Mythological Greek Gods Versus the One and Only True God
By Adele Chong, Session Elder
Zeus, Athena, Hera, Poseidon, Apollo, Leto, Iris, Cronus, Hermes, Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis. These are the mythological Greek gods Iʻve read about so far in a class Iʻm taking about The Iliad––a classic, epic, and long poem (so long that it’s a book) by Homer about the Trojan War. (One of the joys of being retired is being able to take noncredit classes at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UH.)
As I write this devotional, Iʻm only one-third through the book, and I suppose more “gods” will be introduced in the last two-thirds of it. The behavior of these “deathless” and “immortal” characters is shocking to me. They plot to favor one human, then another; they scheme against each other; they resort to trickery, lying, bullying, manipulation of the humans, and even manipulation of each other.
I wonʻt be surprised if some of the scriptwriters for daytime television dramas (aka soap operas) get ideas for their stories from reading about the relationships between Greek gods. The Introduction to my copy of The Iliad says, “The Olympian gods are a family like many a family on earth. It has an an all-powerful, philandering father, who cannot be defied but may be deceived, a watchful, jealous and intriguing wife, and sons and daughters who vie for their parentsʻ favor as they pursue their individual aims.”*
Reading about these mythological gods was shocking to me because Iʻve always known who God is, and He is nothing like those characters! My father was still a seminary student when I was born, and when I was about 5 (before I started first grade), he started teaching me:
The first of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3, King James Version)
The Catechism:
Q1. What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Q4. What is God? Answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Q5. Are there more Gods than one? Answer: There is but one only, the living and true God.
After tucking me in, I remember my father standing in the doorway to my bedroom and asking, “What is the chief end of man?”
As I grew up and could read, I learned about the character of God. Here are just a few samples:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)
He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. (Psalm 144:2)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
God..is rich in mercy... (Ephesians 2:4)
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7)
What a contrast our God is to those mythological Greek gods! How chaotic life must be for someone who thinks their life is ruled by those gods. I am grateful that our One and Only True God is loving, merciful, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and rich in love and faithfulness.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for being our compassionate Friend, our gentle Supporter, our Healer, our trustworthy Redeemer. Thank You for showing us who You are in your Word, and in our lives. Help us to rely on Your love for us, especially when our lives are not unfolding as we had hoped. Amen.
*Note: p 41, Homer, The Iliad, Translated by Robert Fagle, Introduction and Notes by Bernard Knox, copyright 1990
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