In studying the second
chapter of Habakkuk, we have discovered four “woes” that God has
given to the Chaldeans: “Woe to him that increases [that which
is] not his!; Woe to him that covets an evil covetousness to his
house; Woe to him that builds a town with blood, and establishes a
city by iniquity! Woe unto him that gives his neighbor drink, that
puts your bottle to [him], and makes [him] drunk also, that thou
mayest look on their nakedness!” Today
God expounds the fifth “woe” to the Chaldeans, and this time it
is related to their idol worship. He wrote in verse nineteen:
Woe unto him that says
to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold,
it [is] laid over with gold and silver, and [there is] no breath at
all in the midst of it.
In verse eighteen we saw what a waste of time it was to the builders
of graven images to worship them. They are useless when it comes to
helping people, and rather than choose the living God, the Chaldeans
chose gods that could not even respond to them. Today God gives them
warning and intelligence concerning their false gods. He warns, “Woe
unto him that says to the wood, Awake;” Try waking up a tree
sometime. Just the thought of it is silly and ridiculous, and yet the
Chaldeans constantly bow down and pray to wooden images. There is no
life in them, and the best they can do is provide some sense of false
security or kindling wood for a good fire. But God does not stop
there.
God said, “to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach!” Try
going over to a big rock, let's even make it a diamond or ruby, and
ask the stone to arise and teach something. It is a waste of time.
There is no life in the stones no matter how rare and precious they
may be. They are lifeless created stones that have no impact in a
person's life except whatever they fabricate in their own minds. The
Chaldeans, however, worshiped gods made of these stones, and now the
uselessness of their gods was being revealed.
Finally God adds, “Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver,
and there is not breath at all in the midst of it.” No matter
how someone dresses up an idol, they still do not breathe. They do
not live, and they only sit where they are placed. It is amazing how
many graven images people follow as “good luck charms” or
“prosperity symbols”, and should they ever lose them, they get
frightened and demoralized. It is such a sad thing for the Chaldeans
or anyone else to trust in a dead god who can provide no help in time
of need.
Our Heavenly Father created all things in the Earth, and He is alive
and well and desires a relationship with everyone who is willing.
There is one requirement: Trust in, rely upon, and cling to Him and
His provision for our sins through Jesus Christ. Even though this
arrangement has been made, still some will not give up their
non-living gods for the One and True God. Without the God of the
Universe as our God, every other image is graven, lifeless and
without ability to aid. May we all put our trust in this True and
Living God.
Next time we will find God in His Holy Temple, and we will see the
Earth's reaction to Him, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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