The time had come. Israel who had been sent into captivity in Babylon for 70 years was told by the LORD, “Leave.”
And God had said he would do this. They would not be there forever, but that he would raise up Cyrus as a king who would send them home. And that’s exactly what happened.
But it was important for them to know that this was not because of what the “gods” did.
“I declared to you long ago. I announced it to you before it occurred, so that you could not claim, ‘My idol caused them; my carved image and cast idol control them‘ (v. 5).
“From now on I will announce new things to you, hidden things that you have not known. They have been created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today, so you could not claim, ‘I already knew them!” (v. 7).
Why does he say all these things?
“I will not give My glory to another” (v. 11).
Let’s pause for a second. Doesn’t that sound like some egotistical God that needs his glory? Why would God say things like this?
The last couple of years I have been doing a deeper dive into various faiths, mainly atheism, Islam and Mormonism. Last night I started reading a book on Buddhism from a monk. The reality is that whatever we believe, it has real life implications. Even if one is an agnostic or atheist. These are faith systems too.
And with these faith systems there are results. For example in Tibetan Buddhism like I was reading last night, it is important that you have no attachments internally or externally. You destroy all desire. And that includes desire and attachments to others. So family relationships are not necessarily warm relationships of love and connection as that is seen as an “attachment.” Showing affection is weakness. Even the Buddha himself abandon his wife and children and once when he returned, he was sterile in his relationship with them so as not to have attachments.
I am studying Mormonism also quite intensely. I had no idea. There’s so much pressure to be “worthy” and so many requirements by the organization of the church that people don’t have time to live their own lives. Then they have 8 year olds get baptized as if they have any idea what they’re doing. And then young girls and boy throughout their lives have to have “worthiness” interviews in which deep things about their sexual life have to be confessed. With a male bishop in a private office. That and they follow a faith that is easily proven as false. When they do even the slightest study from their own sources and find this out for themselves, they quickly become hurt and embittered. Often leaving God.
Islam is understood so rightly and so wrongly. But make no mistake. It is not a religion of peace. In fact it is the only faith that declares that those who do not convert should be taxed, violently subjugated and even killed. For a people so lovely, so much hatred is taught. The groups that make tv are considered “radicalized” for their faith but once you study the teachings, you see that they are not radical but fundamental.
In the Bible in the time where Israel was carried off into captivity, the problem was the worship of so many gods. The idols had several things in common–liberal sex (Baal, Asherah and others) and the sacrificing of children (Molech). Not too different from today, it just takes different names other than “gods.”
All these things matter. These things are hurtful. These things cause great grief in people. It harms them to their soul and harms others.
If “glory” and honor for something goes to the gods, the gods will be worshiped. If glory and honor go another faith, then that other faith will be worshiped and harmful things and ideologies will continue to be spread.
God’s ways are such that they are of love, life, faith, beauty, connection, freedom, relationship and more. It is built on the foundation of righteousness and truth. He is the Creator, He knows how to bless. “The kingdom of God…is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17-18).
God must be be jealous for his glory, because where people give their glory is where they will follow. Only God is the place where righteousness and holiness dwell in love and peace. That’s why glory is guarded. Because it is the only safe place for the people He has made.
