No other love

Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings. They, not I, are your inheritance. Do you think all this makes me happy? You have committed adultery on every high mountain. There you have worshiped idols and have been unfaithful to me. You have put pagan symbols on your doorposts and behind your doors. You have left me and climbed into bed with these detestable gods. You have committed yourselves to them. You love to look at their naked bodies. Isaiah 57:6-8 NLT

God declared that He is a jealous God. “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you” (Exodus 34:14). God’s relationship to those who have trusted Him is compared to a husband and wife covenant relationship. It is like the passionate love of a husband to his wife. For this reason, He will not condone idolatry. We have to fulfill all our longings in Him alone. This is what Jeremiah warned the people of when they did not satisfy their thirst with what God offers. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:13). We must bring our emptiness to Christ and allow Him to fill us again and again and again. This is what Isaiah was reminding people from the text. “You have committed adultery on every high mountain. There you have worshiped idols and have been unfaithful to me” (Isaiah 57:7). What should matter in life is our love for God. Because of our relationship with Him, we must open ourselves alone to Him. This relationship with God is not about control but a loving surrender to His will. There is a great temptation to look around and spread the love outside of God. Once we do that, our devotion and sacrifice are compromised. This could lead to doubting our wholehearted love to God and will result to coldness in our relationship with Him. Despite our unfaithfulness, God is still offering His love to us and calls us to “Come.” “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you” (Isaiah 55:3). His love alone can thrill us forever.

Blessings,