Good Goodbyes: Week Five Online Bible Study

There was lots to think about this week in our No Other Gods study. This week we focused on “Good Goodbyes,” and I hope it gave you as much to consider as it did me. When we say good bye to our idols that is definitely a good thing.

The Israelites were basically forced to say good bye to their idols. They had to hustle out of Egypt when Moses told them to go. For many of them, they knew that an end to their captivity would mean the start of a better life, but when the going got tough, they went back to their memories of Egypt with fondness and regret for having left.

The Cost of Idols

How easily and quickly we forget the cost of idols. So too, the people of Israel completely forgot that even though they didn’t actually pay for their food with “cash,” they paid for it with sweat, hardship, and pain. And how we so easily do the same! We tend to count the “cost” of something in actual dollar figures, but the value of something is more in the process of obtaining it, isn’t it?

Learning How to Pray

When the Lord answered the Israelites prayer, it was a great lesson in learning how to pray, wasn’t it?  I always laugh when prayers are answered in unusual ways, and I remember that saying, “Be careful what you ask for.” This is one of many instances where God gives us the desires of our hearts, what we think we want, and then He uses that to show us how what we ask for isn’t always what is best for us. It was so compelling to me how God took them from “excess of meat, but a leanness of soul.” That definition of “leanness” really struck me as such a contrast to the overflow of the request for more meat. They received it, but at what cost?

How often do I ask for something without really making sure it is truly what is best for me?

How often do I plow forward asking, but never truly seeking, His guidance and confirmation for the things I ask for?

This example was such a great visual for me of how He does always know what is best for me, even when I don’t. I need to trust Him and His plan more.

Say Good Bye to Giants and Idols

For example, God had already planned that the Israelites would occupy the land of Canaan. He allowed the 10 spies to go in and look around, and what did they decide to do? They said the land was too much for them–occupied by giants whom they could never defeat. Wow, this another example of trusting the Lord with things “unseen.”

It is always my first reaction to run to what I “see” and “know,” whatever is right in front of me, than to run to He who loves me, who has the ultimate plan for me. I get so frustrated with myself when I lack the trust He asks for, but thankfully He is great in His mercy, patience, and kindness. No matter how many times I turn away, He always accepts me lovingly and with open arms.

Children as Idols

Have you ever thought about children as idols? I love my children with all my heart. This week showed me just how I put them above so many things at one time or another. But, I have to say, to actually admit that I let them become idols scared me to death after reading this. Could I ever begin to have the faith Abraham had?

The story of Abraham’s near completed sacrifice of his son Isaac is for me one of the most difficult stories in the Bible to understand. It is one of those places where I just trust the Lord and His goodness, knowing that sometimes only He knows why He does what He does. I trust that the Lord was using that method of teaching because He knew that would be the only or best thing to make Abraham aware of his own personal heart condition. Oh, how I pray that He never calls me to anything quite like that.

:: Be sure to join us for our Facebook Chat HERE at our regular Tuesday night time of 8pm CST. I’m really looking forward to discussing this week’s questions with our group.

Join Our Online Bible Study
If this the first you’ve heard about the Faithful Provisions online Bible study, we are in week five of this 8-week study. We’d love to have you join us by just jumping right in. Get all the details HERE.