Deuteronomy 7:26
“And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and become a devoted thing like unto it: thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.”
The previous entry in Deuteronomy was to avoid particular things because they would become a snare unto us. Today passage tells us what our attitude is to be towards those things. We are to “abhor” them.
The immediate context is about other gods. We aren’t to worship them. There are two of the commandments which address this. One is to “have no other gods before me” and the other has to do with not having graven images. In our time we don’t often have idols that represent our religion.
What are the “other gods” of our time? A god is that which we rely on for help. It’s that which are passionate about or that which we spend our time, attention or money on.
Pleasure is a god. This is called hedonism. Many ancient cultures had a god for pleasure. It’s not wrong to want to enjoy one’s self. God created this world to be enjoyed and he made us with a desire for it. It’s when it’s out of balance and replaces God.
From the outside it may be difficult to differentiate someone who worships these things from a christian. It’s all in the heart. The follower of Christ is to be subservient to Him. There must be times when we say “no” to these things.
Our attitude about going over the edge in something is to be strong. We are to hate it. Why? One answer is from the previous journal. It becomes a snare to us and can wreck us and our relationships. The second reason is that it’s an insult to God and damages our relationship with Him. We shouldn’t flirt with the boundaries. Not out of guilt, but out of a desire to honor God and for our own nurturing.
Lord, help us to avoid these things. Help us to honor you and to abhor these idols.