Psalm 81:8-10 - Hear, O My people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to Me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
"Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." These words bring to mind the image of baby birds in a nest, clamoring for a feeding with beaks wide open. God promises to care for the people of Israel, but first He reminds them that He is the God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt. They must not worship any "strange god" or the "foreign gods" of the nations around them. Yet as they journeyed through the wilderness to the Promised Land, the Israelites often complained about God's care or, from their point of view, His lack of care. Like baby birds with wide open mouths, they clamored for food and water. They looked to foreign gods to provide for them, even creating a golden calf to worship. Those false gods could do nothing for them. Only the true God, the God who saved them, could supply their needs. God admonishes His people, calling them to repentance. They must look to Him alone for help in every need.
We were enslaved by sin and death. No false god could save us, but the Lord our God sent His Son Jesus as the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. Yet, like ancient Israel, we are tempted to forget the God who saved us. While we may not chase after "foreign gods" or create a golden calf as Israel did, we serve gods of our own making. We run after the strange gods of wealth or possessions or popularity. We try to satisfy another god that is not at all strange to us, the god of self, as we seek to fulfill our own desires instead of obeying God's commands. The God who saved us wants us to turn away from these strange and foreign gods. He calls us to repent of our unfaithfulness and forgives us for the sake of His Son.
The Lord our God tells us, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." God feeds us with His holy Word. He nourishes our faith and forgives our sins as we receive our Lord's body and blood in His holy Supper. God's peace and forgiveness are ours for the asking, blessings poured out by Him "who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power this is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20b). No strange or foreign god can do that!
WE PRAY: Lord God, You have filled me with Your blessings; You will supply all my needs. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does God provide for even our smallest needs?
2. Why was is so hard for ancient Israel to keep away from false gods?
3. How can being well versed in God's Word give us strength to combat the false gods in our world?
Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 20-22 John 10:1-21
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