsake the idol…trusting in Father God alone for all our needs. Then He will feed us with the finest wheat and fill us with honey from the rock. He will satisfy us deeply! The question is will I trust Him? Jesus said , ”Do not fear little flock it is the Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom” Luke 12:32 Luk 12:22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. |
|
Psa 78:29 So they did eat,398 and were well3966 filled:7646 for he gave935 them their own desire;8378 (1892)and their years8141 in trouble.928 This Psalm gives a good description of one caught up in idolatry. The Lord gives you over to the thing you are addicted to…in this case food…but with it comes vanity of life…a wasted life. Strongs says Vanity 1892 – hebel ,habel, Again we see that if we rely on our idols to fill and satisfy us we will not be satisfied at all. We will have leanness, emptiness, barrenness, and vanity! |
|
We may cry out like the first people who heard the good/bad news about their sinful lost condition…. MEN AND BRETHREN WHAT SHALL WE DO? Acts 2:37 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. |
Before we come to faith in Jesus Christ we are firmly rooted on the throne of our lives. We sit in the temple of God showing ourselves that we are god…God is not fooled, but we are. We really believe that we are in control of our own lives and can provide for all of our needs. We glorify ourself and boast in our achievements to others. We put down others (if only secretly) and elevate ourselves above them. We do not want anyone else to rule over us. We cannot trust anyone else to love us like we love ourselves! No way!
However, some of us get weary of trying to be God….we realise that we are unable to handle the job…we end up burning out in some way as we get more and more addicted to the things our SELF wants and lusts after. We blow up. We implode. We destroy our life. Great gods we make!