Trust in the Lord (2)

The Heathen gods are Impotent and Can Do Nothing Right (v. 4-8).

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them” (Psalm 115:4-8). The Psalmist, after describing the omnipotence of God, gives a sharp contrast of the gods of the heathen. While God was omnipotent and could come and go as He pleased the false gods were senseless (v. 4-6). While God has existed from eternity, these idol gods were created by the words of man’s hands. While God has spoken to man in different times and manners (Hebrews 1:1), these idols have mouths which are incapable of sound. The sacrifices of the time were a sweet savour to God (Lev. 1:9), but the works of stone did not have the ability to smell. The ears of the Lord are able to hear the prayers of the righteous. The ears of these glorified paper weights could not hear. God’s hands are capable of saving man (Is. 59:1), but these idols could handle nothing. They had all the parts which were capable but were not capable of using any of the five senses.

These idol gods were also stationary (v. 7). They have feet but cannot walk. Think of the description of these idols for a moment and think back to moments in the past where these idols could have easily spoken up. Genesis 31 depicts Laban being angry with his son-in-law for a number of reasons. One of them is the loss of an idol. Verse 30 tells of Laban asking Jacob point blank, “Why did you steal my gods?” Jacob told him to search to see if the idol was anywhere to be found. Laban searched the tent of Leah and found nothing. He entered the tent of Rachel and we are told that she sat upon camel’s saddle filled with his gods. Did Laban hear muffled cries, “HELP! We’re suffocating! Help us lest we perish!” No. They were made of stone and incapable of anything. The golden calf never received the worship of the Israelites. It surely did not try to save itself when Moses tried to destroy it (Exo. 20:22-23; 32:1-6, 24). What about the god of the Philistines which went by the name Dagon? The Philistines stole the ark from the Israelites and brought it before their god. The next day Dagon had fallen upon its face. Did Dagon pick itself back up? No. The next day the statue was in the same position but with its head and hands broken off. Did it try to pick itself up saying, “Whoops. Looks like I’ve lost my head! Get it?” No (1 Sam. 5:1-5). The idol gods are powerless where the God of Israel’s power is limitless.

Their followers were the same (v. 8). These people were senseless and stationary. They were senseless because they worshipped items of stone and wood. Not only did they worship items of stone and wood but they worshipped items which were made by the hands of man. This trust also made them out to be stationary because these gods could not bring them deliverance.