Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
Think about the last time you got something you really were looking forward to. A new car, new phone or new toy. Do you remember the feeling it gave you to have worked hard and gotten what you wanted? That feeling of satisfaction, the feeling of excitement. The enjoyment that came from your new toy, how you would take great care of it—that was, until the shine wore off, or something better caught your eye.
Look at the last few years of your life, look how you have gone from one thing to another hoping to find fulfillment in the work of your hands, the new toys. Do you desire to no longer be held captive by the newest, shiniest toy that pops up? The things you desire cannot bring you lasting happiness; they cannot satisfy you.
Verse 8, the last one there, is convicting and challenging. Our broken desires cause us to worship something other than the Creator of the universe. We were created to reflect his character back to him, made in the image of God and made to worship him in all we do, but our sin and rebellion broke that and we began to worship idols. And we worship idols to our own destruction, losing the image of God we were created with through this broken worship.
But give thanks to God who sent his Son Jesus to the cross, to suffer and die to give us a way to be reconciled to the Father and to have our worthless pursuit of idols broken. Jesus offers us a way to be restored to the image of God—so let’s repent, and turn from our worthless desires and worship of idols, because they’re killing us. Turn to Jesus—he will restore the broken image and put you back together.
Ryan Williams is a pastoral resident at the Downtown Bellevue church.
