To Whom Are You Bowing?

The Bible clear – we bow before our creator, and no one, or nothing else!

But of course, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Jesus Christ, has been taken out of the town square today, and that’s what’s wrong with the world today – lawlessness and godlessness.

We see this all over the Old and New Testaments. One great example is Solomon.  Some say he’s saved, others – not so much.  Why? Let’s look at 1 Kings, chapter 11, verses 4 through 8:

For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

He was faithful to the one, true, living God, then Satan and Solomon’s hormones got a hold of him – he started fooling around, and marrying women who did not worship God, to the point where he started erecting places of worship to these other gods, such as Ashtoreth – the goddess of fertility (yes, sex was, and is part of their ritual), and Molech, where the death of babies was – and is still – involved today. (Milcom is a variation on Molech, and Chemosh is a variation on Ashtoreth – different names for the same gods, in different countries/regions).

What did God have to say about what Solomon was doing? Verses 9 through 13:

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

Yep – God was none too pleased. even after two warnings not to do this, Solomon went and did it anyway. He let his earthly desires (illicit sex) rule his heart, and not God’s desires – His Commandments.

What does Jesus say? “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21).

God wants us above all, to be obedient – and when we’re obedient, we’re doing God’s will.

Today, we see lawlessness all over the place.

This George Floyd issue – whatever you think about the man himself – no one, and I mean no one, has the right to murder another human being – and I don’t care the color of your skin, or your race.

However, now you have celebrities, policemen, everyday people, and even members of congress – bowing down before people of color, because a police officer murdered a black man.

No! This is wrong!

No man or woman of any color, or race, or ethnicity, is superior to any other. To bow down in the name of making yourself subservient to another is idol worship.

It’s no better than bowing down to Molech, offering your baby to the god of abortion – or bowing down to Ashtoreth – and committing fornication, or adultery.

Let’s get something straight right now, and I cannot state it more strongly than this:

ANYTHING, OR ANY ONE, THAT YOU HOLD IN HIGHER ESTEEM, THAN THE ONE HOLY, AND LIVING GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB – IS IDOL WORSHIP – AND MUST BE EXPUNGED FROM YOUR LIFE!

If you’re living with someone who is not your legal spouse, you worshiping the idol of Ashtoreth. Sex is your idol – and God will have His way in that relationship. God tears them apart is one form or another. If you’re here – get it right, now!

Same goes if you’re having sexual relations with anyone who is not your legal spouse! Stop it now, or be prepared for one nasty fall.

Solomon fell from God’s grace, and although not during his natural lifetime, lost all but one tribe of the kingdom.

(This is where the disagreement over whether Solomon was saved and in heaven comes in – I’m not taking a position over it here, one way or the other – that’s between Him and God. I would hope that he got things right with God, before he went to “sleep with his fathers”.)

And there are a whole lot of people out there today who call themselves Christians, who are falling all over themselves, worshiping idols.

Well guess what?

• That sports star who’s “taking that knee” – won’t get you into heaven.
• That celebrity who thinks that they know better than everyone else, can’t save you.
• Your perfect house and manicured lawn – doesn’t mean squat, without Christ in it.
• That girlfriend/boyfriend, who pleases you in sinful ways – is leading you to Hell.
• That great paying job? Money is the root of all evil. Use it wisely, and for God’s glory.

And above all – the second part of the Greatest Commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.

That means respect your differences. We respect those of a different skin color, race or ethnicity. We are all one in Christ Jesus.

That does not mean that you have to tolerate their sin. We do not have to tolerate homosexuality, transgenderism, or anything else that God has deemed abominable in His sight. As Christians, we are to righteously judge sin, and call it out when we see it – with the end result being restoration to the Body of Christ and salvation of the lost.

God will have His way in idol worship – and He will judge rightly.  He will remove whatever idol you have – one way or another. If you do it willingly, it will go much better for you, but of if God removes it – it will hurt – and the longer you resist – the more it will hurt.

• Money? Imagine losing it all.
• Presitige? Imagine being at the bottom, having to climb up all over again.
• Living together? God will tear it apart.

These are just but a few examples of how God can work – to establish His rightful place in your life.

So, don’t bow down to another person – for any reason! They’re no better, and no worse, than you. Bow only to your Creator – who rightly deserves that honor and all of the praise.