Becoming Like that Which We Worship

Psalm 115

¹Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

²Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

³Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

⁴Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

⁵They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.

⁶They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.

⁷They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.

⁸Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

⁹O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

¹¹You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

¹²The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;

¹³he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.

¹⁴May the Lord give you increase, you and your children!

¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth!

¹⁶The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.

¹⁷The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.

¹⁸But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

The number one recurring theme of God’s message to the Old Testament believers – the Children of Israel – was to beware of idolatry. God knew that the heart of man is quick to slide away from Him and seek after other gods. His people have proven that fact repeatedly since Adam and Eve. This psalmist captures that idea once again in this poem that contains both words of praise for God and warning for the reader.

There was one phrase that jumped off of the page for me upon reading this psalm – verse 8. “Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.” That phrase is almost frightening. Who wants to become like a block of wood or a chunk of gold? Isaiah discusses this same concept in a lengthy piece of warning about bowing down to that which we create with our own hands (or minds!).

Isaiah 44:9–20

⁹ All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. ¹⁰ Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? ¹¹ Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. ¹² The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. ¹³ The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. ¹⁴ He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. ¹⁵ Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. ¹⁶ Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” ¹⁷ And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” ¹⁸ They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. ¹⁹ No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” ²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

This passage always draws an interesting picture in our minds. From a felled tree, I get firewood and an idol. When I put those two things together, I must acknowledge that this practice doesn’t make sense. But we do it anyway.

On the opposite side of that coin, I find comfort in the fact that if I am worshiping the living God, perhaps I am able to allow more of Him to show through my words, actions, and even thoughts. Perhaps the same thing is true of trusting the Living God – He enables me to be more like Him. It’s an interesting thought and one I hope to pursue.