3/29 Deuteronomy 4:24

²⁴ For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Moses made sure the people understood that because they did not see a form but only heard the voice out of the fire on Sinai, they should never make an image of God. God is a Spirit. The nations around them made gods in the cast or carved forms of people or animals. The Israelites were warned that if they made idols, they would not be in their new land for long. God would cast them out like He was about to cast out the Canaanites.

Why is God so adamant about not making images? The images are the shape of things He has made. The only image that could represent Him is the sinless Son of God that was to come into the world. God sees Israel like a loving husband sees his bride. If a bride was to chase some worthless thing that would destroy her, the husband should be jealous. That is not the jealousy of selfishness that demands complete attention, but the passionate love of one who truly cares for the welfare of his or her loved one. It is an attribute of God we should highly value.

Under the Old Covenant God dealt severely with the nation and with individuals that turned to idols. That is not foreign to the New Covenant. Ananias and Saphira were struck dead for making an idol of money. (Acts 5:1-9) Our actions influence others, and the spirit of idolatry is infectious. God has not changed. He is still a consuming fire. We don't often see such immediate judgment and sometimes the judgment is not external, but He is still a consuming fire. The good land we have inherited is the fellowship of true believers. We end up casting ourselves out of that blessing when we pursue false gods.

Ponder: You may have seen those who were growing believers involved in the ministry who then slowly drifted away. In many cases it was the result of another god in their hearts. This is why we must guard our hearts and live in a daily relationship with our loving, invisible God. Take some time to be with Him right now.