Sexual immorality is everywhere in our world today, and is in itself a form of idolatry. People give in to wrong desires making idols of their own bodies in response to unhealthy desires. The enemy knows our weaknesses and is quick to take advantage.
The name Leviticus means the book of the Levites. Basically it was written as a rule book for the priests (Levites) to teach the people of God all they would need to know in order to live in their land of promise. He was preparing them for their future.
We know that Paul never married, and was not a parent in the real sense of the word, but he considered those he taught as his children. To Timothy, my true son in the faith is the way he begins his first letter to this young apprentice (1 Timothy 1:2).
Very few people have given their own offspring to set others free. But that is what our Sovereign Lord did for His people. Not just for us, but for all peoples of the world. There is certainly no other being who is as powerful and loving as The One who did that.
As we have already seen, very early in the history of Israel, God made it very clear that there were to be no idols found amongst His people, and that He was the only god they should serve. In fact He was, and still is the only one worth serving.
This is Jesus speaking after an un-named disciple admired the temple. Jesus responded in a way that disciple were not expecting. He told them that this particular temple would be destroyed and He went on to give them a brief view of the end times.
This chapter gives us the final speech of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, who used his last moments on earth to give one of the best evangelistic speeches in our Bible. Stephen told anyone who cared to listen a brief history of his people, the Jewish nation, Israel.
The apostle Paul travelled further as a missionary than any one else in the Bible. Paul was very vocal about what was good and not so good in the places he visited. Many films and documentaries have been made about his journeys, studying the history of the places he visited.
Many towns and cities all across the world have statues of people who have done exceptional service to the community, and the statues mark their contribution to society. The emphasis in the verse today is that a statue can become an idol and draw our worship away from Father God.
This could be a depressing study if we allowed it to be, but instead the hope and prayer is that it will be a challenge to everyone to consider how much we value things; ourselves, our own work, or our possessions, more than we value our relationship with Father God.