You’ve probably heard the phrase “I may as well be talking to the wall!” Perhaps someone said it to you. It implies that you didn’t hear a word the other person was saying to you. When we have something important to say to another, perhaps something very critical, we want them to be listening, to hear what we say. A wall, made of wood, brick, or stone, perhaps covered in plaster, can’t hear a thing we say, and will not respond. We want our family and friends to hear us, and we soon find out who is a good listener, and who isn’t. When we pray, we want God to hear us. In our psalm today, the psalmist compares Yahweh, who hears and is attentive to us, to the pagan idols who don’t hear a thing.
Our psalmist first begins with something he feels is very important, and that is a reminder to all believers that Yahweh, alone, is deserving of all glory, and not ourselves (vs. 1). God will not share His glory with anyone else, whether with some person, or with any pagan gods from some false religion. It is never right to think it is okay for a Christian to mingle their faith with another religion or philosophy. Whenever we do something noteworthy, we should point the praise to God, not to ourselves. All glory belongs to Him, and He will not share that with anyone.
There are times when unbelievers scoff and deride us for an apparent lack of response from God to our prayers. “Where is your God? Why isn’t He answering your prayers?” they taunt (vs. 2). Our God does hear and answer prayers, and as believers we need to give testimony to that fact. Their pagan idols, however, are nothing more than wood or stone (vs. 4-8). Just like the wall that doesn’t hear a word we say, neither do their idols.
We have all seen, either in photos or firsthand, idols of various deities that followers of false religions set up to worship in their homes, in their temples, and scattered around the countryside of their countries. They are made from all sorts of materials, wood, stone, even gemstones. They are cold and dead, though, with no life or power to them. Those who worship these idols lay food out before them, but these objects made of wood or stone cannot eat it. Small wild animals or birds will come and eat the food, or else it becomes moldy while they wait for their god to move. Sometimes they even dress these idols because they can't dress themselves. They cannot do anything, including ever helping those who vainly and hopelessly worship them.
These pagans worship dead gods of their own making, in the image of fallen creatures. These spiritually blind and deluded people make up myths and stories about their gods, where they have fallen personalities of cruelty and violence, often promiscuous and debauched. The worshippers of these deities become like the idols they worship, senseless, cruel, and impure.
Yahweh is alive and active in the world and in our lives. He is not a cold, lifeless statue of wood or stone. God is sovereign. He has the power and wisdom to accomplish everything He desires. All throughout Scripture we see and are reminded that He hears and answers our prayers, unlike an idol. No matter what happens in our life, God is in absolute control. We do not need to fall to pieces like the unsaved do.
There may be times when we think that God has forgotten us. We feel alone and abandoned. However, God remembers us. He will never forget or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 49:15). He sees, He understands, and we are always in His mind (Psalm 139:17-18). God also does not play favorites like people do. He doesn’t just bless the powerful or famous (vs 13), nor just pastors or those in full-time Christian work. If we fear the Lord and obey Him, He will bless us.
As we close our psalm for this week, let’s remember that we should always be glorifying God. He is exalted when we show His mercy and truth in our lives. When others see the Lord bringing us through hardships and answering our prayers, they will know there is something wonderful about Him. Honor the Lord. He alone is worthy. Yahweh is not like the dead, lifeless, and worthless idols. Trust in Him, because He will help us. Praise the Lord because He is worthy.
No comments:
Post a Comment