VALENTINE
The Truth
Behind St. Valentine
Part
2 - The Truth Behind St. Valentine – What God Thinks
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Part 3 -
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What God Thinks
Read what God commands His people
concerning pagan customs and traditions: “Learn not the way of the heathen…For the
customs of the people are vain” (Jeremiah
10:2-3).
Also notice Christ’s words in Matthew 15:9:
“…in
vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Throughout
the Bible, God describes “heathens” as those who worship things that He had
created (animals, the sun, the moon, stars, trees, etc.), or man-made idols,
or anything
but the one true God.
He
calls such people and their practices pagan.
True Christians understand that God hates any customs, practices and traditions
that are rooted in paganism.
But
just how serious is God about paganism?
When He rescued the twelve tribes of Israel
from brutal slavery and led them out of Egypt, He commanded them, “After the doings
of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, shall you not do: and after the doings
of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, shall you not do: neither shall you
walk in their ordinances”
(Leviticus
18:3).
God
demanded the Israelites not to defile themselves with the pagan practices and
customs of surrounding nations (verses 24-29).
“Therefore shall you keep Mine ordinance,
that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed
before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your
God” (verse 30).
God
cursed Egypt—a nation of nature-worshippers—with ten plagues and freed Israel
from slavery. He rescued Israel from Pharaoh’s army by parting the Red Sea and
leading His people to safety.
He
fed the Israelites manna—special bread made by God—from heaven. He protected
them from battle-tested Gentile armies, delivered them into the Promised Land
and drove out their enemies.
How did Israel treat God in return? “Our fathers
understood not Your wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of Your
mercies; but provoked Him at the sea, even at the Red Sea…They soon forgot His
works; they waited not for His counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the
wilderness, and tempted God in the desert…They made a calf in Horeb, and
worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude
of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, which had done great
things in Egypt; wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the
Red Sea…they despised the pleasant land, they believed not His word: But
murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of
the Lord …They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the
sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their intentions” (Psalms
106:7, 13-14,19-22, 24-25, 28-29).
God
explicitly commanded Israel to cast out and utterly destroy all nations that
occupied the Promised Land (Canaan). Above all, His people were not to make
political alliances with them or marry into their families (Deuteronomy
7:1-3, 5, 16).
“For they will turn away your sons from
following Me, that they may serve other gods” (verse 4).
But the Israelites thought they knew better
than God. They decided to do things their own way. “They did not
destroy the nations, concerning whom the Lord commanded them: But
were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their
idols: which were a snare unto them. Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their
daughters unto devils [demons], and shed innocent blood, even the blood of
their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of
Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their
own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions” (Psalm 106:34-39).
To
wake them up and get them back on track as the model nation He had originally
intended, God gave Israel over to their enemies.
Israel
repented and cried out to God. God rescued them.
With
their bellies full and lives protected, the Israelites went back to pursuing
other gods. God punished Israel again. Israel repented and cried out to God.
And
so went the deliverance-idolatry-punishment-repentance cycle (verses 40-46).
Until
finally, God had no other choice but to divorce unfaithful Israel (Jeremiah 3:6-11).
He
used the Assyrians, one of the most brutal warrior nations in history, to
invade, conquer, enslave and relocate the entire northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17).
Having
“disappeared” from history, the modern-day descendants of those ten “lost”
tribes are unaware of their true identity even to this day.
Later,
God sent the southern kingdom of Judah (mainly the tribes of Judah, Benjamin
and Levi) into Babylonian exile (2 Kings 24 and 25).
The
Jews were able to retain their true identity. They kept (at least physically)
the true Sabbath, which is a special sign that identifies the one true God and
His people (Exodus
31:12-18).
The
Israelites were severely punished because they lusted after pagan customs,
rituals, traditions and practices. As you can see, God does not take paganism
lightly.
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Click here for Part 1 -
Click here for
Part 3 -
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