People with perfectly good transportation go car shopping. They own dependable, paid off, easily and inexpensively maintained, proven trustworthy, transportation, but it’s not enough. They would be wealthier, happier and safer if they were content with what they had. Contentment seems beyond the reach of humanity in its fallen state. Humanity is always seeking something new or better.

Some people want a 4X4. They do not want to drive on the straight and narrow; they want to play in the mud. They want to stray into the wilderness; they want adventure.

Some people want to drive something flashy. They want to keep up with the Joneses. The Joneses live in a bigger house, with a swimming pool and have better paying jobs. Perhaps driving a Lamborghini will make us seem rich too. At the least, we will look like we belong to the jet set crowd. We want to drive a status symbol.

I realize that my metaphor does not hold up on every point, but I believe it illustrates some of the thinking of the Israelites. They were constantly god shopping. They worshiped Dagon, who was also the father of Baal. Baal was a fertility and earth god. They worshiped Asherah (Baal’s mother and mistress), they believed she gave fertility and good harvest, her worship included a practice of public ritualistic prostitution. They worshiped Moloch, a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice, through fire or war. The Israelites test drove every god on the lot, and went deeply into spiritual debt buying into most of them.

The Israelites sold their souls to the Philistine’s and Ammonite’s god’s and then were shocked when God sold their nation to the Philistines and the Ammonites as well. The Philistines and the Ammonites shattered and crushed the Israelites and for 18 years oppressed them on the East side of the Jordan.

Metaphorically speaking, Israelites ended up living in 4x4s stuck in the mud, broken down Lamborghinis, and their fancy cars because the bank had repossessed their homes. Before god shopping, be prepared to pay the price.