Have you ever had the privilege of making a piece of pottery from scratch on a potter’s wheel? I have not, but I have always been intrigued by it. The potter starts with just a lump of clay, which must be mixed precisely for the acceptable result to be achieved. We often wonder why a small bowl or cup made of clay is so expensive, however, no matter the size or expertise that is seen in the item, it represents time, effort, practice, talent, and skill. An apprentice probably starts projects then abandons them mid-stream out of frustration, however, when they become an expert at their trade, they are artists and can see uses even in broken or imperfect pieces. I can imagine a master craftsman, the creator of a piece, reaching for the clay, and long before it hits the wheel, they have in mind what they want to create. Questions like what type of vessel they will be making, what will its purpose be, how will it look, and what demographic will they be trying to sell it to, are circling around in their mind as they begin each new project.
God is known as the Potter and we the clay in Isaiah 64:8 which tells us, “But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou, our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” In Jeremiah 18:1-6 God gives Jeremiah an analogy of grace, “I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” God is the potter, he can make us over again, to His liking. While on the potter’s wheel, we did not have a choice; His design was not for us to decide or question. Romans 9:18-21 says, “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For whom hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” Unfortunately, when He did give us a voice and a choice, we failed miserably as stewards of those great privileges. I for one am thankful for his mercy and grace.
The Creator took dirt and made a ball of clay, and being the Master of all things, he had a specific species, form, and fashion in mind before he even began to form the first man and woman, Adam, and Eve. The result was not an ‘oopsie’ as one of my daughters always says, or a surprise, but intentional. After he had finished each part of His creation, he stood back, took a satisfied look at what He had done and congratulated Himself. Is this what it means to be ‘Godly proud’? This is an expression that I have heard the old timers use. In fact, he made all the living creatures that roam the face of the earth on the sixth day, including man. He was not confused, he did not intend to make us to be a lion, squirrel or even an eagle. For five days, He stated, “It is good.” However, after His long day of work on the sixth day, he surveyed the end results and stated, “It is VERY good!”
Though the completion of both the animal kingdom and humanity fell on the same day, there was something incredibly special about mankind. He put his very essence into us when he breathed into us the breath of life! He is still the giver of all life and breath to every child that is born into this world, without it, they are void of the very ingredient which animates the body, mind, soul, and spirit. This contrasts with the animal world who are existing and motivated by instincts only, for their necessities to sustain life, such as food and water, however, we have this, and so much more. Animals can be endearing, and though animal lovers call them ‘pets’ and treat them as their children, they have not received the breath of God.
Physically, humankind was made in the image that He foreknew before He ever picked up that ball of clay, which was to be His son, Christ Jesus, at the appointed time. Speaking of Jesus, Paul tells us in Colossians 1:14,15 and 17, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” John 1:3 &14 is a must read here, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” The purpose of Him coming in flesh was to redeem us, aka ‘buy us back.’ Humanity sold themselves into sin through their disobedience in the garden, thereby severing the relationship we were meant to have with our Creator. God had to humble himself and take on the form of a man to accomplish this redemptive process. Another achievement He could look at and say, “It is VERY good!”
Let us look further than the outward appearance and form of man. Genesis 1:1 is a comforting verse, which states plainly in the first five words, “In the beginning God created…” God was clearly already in existence from everlasting to everlasting, and is not a created being, everything else came from Him, and was created by Him and for Him. As the chapter progresses, we see the creation unfold. Though mankind possesses survival instincts, we differ from animals in that we have been made in the very image of God. Through the very breath of God, we have an innate connection to Him, therefore, when we walk away from Him and try to do things on our own, we feel the void, loneliness, hurt, confusion, and conflict within us. We have been given His very divine nature and were made specifically to have a relationship with Him. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Though I have no medical background and have not studied it out, it is as though we have His very DNA within us. We have unique cognitive abilities to reason, make decisions and analyze. We have morality, spirituality, emotions, rationality, and creativity. We have the inbuilt nature of God. Because of this, we have an inherent desire to create. We are filled with curiosity, talents, skills, and amazing creativity; however, we cannot create from ‘ex nihilo’ meaning ‘out of nothing,’ as God did. We are not God, or demi-gods. Though I am amazed everyday by the creativity of those around me, doing and making things I never would have thought of in a million years, they have had to use something that God has already created to make any type of configuration. It is at this point that folks become confused and begin to veer off the intended path for which they were created.
In Genesis 11:3-8 God acknowledged the creativity and ingenuity of the children of Israel, it reads, “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” Though they had undeniable talent, over active imaginations and great skill, they were living in disobedience. There was nothing wrong with the tower, it could probably have been considered magnificent and an accomplishment that was way before it is time, however, they were not within the will of God. The verses continue as God speaks to the heavenly host again, “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So, the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” This seems like a grave punishment for them using their ‘God breathed’ creativity. However, you can read in Genesis chapter 9, that after the flood, God had instructed Noah and his family to be “fruitful and multiply the earth”, just as he had told Adam in the garden of Eden. This was their purpose, (as well as ours spiritually now), but they thought they had a better idea, and this is where we go wrong.
