Today’s Reading: Leviticus 18; Leviticus 19; Psalm 13; Acts 19
Scripture: Acts 19:26-27
26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Observation: These are the words of Demetrius, a businessman who has been well-to-do by trading on silver statues of the goddess Artemis. And he sees the Christians as a threat to his pocketbook. Here he correctly sums up Paul's position: "man-made gods are no gods at all." Of course, Demetrius disagrees, ostensibly on the basis of faith, but certainly on economic grounds. His financial future depends on the goddess Artemis. But what gets me is the last phrase. He states the great danger that Artemis "will be robbed of her divine majesty."
Application: What kind of god can be robbed of his or her divine majesty? I would suggest that if some group's teaching can rob any god of divine majesty, that "god" wasn't really divine to begin with. If a god is truly God, then there is a certain power and security in that God by virtue of the true divinity of that God. If followers of any religion are continually feeling the need to stand up for their "god" because of what they perceive as attacks against their god, then they should reevaluate their beliefs. In the Bible we see attacks against the church because of the perceived threat against either the Jewish faith or the Roman pagan beliefs. In our world today, we see the Islamists' violent protests against statements or even cartoons that they see as damaging to their prophet. All of these instances fall into this same category. If your god is truly "God" and your religion is true, then your God will prevail and you don't have to fight or kill anybody. But if you feel that you must fight for your god, then you are saying that your god is too weak to protect himself and needs you to fight for him.
I am glad I serve a God that can take care of himself. He teaches us, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," say the Lord Almighty.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for being the true, almighty God. I know that I cannot protect you, but that you can and surely do protect me. May I live in such a way that many people will learn of your ways through my life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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