What Do You Worship?

What Do You Worship? By John W. Ritenbaugh

“But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield.” Psalm 115:3-11

Once we get past the context of the times in which this psalm was written, its instruction becomes clear. In those days, idols of stone, wood, and metal fashioned into the form of an angel, man, beast, or half-man/half-beast were common. People worshiped before these figures and tried to conform their lives to what they thought was the will of these 'gods' they had fashioned.

The lesson is that a man can rise no higher, be no stronger than his idol. An idol—anything worshiped that is not the Creator God—is inadequate. It can do nothing to improve what the man is.

Compare this to those who allow their admiration for an athlete, entertainer, or politician to slide into idolatry. What are they worshiping?

Just another frail and fallible human being.

Conforming to their idol's way may earn them notoriety within their peer group or community—it may even earn them a great deal of money. In this life, they could even become "greater" than their idol, but in the end, what and where are they? They are still just frail and fallible human beings – like the one they worship.

Worshiping anything less than God does not enable us to rise above being merely human.