Worships God Alone

Worships God Alone

A HERO’S TALE

So who was the greatest ruler in ancient Israel? Early in his 40-year reign, King Solomon appeared to have the inside track.

After David’s wars, Solomon brought peace to Israel and enlarged the nation’s borders to their greatest extent. He doubled the size of Jerusalem, built a royal palace, and fortified towns throughout the country.

Solomon’s unmatched wisdom and wealth were legendary, attracting visitors from all over the world. He wrote Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and most of Proverbs. Most important, he built a magnificent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem.

Solomon was the man!

Sadly, though, the story of Solomon ended on a sour note. The same king who wrote that “God is the one you must fear” (Ecclesiastes 5:7, ESV) started worshiping other gods.

Throughout his life, Solomon married 700 women (whoa!), and many of them were from wicked, idol-worshiping nations around Israel. This was a direct violation of God’s commands. Then “as Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4, NIV). Solomon worshiped at least three false gods —Ashtoreth (of Sidon), Molech (of Ammon), and Chemosh (of Moab) —and even built altars for some of them outside Jerusalem.

God punished Solomon’s unfaithfulness by causing his kingdom to split into two nations —Israel and Judah —after his death. It was a tragic ending to a promising start.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

Nobody worships Ashtoreth, Molech, or Chemosh these days. But even now, people around the world believe in many different religions and gods. Some people even think that they themselves are gods!

However, the God of the Bible is the only true God, and he calls us to worship him alone. All other gods are fakes. They’re man-made phonies.

In Exodus 20:3, God directed Israel in the first of the Ten Commandments, “You must not have any other god but me.” And in Isaiah 46:9, God reminded his people, “I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.”

Why should we believe this? Because the Bible says so, and God’s Word is truth. This calls for great faith from God’s true heroes. Many people will disagree with you. Are you willing to answer God’s call and worship him alone?

BATTLE PLAN

Read Deuteronomy 4:1-40. It’s all about worshiping only God.