A Riddle
“They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.”
Psalms 115:5-7 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.115.5-7.NLT
When our eldest officially became a teen, my husband and I planned a trip just for him to celebrate an agreement we formed with him, one in which he began to assume more responsibility in return for more trust as a member of our family. It wasn’t our original idea but one we were happy to espouse for our children’s benefit. We visited Biltmore House, a first for all three of us, allowing Aaron to choose a special tour in addition to the ticketed one.
He chose the rooftop tour that went behind the scenes of the massive estate library and wing of guest rooms, through the owner’s personal study, and into the eaves of the copper roof and out onto the turrets. Our guide pointed out architectural wonder after wonder, all firsts in the states and copies of great European houses. Our favorites were the gargoyles carved into every imaginable stretch by artisans with chisels suspended by hoists stories above the ground. One particular specimen had a tale rather than a tail. His slab had a fault that cracked as the craftsman worked on his rear end, so that’s how he was left. These creatures were amusing and memorable, joke-worthy even, but not sacred or mysterious.
“Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.
And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.”
Psalms 115:4, 8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.115.4-8.NLT
“How foolish are those who manufacture idols.
These prized objects are really worthless.
The people who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame.
Who but a fool would make his own god— an idol that cannot help him one bit?
All who worship idols will be disgraced along with all these craftsmen—mere humans— who claim they can make a god.
They may all stand together, but they will stand in terror and shame.
The blacksmith stands at his forge to make a sharp tool, pounding and shaping it with all his might.
His work makes him hungry and weak. It makes him thirsty and faint.
Then the wood-carver measures a block of wood and draws a pattern on it.
He works with chisel and plane and carves it into a human figure.
He gives it human beauty and puts it in a little shrine.
He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain.
Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol and bows down in front of it!
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm.
He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it.
“Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”
Such stupidity and ignorance!
Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.
The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, “Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”
The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes.
He trusts something that can’t help him at all.
Yet he cannot bring himself to ask, “Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?””
Isaiah 44:9-20 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.44.9-20.NLT
“After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod.
They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon.
But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord!
So they took Dagon and put him in his place again.
But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again.
This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway.
Only the trunk of his body was left intact.”
1 Samuel 5:1-4 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1sa.5.1-4.NLT
“God will never be mocked!
For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest.
The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted.
If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption.
If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.”
Galatians 6:7-8 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/gal.6.7-8.TPT
As Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, so God scoffs at those who turn to anything or anyone other than the blood of Jesus for salvation, predicting they have become like that which they worship.
“You’ll have to shout louder,” (Elijah)he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.”
1 Kings 18:27, 29 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1ki.18.27-29.NLT
“This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand.
When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’”
Matthew 13:14-15 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.13.14-15.NLT
We may not use our hands to fashion idols from wood, stone, or precious metals, but indulging self-will in any area amounts to as much.
“So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”
1 John 1:6, 8, 10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.6-10.NLT
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.9.NLT
Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit of God. (Galatians 5:22-23) We cannot live apart from God and expect to inherit His eternal kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21)
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
“My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.2.20.NLT
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
Galatians 5:24-25 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.5.24-25.NLT
Jesus is coming again. There’s no time to fool around with sin because eternity apart from God is no laughing matter.
““Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into.
You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.””
Luke 12:39-40 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.12.39-40.NLT
Not everyone will repent. Nowhere does God’s Word promise that all will be saved. The promise of God is provision for salvation, and He accomplished that by the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The choice is left to us.
““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.3.16.NLT
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.12.NLT
“But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.
They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!
And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
Revelation 9:20-21 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rev.9.20-21.NLT
““But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death.”
Nothing evil will be allowed to enter (God’s eternal home), nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Revelation 21:8, 27 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rev.21.8-27.NLT
Open our eyes, Lord.
We want to see Jesus.
A Fitting Reply 