Divine Majesty

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

DIVINE MAJESTY 

Acts 19:21-27

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

NIV

With Timothy and Erastus going on to Macedonia, Paul stays in Ephesus, and that is where the trouble over money starts. Interestingly, the silversmith named Demetrius seems to be more concerned about his income from making items related to the goddess Artemis. Of course, we know it is a false god that has no ears to hear, eyes to see, or mouth to speak, but the point is the temple that was built to worship it, which brought in a high income for all the tradesmen in Ephesus. Demetrius was smart about stirring up the others, using both their income and Paul's declaration that man-made gods are no gods at all, and that Artemis will be discredited and robbed of her divine majesty. This type of story has not changed much over the years. There are plenty of man-made gods, or man-made idols, that people worship today. These idols do not have temples, as was the case in Ephesus, but there are other ways to worship idols. We could not name all the idols of this world, but the point is that we believers should not make anything in this world an idol. Although money was at the root of the problem in Ephesus, that may be the root of many problems in our culture as well. Perhaps money has become an idol in our culture, and we wonder if that idol has not crept into the church? Thinking of an idol as some divine majesty goes totally against the one true Divine Majestic God. There is nothing made by the hands of man that could ever have any divinity, although what man makes can be worshipped. This does not mean believers should divest themselves of all their money, for we all require a certain amount to provide for the necessities of this life. Jesus taught about money, and we know that the love of money is the root of all evil, as we know from the letter to Timothy. Let us not get distracted from the faith and look to the ways of the world for our success and supplies. There is nothing more important than to trust our Lord God Almighty for everything in this life and for the life to come. He is the only True Divine Majesty.