If you stop to consider this a moment, you will agree that this is exactly what happen before Satan fell from heaven. He thought he had a better idea than God. When we begin to think this way and start acting upon it, we are putting ourselves above God, and we thereby become gods to ourselves by default. Isaiah 14:12-15 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” The clay can never become the Potter.
There are people who acknowledge there is a higher power, and realize that they are not gods, however, their search for God is so clouded by their traditions and superstitions that they just keep adding gods to their list. In certain religions, which are manmade rituals, there is a god to everything, for everything, and of everything. The sun, the moon, the earth, a rain god, a fertility god, a god of wealth and prosperity and the list is endless. These gods are made into every configuration that the imagination can concoct. You might have images of animals like elephants, cows, or snakes. Women with multiple arms, or a man with a fat belly, that we may all be familiar with known as Buddha, and many other horrifying creatures. People will sit and chant, cry and cut themselves for days on end, looking for answers, but these gods made by our hands are dead, as the story of Elijah tells us in 1 Kings 18:26-29, “And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.”
Some people serve their ancestors, believing they have come back from the dead as another person, animal, or thing. If you ever think you have seen a dead relative, just know that this is probably an evil spirit masquerading to try to reinforce your superstitions, because in doing so, it takes your focus off God. Others believe in other men, saying that they are God, such as Muhammad, however, if he ever was a god, which is a false notion, is now dead and cannot hear anyone’s prayers, much less answer them. People even pray to saints who have died. The sad reality is, there are millions who pray to Mary the mother of Jesus, thus considering her a god who can hear or who can go to her son, Jesus, to get answers for them. Firstly, she too was only human, secondly, she had to be born again of water and the Spirit as we are also instructed to be in John 3, and thirdly, she is also dead. She cannot hear us, nor can she answer any of our prayers.
God is not shocked by this behavior; he addressed it right from the start. In Exodus 20:4 He told us what not to do, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” He gave us the why in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:” And in Deuteronomy 6:5-9 He told us what we should do, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
In Jeremiah 10:1-11 in the English Standard Version gives clarity, “Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak, they have to be carried, for they cannot walk, do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.”
No matter how small or great you make your gods or what materials you use, they are powerless. Without ears to hear, eyes to see, or lips to speak. Your small graven images only have the usefulness of a paperweight, and your large totem poles have only the ability to hold a gate or intimidate but has no wisdom to share or comfort to give. A scarecrow is put into our gardens to pose as a person, used to scare the birds and keep the critters away from the crop we are trying to produce. However, it is not a person, but a fake or counterfeit and is not animated. This is the analogy that Jeremiah is making with any god we would try to form or make with our hands, or anything we would put before God. If we would come to this realization, we would see through the tactics of Satan, who’s only power is deceit. Countless folks have fallen prey to his devices, even having to carry idols everywhere they go, albeit as small as a dashboard statue or a hand full of beads. Statistically, the problem with the scarecrow is that it only serves to ward off the blackbirds and crows for a short while, until they become wise to the fact that it never moves and is in fact powerless. Therefore, anyone with a garden hoping that this tactic will work, must continually be moving it or changing it in some way. Likewise, anyone or anything that is not the one true living God, will have to continually be trying to ‘reinvent the wheel’ so to speak because they are imposters. If we are the creator of our own gods, then we must continually dote over them, in essence making ourselves their caregivers. This does not even make good ole horse sense.
Those who are appalled at these descriptions and would emphatically declare that they are not guilty of anything remotely related to idol worship, they in fact may be closer to it than they would like to admit. We may not recognize our idols because their specific descriptions may not be found in the word of God, however, the principle and commandment are seen throughout scripture. “Thou shalt have no other God’s before me.” Anything we esteem higher in our lives than God is an idol to us. How can I tell, you may ask? Who or what are you spending the most time with or on? Who or what are you spending the most money on? What gives you the most pleasure in your life? The answer could be family, friends, cars, houses, clothes, jewelry, nature, artwork; the list is endless. But is God on your list and how does he compare to the other items on the list? In the giving of your affection, time, and substance, how does he rate? No, we may not be of a culture in the United States that would be viewed as idol worshippers, but we may be the worst offenders in that we are ignorant to the fact that our worship is going to everything but God, though we are not physically on our knees in front of them. Acts 17:29-30 states, “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”
God’s thoughts on idol worship are clear, His judgements will be sure, and He his word is immutable. Romans 1:20-21 tells us, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” We must tare down the objects of affection in our lives and allow God to be God. Take those whom you idolized off the pedestal you have put them on. Do not put pressure on others to be a god to you, humans are limited and finite. If your vessel is broken and your life is in shambles, do not underestimate God’s power and ability. Turn back to the source from whence you came, and He will gladly make any repairs needed.
In Isaiah 42:8 God states emphatically, “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” I for one, would much rather have my Creator doting over me and supplying my needs, than to be masquerading as a god myself. Food for thought: Without God, the cucumbers in your garden will not grow no matter how many scarecrows you have! He is the source of all things. He is our Creator and our provider.