Offering praise before the gods

I notice that when Jesus healed a leper in Galilee He insisted the man go to the priest and offer the prescribed offering that Moses had commanded-"for a proof to them" (Mark 1:44).

The Lord wants us to give Him public glory when He is marvelous in our lives. As He said:

"I am the LORD; that is my name. My glory I give to no other …" (Isaiah 42:8).

King David makes an astounding declaration to this effect:

"I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise" (Psalm 138:1).

Of course there are no other gods:

"… we know that 'an idol has no real existence,' and that 'there is no God but one'" (1 Corinthians 8:4).

And yet, in some figurative sense there are indeed "gods"; even Jesus (John 10:34-35) countenanced the use of that word in Psalm 82:1, 6 to describe those exercise authority over their fellow human beings.

Still, I wondered what exactly David could have meant by saying "before the gods I sing your praise." I tucked it away in the back of my mind.

Soon after, my mother had a doctor's appointment. She and I have been praying for her health, especially since endless tinkering with pharmaceuticals has made no difference. We were happy to report to the doctor that my mother has been having an excellent week-much less confusion, better memory, no nausea, no anxiety, and she is walking well. The doctor shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't understand the change but he was pleased.

That's when it hit me: I looked at the man, surrounded by his plaques and framed accolades, and I thought, "These are the gods! In modern Western civilization, who are the gods but the doctors and experts and college professors?" My mother's physician is the one before whom I must sing God's praise for my mother's good days!"