Encounter Christian Campus Ministry Daily Devotions 2020

April 17 by Ptr. Arnold Pasion

TEAR DOWN THE HIGH PLACES

In the Old Testament, High Places were places of worship on elevated ground, on a hill or rock formations. They were shrines, mostly, dedicated to idol worship (carved images of humans, animals, constellations, goddess, and fertility deities). They were situated where people can see and have an easy access to. To God, they were abominations and it was one of the commands of God given to Moses (Exodus 20: 3-5). Some of the most common idols in the Bible are Baal, Asherah, Astarte, Anath, Beel-zebul, & Molech. During Bible times, these gods came with their own priests & priestesses and people offered anything and everything to their gods including young children (babies) and even perform sexual acts in front of them.

When the Israelites first entered the Promised Land, first of God's command was to DESTROY THE HIGH PLACES, idols, and carved/molten images of the inhabitants of the land (Numbers 33:52). They were commanded NOT to worship these idols at high places (Deut. 12:1-5). Throughout the Old Testament, God showed how displeased He was with the presence of High Places among His people and was pleased when the people destroyed them and PROMISES HIS PRESENCE (2 Kings 18-22). In the New Testament, the same command is given to worship only GOD the CREATOR NOT THE CREATURE (Romans 1:18-32).

Today, Idol worship is no longer just about bowing down to a "GOLDEN CALF" or molten or carved images. An IDOL is anyone or anything we put between US and GOD; anything we put and consider more important than God—is your IDOL. Yes, an idol is something/someone we put as equal with God.

I can't help but compare our life today with our life before we had this Coronavirus (Covid-19). Prior to Covid-19, people were busy going through life pursuing all that this life can offer and, of course, without God in it. All of humanity, basically, worship everything and anything and reduced God to just another god—someone who is less important than any pursuit we have in life. Hulk Hogan puts it beautifully when he said, "God has taken everything we worship" through this Covid-19. He continues, "God said, 'you want to worship athletes, I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians, I will shut down Civic Centers. You want to worship actors, I will shut down theaters. You want to worship money, I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market,'" You want to worship wisdom and knowledge, I will shut down schools. You want to worship your body, I will stop all fashion shows and close all department stores and stop all production of garments except for face mask and PPEs.

...and the world is in LOCKDOWN.

Yes, prior to Covid-19, we people have reduced God to nothing more than just a "good idea," an "activity," "someone/something for the purpose of making us feel good." We, Christians and believers are not excused to this "idol worship." Too many of us put the church higher and more important than God thinking that God and the Church are the same. Too many of us think and act like our ministry is more important than our personal relationship with God—that our "doing is more important than our "being" as children of God. Yes, too many of us worship the Body of Christ (the Church); but disregard the Head of the Church (Jesus Christ). Too many of us put God in the sideline as we are doing ministry that we think is for God. I have never imagined that God has closed the doors of churches only to make every Christian worship in their homes. From a personal point of view, God is purging (I know, the world is too negative.) and trying to separate who the true worshippers are (John 4:23). And so, perhaps, we don't need a vaccine for this virus; but a spiritual awakening, a true spiritual revival and destroying all those High Places we have put for our gods...then God will be pleased with us. May we use this Quarantine/Lockdown to spark a personal spiritual revival in us—let God heal us spiritually.