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In the previous post, I shared on making good choices for the future and I mentioned fortune telling.
And so this morning, in my devotional time, I happen to be reading a scripture that refers to this very thing! I love that there is concrete evidence in scripture for everything.
The Bible is absolutely the best.
When we approach God's Word through faith, we realise it is also the only absolute.
The scripture verse that I read was Zechariah 10:2 (NLT):
Household gods give worthless advice,
fortune-tellers predict only lies,
and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort.
So my people are wandering like lost sheep;
they are attacked because they have no shepherd.
How cool is that!?
Let's unpack this scripture:
Household Gods give worthless advice. Another translation (ISV) reads: Truly the family idols talk nonsense. What are family idols? In Africa, honouring and revering the ancestors is a religion and the oldest members of the family is respected above all, almost in a god-like manner. Traditionally, the grandmother and/or grandfather are the guardians of the family "spirit" and the ones to go to for advice. And their advice must be followed. Often with dire consequences. One young lady who worked with me many years ago when I was still in the hospitality industry told me that her mother took her to see their "Gogo" (granny) to help her get rid of an unwanted pregnancy.
At first I was shocked at what she proceeded to tell me. But through the years I have realised that we all have our own culturally accepted household gods. Only a few weeks back, an Afrikaans business woman told me that she was told by her mom she should massage her sons' gums while they are babies because it will prevent them from needing braces when they are older. Needless to say, the advice was worthless.
Facebook can become a household god too. I once read a post that encourages buying baby dolls for boys so that they can learn how to become great dads and loving husbands. And it sounded so very convincing but the more I thought about this, I realised that it is not really true. If I let my sons do carpentry, will they become like Jesus? They might end up looking like Him, physically, but it certainly won't give them His heart of kindness. Because kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. And likewise, google can also become a 'little' household god. How many times have I not fallen for the 'advice' on google when I knew that the Holy Spirit had already prompted me to do something else. Guilty, guilty, guilty!
At first I was shocked at what she proceeded to tell me. But through the years I have realised that we all have our own culturally accepted household gods. Only a few weeks back, an Afrikaans business woman told me that she was told by her mom she should massage her sons' gums while they are babies because it will prevent them from needing braces when they are older. Needless to say, the advice was worthless.
Facebook can become a household god too. I once read a post that encourages buying baby dolls for boys so that they can learn how to become great dads and loving husbands. And it sounded so very convincing but the more I thought about this, I realised that it is not really true. If I let my sons do carpentry, will they become like Jesus? They might end up looking like Him, physically, but it certainly won't give them His heart of kindness. Because kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. And likewise, google can also become a 'little' household god. How many times have I not fallen for the 'advice' on google when I knew that the Holy Spirit had already prompted me to do something else. Guilty, guilty, guilty!
Truly the family idols talk nonsense.
Do you see how awesome and applicable the Word of God can be!? I love it. I love how it brings us back to truth and prevents us from wandering off the path of Life.
_____________________________
Now, the next part:
Fortune-tellers predict only lies. Another translation (ISV): and the diviners discern lies, describing delusional dreams. Diviners can interpret the demonic realm. The best way for me to explain this is to use Siri (that talking 'woman' on your phone) as an analogy. When you give Siri access to all your info and 'movements' on your phone, she can make a pretty good assumption about your likes and dislikes, your passions and your dreams (yes, she knows you googled "vacation in Maldives"). Likewise the diviners use the information that they received from the demonic to predict a future that is a full-on lie. Satan is the father of all lies! And his greatest trademark is deception.
The diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation (ESV).
But wait, there is hope! This last part is pivotal. It is the key to the whole verse:
So my people are wandering like lost sheep, they are attacked because they have no shepherd.
*Really Liezl? Hope?!* YES
*Really Liezl? Hope?!* YES
When we do not have a shepherd, then we wander. Another way of putting it: when we rely on ourselves and do what we think is best or what is accepted in our culture, we end up listening to the wrong voices and make the wrong decisions and suffer the consequences.
But, we do not need to wander without a shepherd.
Jesus is our good shepherd.
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Liezl, you mentioned the demonic... that kind of makes me want to FREAK OUT!
Heaven and Hell are real. Angels and demons exist. There are many good books written on this topic. (Like Win Your War by Marc & Grace Driscoll.) The topic is much too vast to cover in a few sentences.
The demons knew who Jesus was. He told them to keep quiet. And they did. In Job we read of the devil giving account to God. God is not concerned about the enemy. He has already won the war! And Jesus, our good shepherd, prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies! (from Psalm 23.) When we have Jesus as our shepherd, we can enjoy life, even in the midst of evil that surrounds us.
The
Lord Is My Shepherd
23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in
green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (I do not
wander) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of
my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (including my future), and I
shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
*We all need help at times and we all need someone to point us to our good Shepherd. God, in His wisdom has designed church community so that we can have access to God-ordained and anointed shepherds (aka pastors).
*I did not say Facebook IS a household god. No, but it can be one. It is far better to be a part of a Christ-centred, Bible-loving community that can journey with us and provide sound advice. And sometimes, it really is best to stop and meditate on things instead of listening to advice without deeper thought. I love how David writes that He meditates on God's Word day and night. It really is food for thought.
*I did not say Facebook IS a household god. No, but it can be one. It is far better to be a part of a Christ-centred, Bible-loving community that can journey with us and provide sound advice. And sometimes, it really is best to stop and meditate on things instead of listening to advice without deeper thought. I love how David writes that He meditates on God's Word day and night. It really is food for thought.
