"But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine."
A major reason people commit idolatry is because of a serious mis-
understanding of the source of blessing. God through Jeremiah had condemned this worship of Ishtar, "the queen of heaven"--but the people would not risk the truth of the prophet's words, as over against an alleged stock of provision that they thought they received (by wor-
shipping the "queen of heaven").
It is wiser for us to choose to worship the true God, and to get by with hardly anything, and end up in heaven--than to commit idolatry, and allegedly have our "needs" met, and end up in hell.
[Puritan quote of the day: "The happiness of angels as well as of men consists very much in beholding the glory of God." --Jonathan Ed-
wards, in his sermon, "The Wisdom of God"]
