{"id":57234,"date":"2019-06-11T15:42:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T12:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=57234"},"modified":"2023-01-02T19:01:04","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T17:01:04","slug":"all-that-glitters-is-not-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/all-that-glitters-is-not-god\/","title":{"rendered":"All That Glitters Is Not God"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[555,384,429],"acf":{"old_id":"57234","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":37333,"related_cahpter":"239","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"They were tempted, just as we are, by shiny new objects","content":"

Entering a department store is an almost universal experience. Whether in London, Melbourne, or New York, and whether planning to buy kitchenware or bedlinen, we find ourselves in a bright, shiny world decorated with objects begging to be caressed and taken home. Before we can even check the store\u2019s directory to discover which floor hosts saucepans or sheets, we find ourselves idly fondling a scarf, handling a new leather wallet, or smelling sweet samples of the latest perfume. While on a rational level we know we don\u2019t need these things, our irrational brain demands that we buy this shiny new accessory. These objects tempt us with their sparkle and potential, but they are often hollow inside, useless as soon as the allure dissipates.<\/span><\/p>\n

The people of ancient Israel had far fewer shiny things than we do \u2013 and certainly no department stores! But they were also not immune to temptation. In the Ten Commandments, God instructs the Israelites not to worship other Gods and not to make sculptured images, such as idols (Exodus 20:3-4). But this doesn\u2019t stop the Israelites from doing so \u2013 most notably the creation of the golden calf (Exodus 32:2-4). While this episode does not end well, it is not incomprehensible that people wanted to connect to God through idols. It is much easier to see and feel a lump of metal than it is to sense and experience the Eternal One.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ashtoret (pl. Ashtaroth) was an ancient Middle Eastern goddess. She is depicted through figurines shaped like a woman. Just as we today are distracted by the glittery merchandise near the entrance of a department store, ancient people were drawn to Gods that they could see, feel, and touch. For the people of Israel, this was unacceptable, just as it is now. We read that: \u2018<\/span>Samuel said to all the House of Israel, \u201cIf you mean to return to the Eternal with all your heart, you must remove the alien gods and the Ashtaroth from your midst and direct your heart to the Eternal and serve the Eternal alone\u201d (I Samuel 7:3). Ashtaroth may seem more desirable than an invisible God \u2013 shiny, smooth and tangible \u2013 and much more accessible than the Eternal who cannot be seen, felt, or touched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Worshiping Ashtoret seems a bit like walking through a department store and buying those sparkly new earrings or velvety soft scarf when all you meant to buy was saucepans and some pillowcases. It might seem fitting in the moment, but will you ever actually wear them? Aren\u2019t they just shiny new objects that seem irresistible but will leave you wishing you hadn\u2019t spent that extra $20? It is not always easy or possible to connect with a God who may seem as elusive as the glove you lost last winter. But substituting a cheap and poorly made alternative is rarely satisfying. Finding the time and mustering the effort for a deeper connection is so much harder, but the result is incomparable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Astarte (Ashtoret), found at Gezer in 1973, dated to the end of the Middle Bronze Age (16<\/span>th<\/span> century BCE). From the collection of George S. 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