Other Masters

“O Lord our God, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name.” (Isaiah 26.13)

Israel had a long history of being dominated by other masters, such as Assyria and Egypt. Part of the reason why they were subdued by other masters is their practice of adopting worship of foreign gods. Idolatry ran rampant, particularly so in Isaiah’s day. Wicked kings had welcomed foreign deities into Israel and mingled them with the worship of Yahweh. But Yahweh, Jehovah, will not share HIs glory. So, the beauty of the covenant relationship with Him was marred by pagan worship. And other masters ruled them.

What are some “other masters” that we wrestle with today? We may not be so blatant as to worship idols and pagan representations of them. But perhaps “other masters” take the form of habits that dominate our time and sap us of energy for serving the Lord Jesus. If we’re all honest, there are some things that lord over us and dominate our time and capture our attention for far too long. Social media tends to be a black hole for many who simply cannot stop scrolling endlessly through their feed. Television can suck us in to hours-on-end of “entertainment” that dulls our senses to all things holy. Hobbies and recreation often consume hours of our time and keep us from more beneficial things – such as reading and meditating on God’s Word.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy some of these things, too. Perhaps too much. There’s nothing wrong with keeping up with friends, entertainment or recreation. But at what price do we participate in them? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” He mentions food and how it is beneficial for the body, but without proper discipline food can be a problem (ouch!). 

The point is this: we must practice spiritual disciplines that will demonstrate that the Lord Jesus is our Master. It is He to Whom we owe our allegiance. Any “other master” spoils our relationship with Him Who redeemed us. May He help us, by the power of the Holy Spirit residing in us, to not allow “other masters” to rule us. Instead of yielding to “other things” let’s yield to things above.

Grace & Peace! Mike