THE WORTHLESSNESS OF IDOLS
- Sam Christian
- Dec 29, 2023
- 3 min read
DEVOTIONAL 12/29/2023
Psalm 115
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Billions of people on earth are heading to destruction because of their ardent love for idols. There is something about idolatry that is so tempting, magnetic, and captivating to people. Human beings seem to be intrigued by things that they can touch and see. However, God warns us again and again that any idolatry is an abomination to God.
People spend fortunes to build statues of Buddha, dead or alive leaders, dead or made-up saints, Mary, false Jesus, deities, and so on to bow down to. The statues can be costly, made of silver or gold as said in Psalm 115: 4, but after all they are just men’s work after images of mortal men or through men’s imagination.
In Psalm 115, we see that the statues and the idols have mouths, but they cannot speak (Psalm 115: 5). They cannot give their own worshipers true comfort, words of wisdom, or solutions. They stay there in uselessness. Yet people foolishly contribute to build them, offer money to them, and worship them.
The idols have eyes but they cannot see (Psalm 115: 5). They have ears, but they cannot hear worshipers (Psalm 115: 6). They have hands, feet, and throat, but they cannot move or utter a word (Psalm 115: 7). This is a tragedy that billions of souls blindly trust in these lifeless idols, and the door of hell is waiting for them.
Psalm 115: 4 talks about idols made of silver and gold, but we can extend our understanding to people who may not worship these idols. However, they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of money, fame, influence, and position. It is also a form of idolatry that Christians must avoid.
Today, we observe a widespread form of idolatry, celebrity culture in which people adore celebrity and create fandoms dedicated to movie stars, singers, talents, performers, and famous influencers. One concert alone can register thousands of souls for the entry of hell.
As Christians, from now on, we must denounce all forms of idolatry from our hearts. We will trust in the Lord Jesus completely because He is our help and shield (Psalm 115: 9). We must shield ourselves with His presence and protection. We must commit to have an idol free life and serve the LORD Almighty, the Only True God that can do whatsoever He pleases (Psalm 115: 3).
Forms of Idolatry
Compilation from photos on Pexels.com
Sam Christian
Feel free to share and no attribution required.
Acknowledgements
Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, the writing "What you need to know before clicking 'I agree' on that terms of service agreement or privacy policy" by usatoday.com, and the writing "Can You Start a Sentence With Yet?" by prowritingaid.com.
The Bible used is the King James Version by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA (King James Version Bible Large Print Thinline Edition, 2016). Some texts were inspired by boldfaced words from this Bible book.
Illustrative photos are from Pexels.com,
Daniela Ruiz, https://www.pexels.com/photo/gautama-buddha-1042206/
SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS, https://www.pexels.com/photo/statue-of-jesus-1604849/
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