Reading: Exodus 32:1-6
Have you heard this story before? Did you know that God was so angry with the Israelites for making a golden calf that Moses killed 3,000 men for worshiping that idol (Exodus 32:28)?
Most Americans can’t ever imagine bowing down to a statue the way that the Israelites did. But people don’t realize that anything can be an idol if it comes before our love for God. For example, when we are greedy and covetous, that is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
Do you remember that when the Israelites entered Canaan, God told them to destroy all the people and all their idols? He did not want any of that to remain. God knew that idol worship would make the Israelites forget their love for him. And the same thing can happen to us if we put anything before God.
How to be Happy was written by Lydia Sigourney and published in 1833. Now out of print, the book is in the public domain and may be read freely online. The following is an excerpt from one of the chapters.
LOVE YOUR SAVIOR
His character, so beautifully related in the Bible, is worthy of your warmest love. You remember his obedience to his mother, his being subject to her will, even when his wisdom astonished the most learned men of the realm. May you also, my dear children, as you “grow in stature, grow in wisdom, and in favor with God and man.”
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