October 3
Bible Reading: Acts 19:21-27
Acts 19:27, “And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
Ephesus was home to the temple of Artemis (Diana). It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. According to one historian, it took 220 years to build the temple. It was 425 feet long and 225 feet wide. 127 Greek columns surrounded the temple each bearing sculpted reliefs up to the high of a man’s head. The building was the largest temple in history. But Artemis was not real. She was only a myth.
Artemis herself was a goddess universally worshipped throughout the Greek world. Her sphere was the uncultivated earth, the forests, and the hills. Homer gave her the title, “lady of the wild things.” Regarded to be “the goddess of birth,” she was popular amongst women. Girls who served in her temple did so in short skirts with one breast bare. Coins and images depicted her with multiple breasts, and people believed she was a source of fertility. But she was only a fable.
“The city of Ephesians (was) the temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky” (Acts 19:35). The people believed in the sacred stone, which must have been a meteor. Someone likely took the stone and carved it into the likeness of the goddess that they then worshipped. Every year a huge month-long celebration in honor of Diana took place in Ephesus. Thousands of worshippers from the ends of the earth came to the celebration. All businesses were closed, all work ceased, and the people gave themselves to the celebration of the goddess’s birthday. But the meteor was nothing but a rock, hardly deserving of worship or reproduction by craftsmen. Though but a man-invented myth, Artemis captured the hearts and minds of a multitude of people. They worshipped her.
The Apostle John warned of the need to guard oneself from idols (1 John 5:21). An idol is anything placed above God in our heart. Though not even real, Diana captivated the hearts of an entire region. But God alone is worthy of our worship! The world is full of would-be gods that vie for your attention. What captivates your heart? Is it Jesus?
An idol is anything placed above God in our heart. But God alone is worthy of our worship!
FAIREST LORD JESUS
Fairest Lord Jesus!
Ruler of all nature!
O Thou of God and man the Son!
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown!
Fair are the meadows
Fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing!
Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer,
Than all the angels heav’n can boast!
LookingtoJesus 