They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come. – Leviticus 17:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 15, 2012): Leviticus 17

In 1979, Bob Dylan released his studio album “Slow Train Coming.” The album contained what would become Dylan’s last hit single. The track was called “Gotta Serve Somebody.” The song would peak at number 24 on the Billboard Top 100. And maybe what is most surprising is that song seemed to have a definite Christian twist. The lyric of the chorus gave the central message of the song.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

No matter how you feel about Dylan’s Christian period, the song underlined a human truth. We will serve something. It is just the way that human nature operates. Often it is simply our own needs that get served. We do what it is that we want to do. But maybe the surprising thing is that we often do not get what it is that we want. Our worship is often wasted. People who just want to serve the pleasures of the world seldom seem to be content People who serve money seldom have money. It seems that to obtain either one of those things requires that we chase after something else. But whatever it is that we serve has a drastic effect on who it is that we are.

The gods of the ancient times usually fulfilled a specific desire or need. Each god had his own niche. If what you wanted was what that god was thought to have control over, then that was the god to whom you would dedicate your worship. The goat god was worshipped in Egypt as the god that would provide fertility – both for the people and for the flocks. And fertility was an important factor in ancient times – and little understood. The problem with the God of Israel is that he seemed to be a general practitioner. And Israel was always tempted by the specifics.

But fertility and life were not available from the goat god – he was just someone to serve. The problem was that the goat god had nothing to do with either life or fertility. That was the area of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To worship the goat god was just a waste of worship. And that was an insult to the real God –and the road to death instead of life.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Leviticus 18