A Poor Exchange

I was reading the other day in Psalms, and I know there are 150 Psalms, but have you ever read through them and felt like you were reading it again for the first time?

That was me.

I was reading Psalm 106, and the text jumped out at me because I'm also in Exodus. For those of you who aren't familiar with 106 right off the top of your head, the psalmist is recounting the deeds of the Lord toward Israel. He is also recounting the ways in which the Children of Israel stumbled and sinned against God--which are quite numerous. (I feel like this is a chapter filled with "and yet". The children sinned, and yet God had compassion. The children of Israel stirred the Lord to jealousy, and yet he stayed his hand.)

But the main thing that popped out to me was this verse:

"And they exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass." (106:20)

Sure, you can skim over it easily, but just sit and think about it for a moment. The very people whom God called unto himself and set apart as his own, set free from YEARS of captivity, provided EVERY need for them, shown wonders which no one had ever seen before, and instructed them to make a building so he would be able to dwell WITH his chosen people(did I ever mention how incredible that is?!)--they said "thanks, but no thanks", quickly forgot the testimony God had provided for them, and had a man of importance make for them a cow. That is one of the most frank verses I have ever read.

Part of me wanted to laugh at the image of a simple cow, but the reality is, this is so often ME. So often I exchange experiencing the glory of God's presence for simple things--one more page in a book, 10 more minutes on the computer, or just a few more minutes of sleep. I easily forget the goodness of God, the sureness of His character, the solid evidence of his faithfulness, and place my own "grass eating ox" in the place of glory. Something that seems like an answer, yet is not my Savior.

What a poor exchange.

And yet He is so quick to forgive us...to call us beloved. He has placed his own hand upon us, one that cannot be removed by any earthly power. When we come to him, in humility and repentance, He gladly lifts up our head and calls us by name. What an incredible God we serve.

As I continue to think about (and repent) of the things I am trading, I encourage you to also consider what are areas in your life where you've (even unknowingly) traded the GLORY of the Lord? What are things that keep you from seeing the full glory of God?

In His Arms, :)
~Anna