This Week’s Memory Verse: R is for…
“Rejoice with him, O heavens;
bow down to him, all gods.” -Deuteronomy 32:43
I wanted to share a little story with today’s verse. It has to do with this picture; not the water fight going on in front but the wooden statues surrounding the temple structure in the background. Here in Hawaii we are surrounded by the the culture of idol worship. They are systematically rebuilding the very temples that they tore down with their own hands less than 200 years ago. Literally yards from our house is a temple to a fish god, and between us and the heiau at the end of our beach where they offered human sacrifices is a compound dedicated to the rebuilding of these structures where you can watch with your own eyes men hard at work carving idols from wood. But this story is about the particular heiau in the picture which was the personal place of worship for Kamehameha the Great. Six months after his death the cruel kapu system of the Hawaiian people was overthrown by their rulers. The highest kahuna in the land, Hewahewa, was the first to set torch to the heiaus, saying “I knew the wooden images of deities, carved by our own hands, could not supply our wants…My thought has always been, there is one only great God, dwelling among the heavens.” This same priest knew a new and greater God was coming and even told the new king that the one true God would land on the very rock in Kailua Bay now known as “The Plymouth Rock of Hawaii.” And he was right! Missionaries from Boston carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ were at that very moment nearing Hawaiian shores. Upon their arrival another Hawaiian prophecy was fulfilled that the One True God would arrive in a small black box in a language they would not understand. Do you know that the very first thing those missionaries brought ashore was a black Bible box written in English! Within 20 years there were more Christians per capita in Hawaii than on the Mainland gathering together in what were the largest Christian churches in the world at that time, with a single church totaling 7000 members. The Light of World had truly shown on the Islands and heaven was indeed rejoicing!
Hymn of the the Week: “The Light of the World is Jesus” (Philip Bliss)
The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin; The Light of the world is Jesus;
Like sunshine at noon-day His glory shone in, The Light of the world is Jesus.
Come to the Light, ’tis shining for thee; Sweetly the Light has dawned upon me;
Once I was blind, but now I can see; The Light of the world is Jesus.
No darkness have we who in Jesus abide, The Light of the world is Jesus;
We walk in the Light when we follow our Guide, The Light of the world is Jesus.
Hele mai no, kou Lama no ne’i, Lama maika’i e ‘ike a’e ai,
Makapo au, ua ‘ike no na’e, Ka Lama one’i o Iesu.
No need of the sunlight in Heaven, we’re told, The Light of the world is Jesus;
The Lamb is the Light in the City of Gold, The Light of the world is Jesus.
godmadeknown 
Wow….how neat. Sad they are rebuilding the idols though š¦
LikeLike
Yeah, kinda makes you read the Old Testament in a whole new light when you see some of what the Israelites experienced going on in your own back yard.
LikeLike
I bet…our idols aren’t so obvious but they are everywhere….functional idols….laptops and tvs…food
LikeLike
My thought has always been, there is one only great God, dwelling among the heavens-AMEN!
LikeLike
…And His name is Jesus!
LikeLike
indeed.
LikeLike
Yes, God has been good to the people of Hawaii. We see His blessing here in so many ways. Let us not forget to give voice to our praise.
LikeLike
I assume the temples are being rebuilt under the guise of preserving Hawaii’s cultural heritage? How sad that they are exchanging God’s glory for worthless idols. š¦
LikeLike
Yes, all is in the name of preserving cultural heritage but at the same time there is a huge renaissance in the living practice of this ancient religion so the line is very often blurred between practice and preservation. And believe me, no one cries out for separation between church and state when it comes to these practices. It’s also interesting to note that the part of their cultural heritage that involved overthrowing their own religious system, tearing down the heiaus and the almost universal embrace of a new religion and the record literacy it brought with it is being completely buried in the process.
LikeLike
Love the missionary story!!!
LikeLike
And there is so much more to it! I get chills whenever I hear it.
LikeLike
“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the lord or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.” — Judges 2:10,11
The trend today is a growing world-wide rejection of Jesus Christ. We see it everywhere, in nearly every aspect of our lives.
LikeLike
Is it difficult to do school with water fights like that calling your name year round?! Such fun for the end of October! I love this picture! Love the story even more. I tried to read a little more about this, but I don’t have much “free time”! It seems more information is readily available about Kamehameha the Great than Hewahewa. š¦ However, I did learn a little Hawaiian in my reading: The old way was “pau” – finished. š At least for a time… But Jesus IS the Light of the {whole} world! š Thanks for sharing this!
LikeLike
If I get a chance, I’ll try to share some more of this amazing story.
LikeLike
I also enjoyed your interesting story of the idols. I also enjoyed the picture of your four handsome boys, which seem to be having a lot of fun in the water.
LikeLike
Amazing story! Tobias saw the picture and said, “I really miss my cousins.” š
LikeLike
Tell Tobias he is missed big time, too.
LikeLike