Deuteronomy 12:2-3 says: “Ruthlessly demolish all the sacred shrines where the nations that you're driving out worship their gods—wherever you find them, on hills and mountains or in groves of green trees. Tear apart their altars. Smash their phallic pillars. Burn their sex-and-religion Asherah shrines. Break up their carved gods. Obliterate the names of those god sites.”
Reading this passage I remember my reaction in 2001 when heard that Taliban Islamic militia destroyed a 1,800 yrs old, 165 feet tall carved Buddha located in Afghanistan. Being a lover of history, I was saddened at the fact that the world had lost such a rare and ancient artifact.
Yet, here is God tell His people to destroy all the sacred shrines and artifacts used to worship false gods. Instead of looking at the Taliban in angry for destroying the Buddha, I should have been shamed at my lack of zeal for my God. Should we, who serve the One and True Living God, not have the same zeal, if not more, then those who serve false gods? If so, how would it look? Should we take to the streets every time a negative cartoon or movie is made about Jesus? Or does zeal look different now days?
Last night at the Junior High Youth Group a story was told that tied backed to this passage in Deuteronomy. I think it illustrates a type of zeal that maybe we here in America need to follow….
There was a King who had three very faithful and trustworthy servants. One day he walked up to the first of these servants carrying a huge, priceless pearl. He asked the servant how much the pearl would cost. The servant replied that it was worth more then all the land in the kingdom. At this the King told the servant to destroy the pearl. The servant refused saying that he could do no much thing.
The King then approached the second servant with the same pearl and question. This servant said that the pearl with worth more then all the gold and silver in the kingdom. Again, the King repeated his command to destroy the pearl, only to have this servant refuse as well.
Going up to his third servant, who came from a lowly background, the King repeated his question. The servant responded in a similar fashion as the other two saying that the pearl was priceless. The King then told him to destroy it. With out hesitation, this servant takes the pearl and smashes it to bits on an iron avail. The other two servants sees his actions and ask why he was destroying the one-of-a-kind pearl. He responds, “What is worth more? This pearl and all it’s wealth? Or obeying the command of my master?”
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