Today’s Scripture Reading (October 29,
2015): Deuteronomy 12
Outside of
the incredible loss of human life, maybe one of the most disturbing actions of
the Islamic State is the destruction of cultural and religious sites and the
theft of cultural artifacts inside of the territory that they control. The
Islamic State seems to have proven themselves as the great destroyers of modern
times. Much of what had been preserved of the Middle East’s incredible cultural
and religious past appears to have been either destroyed or is set for
destruction. The artifacts have been stolen and sold covertly to finance the
Islamic States War machine, and the religious places have been destroyed,
apparently in an effort to rewrite Mid-East history. As an amateur student of
history, it is something that I believe needs to be mourned.
But it might
be that we do not have much of a say about the action. It seems that Moses
tells Israel to do the exact things in antiquity that the Islamic State is
practicing in modern times. Israel was instructed to go into Canaan and break
down the great places of religious significance and to burn the idols. Anything
that does not honor the God of Israel could prove to be a trap to Israel’s
affections – and for that reason they could not be allowed to stand.
Israel,
however, failed in accomplishing the same task at which Islamic State seems to
have developed an expertise. They did not destroy the pagan holy places. And because
of their failure, the people of Israel seem to have been continually tempted to
worship at the feet of the pagan gods.
Maybe the
more important question for the Christian is simply this – shouldn’t we be
cheering the destruction of religious sites that do not honor the God that we serve
or selectively mourning the destruction only of sites that pertain to our
history. In light of Deuteronomy 12:3, I think an argument could be made for
this reaction. But I believe it would be a wrong – and a selfish - response.
These destroyed sites are important because they tell the story of human
civilization and of all the things that we have accomplished together as a
race. I mourn not only the Christian buildings that have been destroyed, but
also the Shiite Mosques, and the ancient pagan sites such as the Temple of Bel
in Palmyra which was blown up in August 2015. These sites, and many others, are
important to our story as the human race together.
But
spiritually, as Christians, we understand that these sites are more cultural in
nature than anything else. We serve a God who makes us his temple. Jesus words
to the Samaritan Woman at the well might be appropriate here:
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our
ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where
we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,”
Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans
worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from
the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” – John 4:19-24.
When God makes his home inside of us, we no longer have to fear the
sites of other gods. They simply become part of the story – and the cultural
mosaic of which we are all a part. And for that reason they must be preserved.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy
13
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