The Hard Penalty of Idolatry
Deuteronomy 28 is hard to read. God outlines all the curses for disobedience to the law according to the covenant He has made with Israel. If they are to be His people, He is to come first for their lives. Deviating from his direction will only lead to disaster and pain.
In the middle of a long list of curses that would come upon them is a hint at what causes people to crumble in their quest for the "good life" without God.
Deuteronomy 28:47 (ESV) Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,
Did you see it? They did not serve the Lord with JOYFULNESS and GLADNESS. And why did they not serve Him with joyfulness and gladness? Because of their "ABUNDANCE of ALL THINGS."
I'm firmly convinced of this: It is far more dangerous to be rich than poor. Poverty is visible and challenging. It is demoralizing and terrible in so many respects. We must never belittle the struggle of those who have very little. But I still believe having more than enough is far more disastrous to the human experience.
Here's why riches are a serious problem: When we are rich we rarely know it. We usually fall into the constant comparison trap of why others have more. This is what God describes here in Deuteronomy 28. The abundance of all things caused the nation to lose their joy and gladness. Have you ever been to a third world area and seen the people? They are happy! They smile from ear to ear! Have you ever seen American teens with every imaginable technological device at their disposal? They are depressed and suicidal. Things are not the path to joy! Having too much may cause stress you will lose it, fear that someone will take it or worse: comparing yourself to those who have more of it. People have rarely handled prosperity very well.
When we have too much we lose our joy in the little things. We start to complain about small issues that are really non-issues if we take the time to stop and consider how much we have. Then we turn into the most miserable kind of people.
Inevitably we stop serving the Lord our God. We start to serve the "things" we own or want to own. We work harder to make more money so we can get them. We get them and then we have to maintain them and stress about them. We stress about them and end up sick. We get sick and die and the stuff we craved is handed to someone else who didn't work for it. It's what Solomon discovered in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 2:20–21 (ESV) So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
In the middle of a long list of curses that would come upon them is a hint at what causes people to crumble in their quest for the "good life" without God.
Deuteronomy 28:47 (ESV) Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,
Did you see it? They did not serve the Lord with JOYFULNESS and GLADNESS. And why did they not serve Him with joyfulness and gladness? Because of their "ABUNDANCE of ALL THINGS."
I'm firmly convinced of this: It is far more dangerous to be rich than poor. Poverty is visible and challenging. It is demoralizing and terrible in so many respects. We must never belittle the struggle of those who have very little. But I still believe having more than enough is far more disastrous to the human experience.
Here's why riches are a serious problem: When we are rich we rarely know it. We usually fall into the constant comparison trap of why others have more. This is what God describes here in Deuteronomy 28. The abundance of all things caused the nation to lose their joy and gladness. Have you ever been to a third world area and seen the people? They are happy! They smile from ear to ear! Have you ever seen American teens with every imaginable technological device at their disposal? They are depressed and suicidal. Things are not the path to joy! Having too much may cause stress you will lose it, fear that someone will take it or worse: comparing yourself to those who have more of it. People have rarely handled prosperity very well.
When we have too much we lose our joy in the little things. We start to complain about small issues that are really non-issues if we take the time to stop and consider how much we have. Then we turn into the most miserable kind of people.
Inevitably we stop serving the Lord our God. We start to serve the "things" we own or want to own. We work harder to make more money so we can get them. We get them and then we have to maintain them and stress about them. We stress about them and end up sick. We get sick and die and the stuff we craved is handed to someone else who didn't work for it. It's what Solomon discovered in Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 2:20–21 (ESV) So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
What has happened? We have born the hard penalty of Idolatry in our lives. We have made something other than God our ultimate good and value for living. This is always a disaster because everything other than God fades, devolves or dies. We only find long-lasting value and joy in Him - Who is from everlasting to everlasting.
The bottom line is: Don't let things be "the thing" for you. You can tell if it's happening because there's no joy in your life like there used to be. So stop where you are, give thanks to God for what you have and rejoice that today your Name is written in the book of life. He will give you all you need and many things you want. That is never the problem. But receive them for what they are: His gifts to your life for a season. Let them go when their time is up. Move on to what He has in store for you next.
This is living.
This is good.
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