I have a close friend named Joe Conrad. Some of you may read his blog Tripping and Stumbling After Jesus. If not, I highly recommend it. He and I have a similar schtick–taking everyday events and concepts, and showing how God has woven them into the spiritual. It’s not the most original method of exposition; a certain Jewish carpenter did the same thing, to great effect.
Joseph tends use humor more, and God bless him for that. Not too many writers will mix Christianity with Monty Python. Laughter is a gift from the Almighty, and I firmly believe that mixed in among the music, laughter will resound throughout the halls of Heaven.
Update: I forgot to include a link to Joe’s Blog. Please check him out at Tripping and Stumbling While Following Jesus.
Recently, Joe wrote a spot-on post about idolatry, especially in our culture. I found it convicting, but it also resonated with me because I’ve been mentally chewing over a parallel thought. A couple of days ago, While reading Psalm 135, a few verses stuck out to me:
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;
17 they have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
As human beings, we are hard-wired to worship something…anything. Even those who profess to not believe in any supernatural will speak with reverence about something. Typically it’s the cosmos or nature, because those things represent the grandest concepts that occur to those who won’t believe in an infinite God.
However…what if, as human beings, we are wired to not only worship, but also become like the object being worshipped? It’s not something that we can necessarily choose to have happen, but what if true worship–in word, thought and action–produces change in our lives, for the better? Or the worse?
The difference is the object of our adoration; that determines what changes will occur in our life. When my time is filled up with mindless entertainment, then my eyes and ears become dulled to seeing God at work, and hearing the Holy Spirit. There is always a competition for my attention, between God and this world. One opens expands my senses and discernment, other other numbs and dulls.
In latter part of verse 17 above, it says “nor is their breath in their mouths”. In Genesis, God didn’t just give breath to Adam, the way we would put an oxygen mask on someone. God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” This is a very personal picture. God wanted Adam to have a tiny sliver of life, and came close…intimately close, and bestowed it.
I have a video somewhere of me working on a lawnmower. My mower is propped up, and I’m taking the blade off. In the process, I’m getting a little frustrated, and end up using a hammer in the process. Before I realize it, Ian has brought over his plastic lawnmower toy, propped it up, and is whacking it with one of my tools. He sees what I do, and imitates it. Is it a coincidence that when people give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, it looks like a kiss? I’m not trying to belittle saving someone’s life, but when we see that someone has no breath and needs it, we draw close and breath into them. In doing that, we are like children who are pretending to do what our Heavenly Father does.
There is only one God who longs to draw close and give us life, and is able to give life. And, more than anything, He deserves my worship.
#1 by Joe on July 18th, 2010
“Nor is there breath in their mouths.” You & I both know that the Hebrew word for breath is “Ruah,” which also means Spirit. So it’s an interesting play on words that these idols have no “Spirit” in them either. Yet we can’t seem to resist following them sometimes.
I think you are right on the money about us becoming like that which we worship…because THAT is what ever is most important to us. No wonder we end up looking like it.