Don't Worship Idols

1 Corinthians 10 Friends, I want to remind you that all of our ancestors walked under the cloud and went through the sea. ²This was like being baptized and becoming followers of Moses. ³All of them also ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ. ⁵But most of them did not please God. So they died, and their bodies were scattered all over the desert.
⁶What happened to them is a warning to keep us from wanting to do the same evil things. ⁷They worshiped idols, just as the Scriptures say, "The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance around." So don't worship idols. ⁸Some of those people did shameful things, and in a single day about twenty-three thousand of them died. Don't do shameful things as they did. ⁹And don't try to test Christ, as some of them did and were later bitten by poisonous snakes. ¹⁰Don't even grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. ¹¹These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures to teach us who live in these last days.
¹²Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. ¹³You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.
¹⁴My friends, you must keep away from idols. ¹⁵I am speaking to you as people who have enough sense to know what I am talking about. ¹⁶When we drink from the cup that we ask God to bless, isn't that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread that we break, isn't that sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.
¹⁸Aren't the people of Israel sharing in the worship when they gather around the altar and eat the sacrifices offered there? ¹⁹Am I saying that either the idols or the food sacrificed to them is anything at all? ²⁰No, I am not! That food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons. ²¹You cannot drink from the cup of demons and still drink from the Lord's cup. You cannot eat at the table of demons and still eat at the Lord's table. ²²We would make the Lord jealous if we did that. And we are not stronger than the Lord.

Always Honor God

²³Some of you say, "We can do whatever we want to!" But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful. ²⁴We should think about others and not about ourselves. ²⁵However, when you buy meat in the market, go ahead and eat it. Keep your conscience clear by not asking where the meat came from. ²⁶The Scriptures say, "The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord."
²⁷If an unbeliever invites you to dinner, and you want to go, then go. Eat whatever you are served. Don't cause a problem for someone's conscience by asking where the food came from. ^28-29But if you are told that it has been sacrificed to idols, don't cause a problem by eating it. I don't mean a problem for yourself, but for the one who told you. Why should my freedom be limited by someone else's conscience? ³⁰If I give thanks for what I eat, why should anyone accuse me of doing wrong?
³¹When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God. ³²Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church. ³³I always try to please others instead of myself, in the hope that many of them will be saved.

King Joram of Israel

2 Kings 3 Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Jehoshaphat's eighteenth year as king of Judah. Joram ruled twelve years from Samaria ²and disobeyed the LORD by doing wrong. He tore down the stone image his father had made to honor Baal, and so he wasn't as sinful as his parents. ³But he kept doing the sinful things that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to do.

The Country of Moab Rebels against Israel

⁴For many years the country of Moab had been controlled by Israel and was forced to pay taxes to the kings of Israel. King Mesha of Moab raised sheep, so he paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool from one hundred thousand rams. ⁵But soon after the death of Ahab, Mesha rebelled against Israel.
⁶One day, Joram left Samaria and called together Israel's army. ⁷He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, "The king of Moab has rebelled. Will you go with me to attack him?"
"Yes, I will," Jehoshaphat answered. "I'm on your side, and my soldiers and horses are at your command. ⁸But which way should we go?"
"We will march through Edom Desert," Joram replied.
⁹So Joram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom led their troops out. But seven days later, there was no drinking water left for them or their animals. ¹⁰Joram cried out, "This is terrible! The LORD must have led us out here to be captured by Moab's army."
¹¹Jehoshaphat said, "Which of the LORD's prophets is with us? We can find out from him what the LORD wants us to do."
One of Joram's officers answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was one of Elijah's closest followers."
¹²Jehoshaphat replied, "He can give us the LORD's message."
The three kings went over to Elisha, ¹³and he asked Joram, "Why did you come to me? Go talk to the prophets of the foreign gods your parents worshiped."
"No," Joram answered. "It was the LORD who led us out here, so that Moab's army could capture us."
¹⁴Elisha said to him, "I serve the LORD All-Powerful, and as surely as he lives, I swear I wouldn't even look at you if I didn't respect King Jehoshaphat." ¹⁵Then Elisha said, "Send for someone who can play the harp."
The harpist began playing, and the LORD gave Elisha this message for Joram:

¹⁶The LORD says that this dry riverbed will be filled with water. ¹⁷You won't feel any wind or see any rain, but there will be plenty of water for you and your animals.

¹⁸That simple thing isn't all the LORD is going to do. He will also help you defeat Moab's army. ¹⁹You will capture all their walled cities and important towns. You will chop down every good tree and stop up every spring of water, then ruin their fertile fields by covering them with rocks.

²⁰The next morning, while the sacrifice was being offered, water suddenly started flowing from the direction of Edom, and it flooded the land.
²¹Meanwhile, the people of Moab had heard that the three kings were coming to attack them. They had called together all of their fighting men, from the youngest to the oldest, and these troops were now standing at their border, ready for battle. ²²When they got up that morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it look red. The Moabite troops took one look ²³and shouted, "Look at that blood! The armies of those kings must have fought and killed each other. Come on, let's go take what's left in their camp."
²⁴But when they arrived at Israel's camp, the Israelite soldiers came out and attacked them, until they turned and ran away. Israel's army chased them all the way back to Moab, and even there they kept up the attack. ²⁵The Israelites destroyed the Moabite towns. They chopped down the good trees and stopped up the springs of water, then covered the fertile fields with rocks.
Finally, the only city left standing was Kir-Hareseth, but soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it. ²⁶King Mesha of Moab saw that he was about to be defeated. So he took along seven hundred soldiers with swords and tried to break through the front line where the Edomite troops were positioned. But he failed. ²⁷He then grabbed his oldest son who was to be the next king and sacrificed him as an offering on the city wall. The Israelite troops were so horrified that they left the city and went back home.

A Basket of Fruit

Amos 8 The LORD God showed me a basket of ripe fruit ²and asked, "Amos, what do you see?"
"A basket of ripe fruit," I replied.
Then he said,
"This is the end for my people Israel.
I won't forgive them again.
³Instead of singing in the temple,
they will cry and weep.
Dead bodies will be everywhere. So keep silent!
I, the LORD, have spoken!"

Israel Is Doomed

The LORD said:
⁴You people crush those in need and wipe out the poor.
⁵You say to yourselves, "How much longer before the end
of the New Moon Festival?
When will the Sabbath be over?
Our wheat is ready, and we want to sell it now.
We can't wait to cheat
and charge high prices for the grain we sell.
We will use dishonest scales ⁶and mix dust in the grain.
Those who are needy and poor don't have any money.
We will make them our slaves
for the price of a pair of sandals."

⁷I, the LORD, won't forget any of this,
though you take great pride in your ancestor Jacob.
⁸Your country will tremble, and you will mourn.
It will be like the Nile River that rises and overflows,
then sinks back down.

⁹On that day, I, the LORD God,
will make the sun go down at noon,
and I will turn daylight into darkness.
¹⁰Your festivals and joyful singing will turn into sorrow.
You will wear sackcloth and shave your heads,
as you would at the death of your only son.
It will be a horrible day.

¹¹I, the LORD, also promise you a terrible shortage,
but not of food and water.
You will hunger and thirst to hear my message.
¹²You will search everywhere--
from north to south, from east to west.
You will go all over the earth,
seeking a message from me, the LORD.
But you won't find one.

¹³Your beautiful young women and your young men
will faint from thirst.
¹⁴You made promises in the name of Ashimah,
the goddess of Samaria.
And you made vows in my name
at the shrines of Dan and Beersheba.
But you will fall and never get up.