Their gods

And He will say, "Where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge?"

It is easy to point the finger when other people mess up and cause trouble for themselves. When we consider the ancient people of Israel it is as if, on the face of it, they were really dense. How could they forget God? How could they not worship Him alone, and leave all those other gods behind?

That fact is, however, in many and various ways your own flesh goes after other gods, too. Were it not so, every waking moment and every sleeping moment of life would be totally engrossed in your Creator. Far from this, your waking moments are full of worry, lacking trust, lacking in help toward your neighbor, and full of plans aimed predominantly toward self-gratification. Idolatry clings to you just as woefully as it stuck to God’s ancient people.

When you seek refuge in things, ideas, and people that are not truly able to help you, what is your Creator going to do but raise the question when you are in deep trouble: “Where is the rock in which you sought refuge?” The answer, if not utter silence will be: “I don’t know. They certainly are not here.”

Your Creator has explicitly revealed Himself to you as a jealous God. That means He seeks you out, and wants to be known as the *only* One who seeks you out, for it is His good pleasure to save you, preserve you, bless you, and bless the world through you as you confess His Name. He is a God of whom there is to be no question whatsoever Who He is, where He is, or what He does.

As we witness the innocent suffering and death of Christ Jesus, who gave His life as a ransom for poor sinners, we see God doing what no other gods could do. Knowing this to be the case from all eternity, as God spoke to His people of old through Moses, he ripped and ribbed them a good one, as He would do on other occasions, because His present desire to save has been wholly consistent throughout all eternity.

By the grace of God in Christ Jesus your Creator has joined you to Himself and begun His work to be completed at the last day in you. As He goes about working all good things on your behalf, you may consider Him to be delighted in doing this. It is not because He needs glory for Himself in saving you, but rather the He, knowing your deepest need for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life, says, “Let *Me* do this!”

Time and time again He makes this known. Time and time again He invites you and admonishes you to seek everything good from Him alone. He places the merits and righteousness of Christ Jesus into the waters of His Holy Baptism, His Supper, His Holy Absolution and says, “Here I am to save you!” Don’t look anywhere else. Do look to anyone, or any thing else.

He Who created in you a new heart and Who renews a right Spirit within you will keep your feet from stumbling upon any other Rock.