Word of Encouragement (10/08/2024)
Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. (1 Chron. 16:23-27)
Having declared that YHWH is to be feared above all gods, David says, “For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols [or, graven images]...” (v. 26). Many of these foreign gods were just figments of imagination. Why would people invent these false gods? Does this show that all religions are made up by weak and primitive men as a clutch to deal with life’s difficult problems? We cannot deny that faith has great power. When you believe in something sincerely, it can give you a surge of energy and hope even if what you believe is false or unreal. But this kind of psychological benefits are only temporary and will lead to a sense of betrayal and disappointment. It is like going after a mirage: seeing it may stir up hope, but it will soon be dashed to pieces. Whatever strength the hope was able to muster will rapidly be drained.
Does this mean that man’s religiosity stems from his ignorance and weakness? We must ask whether dreaming up a supernatural being or beings is only “natural” for the ignorant and primitive man. Can we not think of a scenario, in which that kind of thought would never occur to man, and that he would stoically accept the harsh reality of life and try even harder to overcome the challenges of life instead of wasting his energy with such wishful thinking? What if man’s “invention” of religion points to his inherent religiosity, which stems from being made in the image of God? As God’s image-bearer, man is wired to seek relationship with his Maker. On account of the Fall, man has rejected the true God. But he cannot fully reject his religiosity, which is in his (spiritual) DNA. He finds something to worship, even if it is just a figment of his imagination.
Some of these false gods were ‘real”—not that they were divine but that they were demon-based. Demons can disguise themselves as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Then, they can also make themselves appear as gods and goddesses. After all, though fallen, they are still supernatural beings with supernatural powers. It is no trouble for them to intimidate and overpower humans with their powers. They are eager to do this, of course, if they can detract humans to worship them instead of God.
As the evidence of God’s supremacy, David mentions His work of creation: “...but the LORD made the heavens.” He alone is the Creator of all things. All other gods are mere creatures, created by God or made by human imagination. As such, they are confined to the realm of creation and under the lordship of God. It is foolish to worship and serve these idols, including the modern, mundane idols of health, wealth, power, and beauty. These things cannot shield us from unexpected disasters and tribulations, let alone from death and God’s judgment. God alone governs the affairs of the world and man. He alone can grant salvation and eternal life. Let us trust in Him alone and serve Him alone in gladness.